AR vs WASR vs FAL vs Mini 14

[hillman]

So, some of you know I am building my first AR (whenever I manage to find the right upper), but I am wondering if some of you more knowledgeable folks could break this down for me, as I may make another purchase soon while waiting for said upper.

For mid-range general purpose shooting, what are the relative merits and cautions for the following? I am just looking for the good points and the bad, including pre-ban mag availability and cost of ammo, and relative all around effectiveness.

AR 15
WASR 10
FAL
Mini 14

Thanks

 

[terraformer]

Stay away from the wasr. Get a chicom if you want an AK. The mini 14 has good ammo choice but the aftermarket preban mags suck and factory prebans are $100 a piece. Yeah, that isn't a typo. The FAL is probably your best bet since you are building an AR but it is .308 so more expensive to shoot. Obviously on all of your criteria the AR will score the best, but like I said, you are building one so you would have two and none of the others.

 

[Bob P]

Stay away from the wasr. Get a chicom if you want an AK. The mini 14 has good ammo choice but the aftermarket preban mags suck and factory prebans are $100 a piece. Yeah, that isn't a typo. The FAL is probably your best bet since you are building an AR but it is .308 so more expensive to shoot. Obviously on all of your criteria the AR will score the best, but like I said, you are building one so you would have two and none of the others.

Not much else to add then the above. The question is do you want two guns in .223/5.56 or do you want a different caliber?

 

[M1911]

AR 15
WASR 10
FAL
Mini 14

Ammo cost: 7.62x39 probably cheapest. 5.56 is next. 7.62x51 is most expensive.

All military pattern rifles are expensive and hard to find at the moment.

AR15 - most accurate out of the box. Most toys and variations available. Pre-ban magazines easy to find. Rifles are expensive.

Mini-14 - light. Inaccurate. No way to make it accurate without spending as much as a new AR. Reliable pre-ban magazines very hard to find and stupidly expensive.

AKs - reliable. Not terribly accurate. Pre-ban magazines very cheap and easy to find. Relatively inexpensive. Sights absolutely suck.

FALs - generally reliable. Sights are fair at best. Trigger is fair at best. Big. Heavy. Pre-ban magazines cheap and easy to find. Ammo is expensive.

 

[hillman]

Are FALs accurate with new/different sights or scopes? Is it possible to upgrade triggers on them?

 

[M1911]

Are FALs accurate with new/different sights or scopes? Is it possible to upgrade triggers on them?

FAL accuracy is basically fair. They are not 1 MOA guns, even with a scope. Expect 2-3 MOA. Scoping a FAL requires putting something like this on in place of the dust cover:

Seems to me that would make cleaning a bit more of a pain, but I don't have any direct experience with one. I'm not familiar with trigger upgrades for a FAL. There are a bunch of excellent trigger upgrades for AR15s.

 

[PaulD]

So, some of you know I am building my first AR (whenever I manage to find the right upper), but I am wondering if some of you more knowledgeable folks could break this down for me, as I may make another purchase soon while waiting for said upper.

For mid-range general purpose shooting, what are the relative merits and cautions for the following? I am just looking for the good points and the bad, including pre-ban mag availability and cost of ammo, and relative all around effectiveness.

AR 15
WASR 10
FAL
Mini 14

Thanks

A PTR91 is around the same price as a FAL so why not include that in your list?

 

[M1911]

A PTR91 is around the same price as a FAL so why not include that in your list?

And an M1A. And an AR10. Of the various 7.62Nato battle rifles, I own an M1A, AR10, and FAL. Of those, I prefer the M1A (though the pre-ban magazines are spendy) -- best sights, best triggers, balances the best for me. YMMV. But all of them are relatively expensive and hard to find right now. Much larger and heavier than a Mini-14.

 

[PaulD]

And an M1A. And an AR10. Of the various 7.62Nato battle rifles, I own an M1A, AR10, and FAL. Of those, I prefer the M1A (though the pre-ban magazines are spendy) -- best sights, best triggers, balances the best for me. YMMV. But all of them are relatively expensive and hard to find right now. Much larger and heavier than a Mini-14.

I didn't mention the M1A since it seems to cost a minimum of $500 more than the FAL. I haven't kept up with prices lately though.

On the Mini-14, does the new target model solve the accuracy problems?

http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAPro...ini-14%AE%20Target%20Rifle&bct=Yes&type=Rifle

 

[M1911]

I didn't mention the M1A since it seems to cost a minimum of $500 more than the FAL. I haven't kept up with prices lately though.

DS Arms FAL MSRPs start at $1700 and go up. M1As appear to be going for similar prices. Are cheap FALs still available?

PTR91 MSRP seems to start around $1200. Much cheaper. HK91 mags used to be cheap and easily available. Is that still the case?

 

[PaulD]

DS Arms FAL MSRPs start at $1700 and go up. M1As appear to be going for similar prices. Are cheap FALs still available?

PTR91 MSRP seems to start around $1200. Much cheaper. HK91 mags used to be cheap and easily available. Is that still the case?

I do see one FAL on their site for $1150 but it may need some modding for MA compliance.

http://www.dsarms.com/STG58--Austrian-FAL-Standard-Rifle-308-Cal/productinfo/STG58STD/

The last I heard HK91 mags are still reasonably priced.

Another option, though still expensive is a Sig 556. Put a deposit on one at Four Seasons and, once it comes in, the price will be reasonable.

 

[hillman]

I have seen a few used FALs going for sub $1000 in the recent past. That's really the only reason I included it in my list. Of course, I know the pricing schemes have all changed since the election...

 

[kristo]

OP, your request is flawed, because you explicitly asked about a WASR10.
If you get a quality AK you are getting a reliable mid-range rifle, that is cheap(er) to buy, cheaper to shoot and fires an intermediate round between 5.56N and 7.62N.
Furthermore, the typical AK ammo is steel cased and imported thus less likely to be affected by recent news on brass availability and other foretold changes...

 

[hillman]

Well I purchased a new Saiga in 7.62 x 39 from First Defense, I am going to put some work into it (pistol grip, etc.). I can't wait to take it out to the range this weekend.

I know it wasn't on my list but I just couldn't resist, and with the 20 inch barrel, I think it's exactly what I was looking for.

 

[Vintovka]

Plenty of WASRs are just fine, and will deliver exactly the same reliability and accuracy (or lack thereof) that you can expect from any other AKM. I've seen 3-4 MOA out of one, which is good for a 7.62x39 AKM.

Edit: oops, just noticed your last post after posting mine. Congrats on the Saiga - that's about the best of the breed!

 

[SemiAutoSam]

I just picked up a DSA FAL and it came in at 1200.00 no tax.


Fal mags are plentiful when found on www.FALFILES.com as are HK Mags when found on www.HKPRO.com .

I recently purchased 4 NIW 20 round HK91 pre ban mags for 15 each.

STG58 Austrian FAL Carbine Rifle, .308 Cal.
http://www.dsarms.com/STG58-Austrian-FAL-Carbine-Rifle-308-Cal/productinfo/STG58C18/

DS Arms FAL MSRPs start at $1700 and go up. M1As appear to be going for similar prices. Are cheap FALs still available?

PTR91 MSRP seems to start around $1200. Much cheaper. HK91 mags used to be cheap and easily available. Is that still the case?

 

[calsdad]

I do see one FAL on their site for $1150 but it may need some modding for MA compliance.

http://www.dsarms.com/STG58--Austrian-FAL-Standard-Rifle-308-Cal/productinfo/STG58STD/

The last I heard HK91 mags are still reasonably priced.

Another option, though still expensive is a Sig 556. Put a deposit on one at Four Seasons and, once it comes in, the price will be reasonable.

If you are going to go down the road of alternate 5.56 rifles - don't forget the Robinson XCR. It is available in a number of different calibers (.223, 7.62x39, 6.8) - and is sort of a cross between an FAL and an AR if you ask me.

I have one in .223 and really like it. I have been contemplating getting another in 7.62x39 - and I have heard they are working on a .308 version.

http://www.robarm.com/

Downside - like everything else these days, is that there is a long wait.


If you want to check each one out for comparison purposes let me know - I have a DSA FAL, an M1A, and an XCR.

 

[Rob]

Well I purchased a new Saiga in 7.62 x 39 from First Defense, I am going to put some work into it (pistol grip, etc.). I can't wait to take it out to the range this weekend.

I know it wasn't on my list but I just couldn't resist, and with the 20 inch barrel, I think it's exactly what I was looking for.

Good for you. Saigas are evil enough to be on anyone's list and are often overlooked in favor of a more 'popular' guns.

Now that you have started down the dark path, you need to get the whole Saiga family - .223 and 12g

 

[drumenigma]

Good choice on the Saiga. If it was about 1 1/2 years ago I would say buy a WASR but at the current prices they are just not worth it and who knows when/if they will go back down to a more reasonable price.