The Ruger Mini 14 and the Mini 30 are based on the M14 design. Norinco has made huge improvements in quality during the past few years. Whether you go with the Mini 30 or the M14 you'll be happy with your choice. Remember, the original M14 was used as a sniper rifle in Vietnam. From what I understand, the M14 is still used by some U.S. Marine Scout Snipers as their weapon of choice. Check them both out and decide which one feels more comfortable in your hands.

https://www.canadaammo.com/

http://www.marstar.ca/html/home.html

I am a huge fan of the 7.62 round.
Usually you don't need to shoot something twice to make it dead with that caliber, something that can't be said for many of the weapons being used by many of the military and peacekeeping forces today.

7.62 is a nice round but a dirty one, if its corosive ammo theres lots cleaning maintenance. But a great shell In the near future ill be buying a bolt action riffle to go with my semi sks

The 7.62 that comes from eastern bloc countries is dirty and corrosive. North American ammo, on the other hand, not so much. Just because someone is going for 7.62, we shouldn't assume they're going to be using eastern bloc ammo. Besides, dirty, corrosive ammo shouldn't be a real concern. People all over the world have found the secret to dealing with corrosive ammo. THEY CLEAN THEIR WEAPONS AFTER FIRING. Even in western armies, where we don't use the highly corrosive ammo, WE CLEAN OUR WEAPONS AFTER FIRING. It's really simple, if someone can't be bothered to properly clean and maintain their weapon, they deserve the consequences. I don't know how many posts there are that mention dirty, corrosive ammo, it's a non issue. CLEAN YOUR WEAPON AFTER FIRING.

Hello tazweiss:

Well said and I couldn’t agree more.
I have never had one problem with 7.62 ammunition, which by the way I first started firing when with the Canadian military and where I learned that my weapon better be clean and ready to fire at all times.

Hello tazweiss:

Well said and I couldn’t agree more.
I have never had one problem with 7.62 ammunition, which by the way I first started firing when with the Canadian military and where I learned that my weapon better be clean and ready to fire at all times.

Gotta love the FN. 🙂

Howdy Beaver,

Before we can begin to answer questions about what cartridge and what rifle platform, we need to ask how far do you want to reach and what size target do you want to drop and why the heck do you want high volume of rounds??? Suspressing fire is fine when someone else is paying your ammo bill, but you will probably find that when you have to buy the ammo you will not want to be wasting it by "hosing down" that clump of defenceless trees that may conceal a threat.

Understood, 5.56mm, does not have the dropping power of the heavier rounds but you can carry a whole lot of rounds for the same weight of ammo you have to hump through the bush. 5.56 will punch paper accurately to 500m. Not sure how much mass it will drop at that range, not much I would guess.

When you jump to the 7.62x39. 7.62x51, 7.62x54, 7.62x63, 7.92x57 or .303 Brit level, you add more punch and for the most part more range. 7.62x39 (SKS, AK-47 & Mini-30) has the shortest range. For a deer sized target I would not want to push this round beyond 150 metres. It is comparable to a .30/30 Winchester, a good round for deer hunting in the bush with the correct soft point ammo.

Like I said at the beginning, before the debate can really get under way we need to know how far and what you need to hit. Then, and only then, can a real list of cartridges and rifle platforms be suggested.

Yes, the M-1A, M-14, M-21 family of rifles have performed well out to 800 metres with proper training, optics and match ammo. The average guy should be able to bang metal gongs at 500 metres with iron sights, if they have received proper training. Of course, gongs don't shoot back.

Hope to hear more from you Beaver.

Cheers,

Mouuntainman.

Waiting Beaver,

What happened?? You started this thread and then never returned?? Did you make a purchase?? Are you pleased with it?

Cheers,

Mountainman.

The 7.62 that comes from eastern bloc countries is dirty and corrosive. North American ammo, on the other hand, not so much. Just because someone is going for 7.62, we shouldn't assume they're going to be using eastern bloc ammo. Besides, dirty, corrosive ammo shouldn't be a real concern. People all over the world have found the secret to dealing with corrosive ammo. THEY CLEAN THEIR WEAPONS AFTER FIRING. Even in western armies, where we don't use the highly corrosive ammo, WE CLEAN OUR WEAPONS AFTER FIRING. It's really simple, if someone can't be bothered to properly clean and maintain their weapon, they deserve the consequences. I don't know how many posts there are that mention dirty, corrosive ammo, it's a non issue. CLEAN YOUR WEAPON AFTER FIRING.

You just said exactly what I wanted to say. I would recommend an SKS. They are very affordable, semi-automatic and the ammo is one of the most common in the world. Yes it can sometimes be dirty ammo but like tazweiss said, if your clean your rife you will have no issues at all. And if you really don’t want to clean it, you can pay more and get non corrosive ammunition.

But like Mouintainmen has said, not knowing what exactly you want to take down makes it kind of hard to make a educated suggestion. The SKS is a great all around rife that’s why I suggested it. But they are many more that could be mentioned too.

http://www.theammosource.com/ (Awesome deals, good service)
http://frontierfirearms.ca/ (Good selection and good service)

Let us know what you have chosen!

Ps. If your stuck between two, buy em both!

Sorry all. Was a little caught up with other stuff. In short i think Im gonna go with the mini 30. Ammo is cheap, yes i know I have to clean after shooting but should we always? A little heavier to hump, but dont plan on covering alot of ground on foot. has the ability and power to stop four legged and two legged creatures with one well placed shot. I looked at most of the above suggestions, just kinda settled on the Mini 30. only problem is it doesnt seem to last long in shops....still looking to purchase should be soon.
Thanks for the input above. I appreciate it.
The Beav

Beav,

Good to see you have had time to return. The mini-30 should be a good choice. 7.62x39mm is a good round. Once you get setup let us know how you like it for your intended uses.

Cheers,

Mountainman.

Beaver, if you have not made your purchase already, one thing you may want to consider is the bore diameter. The Ruger puts or used to put a .308" bore on the Mini30, I am not sure if this is still the case. The 7.62x39 bullet diameter can be .310, .311, even .312 diameter in actuallity, I don't think this matters too much as I have fired the Rugers with mil spec 7.62x39 with no signs of damage, it may be an issue more for the reloader than anything when getting bullets to reload for that cartridge. Just reading your post here and thought about that. I personally would stay away from the Norinco M1A and if you go that route, save the extra money and buy the Springfield version. Good luck to you and let us know what you end up getting.
Also, if you are a reloader, the RCBS set of dies for the 7.62x39 comes with both the .308 and .311 expander ball depending on what bullet you end up reloading the cartridge with. fg 419

I appreciate the additional info. As far as reloading Im nowhere near that. LOL. I leaned towards the mini 30 as the rounds are cheaper. I hope to have "enough". I will lookk at the Springfield again. Still no purchase but I keep hoping..
Thanks The Beav.