The Ruger Mini is popular and well distributed nationally, but stick to the .223/5.56mm chamber. For a short period of time, this rifle was also marketed in 6.8 SPC caliber. It would not be a choice of mine for a survival gun. Too, the Mini is also available as the Mini-30, which is chambered in 7.62×39mm. It is up to $100 more expensive than the 5.56mm model (Ruger recently went from .223 to the 5.56 chambering). The Mini-30 is only available with synthetic stocks, and overall the gun is not as commonly encountered as the Mini-14. I did not have the opportunity to test one, so I can’t comment that it has the same level of reliability as the 5.56 version, but I haven’t heard any reports to the contrary.
There are a couple disadvantages to the Ruger Mini-14, just as there are for any weapon. First, the accuracy level, at least in the newest versions, lies between that of an AR and an AK, depending on the load used. Accuracy has been improved recently, due to the use of new CNC machines in the plant in Prescott, Arizona, which produces a more precise weapon; previous generation Mini-14s produced accuracy more like the AK, which was still adequate for most patrol work. Barrel twist for the Mini is 1:9, which allows for the widest range of 5.56mm bullet weights.
My other nit-pick with this gun is that the mounting of optics is a bit more challenging on the basic models. The UltiMAK company offers railed upper fore-end replacements that allow the forward mounting of scout-type optics. However, in keeping with the survival weapons philosophy, an optic really isn’t needed, or even particularly desirable, especially since the Mini-14, with the exception of the cumbersome Target version, would not be at its best at extreme long range.
An Oldie but Goodie
Next on the piston-driven list for use at medium and CQB range is the very tried and true M1 Carbine, specifically the new versions produced by Auto-Ordnance Corporation (Kahr Arms). If you have a WWII original, feel free to use it, but if it is one that is truly a collector’s grade, you may not want to deploy it at just this moment. That’s where the Auto-Ordnance guns come in.
Operating under the short-stroke system developed by Winchester and David Marshall “Carbine” Williams, which differs from the long-stroke system of the M1 Garand in that it is not actually connected to the action via linkage, but rather strikes the action open as does the modern AR piston system. The M1 has proven from WWII through Vietnam to be superbly reliable. Further, its 5.5-pound weight makes it the lightest long gun to serve in frontline combat, even though it was never intended to be there (it was supposed to be used by support troops and rear echelon ranks). However, its light weight and high magazine capacity (15 rounds, at the time) made it very popular with troops who were limited in logistical support, such as paratroopers. A special version, the M1A1 with a folding stock, was produced for them, making their combat load even more compact, a handy quality when exiting the door of a C47 aircraft wearing a parachute and all the other survival gear needed to operate behind enemy lines. The M1 Carbine would have been an even better weapon if it had been first introduced as intended, as the full-auto M2 Carbine, but the military wanted to save money at first and introduced it as semi-auto only. The M2 didn’t appear until after WWII and saw extensive use in Korea.
Fast forward to Kahr Arms and its acquisition of the Auto-Ordnance Corporation. Auto-Ordnance had, for a number of years, kept the semi-automatic version of the Thompson submachine gun alive, along with a rendition of the 1911 .45. At the time, its 1911s were not known for great quality or reliability. All that changed when Kahr took over. Not only was there an improvement in the firearm quality, but also an expansion of the product line with the addition of the AOM130 full stock M1 Carbine and the AOM150 Paratrooper folding stock version.
The M1A1 Paratrooper version is one of the handiest weapons of its type and power level. The folding stock doesn’t actually lock, but, when opened, it remains firmly in place. Unlike other metal folding stock systems, it is extremely comfortable to fire with, in part due to the leather cheekpiece, but also due to the almost non-existent recoil of the .30 Carbine cartridge.
Neither the AOM130 or 150 come with bayonet lugs, as the AOM130 are modeled after the early M1s. The sights are the early, non-adjustable peep sights, and the safety is the crossbolt push-button type, a style that was later replaced by a rotating lever type. Price is reasonable. The standard magazine shipped with either is a single 15-rounder, with 30-rounders available from Kahr.
I outfitted both the 130 and 150 with a sling and plan to add a bayonet lug in the future. Either carbine possesses the advantages of extremely light weight and reliability, plus they have the advantage of naturally camouflaged walnut stocks.
The M1 Carbine has little or no identification as a “bad guys gun,” as it was not included in the Clinton 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. That is subject to change, as President Obama is preventing the return of M1 Carbines and the M1 Garand into the U.S. from South Korea. With that in mind, for the moment, today’s Auto-Ordnance M1 Carbines are reasonably priced compared to WWII M1s, nearly all of which are now collector’s items.
The only disadvantage to the M1 is in terms of accuracy at longer range. This is due to the short-for-caliber round-nose bullets that are chambered in factory loads, the piston system of operation, and the fact that this weapon was neither intended to be used as a primary fighting tool, nor fired at the distances the M1 Garand was set up for. But, for mid-range to CQB distances, especially by smaller family members who don’t like recoil, this weapon is hard to beat.
The Bigger Big Boys
There are two other piston-operated rifles that deserve mention, especially for longer-range defense, where a cartridge with greater punch is called for, or where a larger weapon is easier to support as a shelter-in-place weapon. Those guns are the M1 Garand and the Springfield Armory M1A.
If you have never shot either of these rifles, you don’t have an appreciation for the capabilities of the full-size battle rifle. I have owned and fired my Garand for several years now and know that, if I shelter-in-place, as is my current plan, this will be one of the primary weapons I’ll deploy to deal with any threats approaching my house at ranges greater than 50 yards—especially if that threat is vehicle-borne.