History
The Mini-14 was first introduced in
1974 by Ruger. Its name is derived from the rifle's cousin, the M14
rifle, which is a full-size service rifle chambered in 7.62 x 51 mm NATO
(.308 Winchester)
caliber.
The Mini-14 has proved popular with
small-game hunters, ranchers, law enforcement, security personnel and
target shooters. Accuracy for a stock Mini-14 is commonly in the range
of 2 to 4 minutes of angle (MOA). It is a rugged and robust design which
uses a simplified M1 Garand gas-operated rotating bolt mechanism. The
Mini-14 uses a short-stroke piston similar to of the M14, but with a
fixed, self-cleaning piston and moving cylinder in place of the M14's
captive piston. Since the standard Mini-14 is not generally known to be
sufficiently accurate for use on small animals at long distances, its
hunting utility is generally restricted to small- to medium-sized game
at short to medium ranges. Initial reviews of the new Target model have
shown significantly improved accuracy over the standard model, producing
1 MOA groups with suitable ammunition.
The Mini-14 faces stiff competition
from the less-expensive versions of the Chinese, Yugoslavian, and Soviet
SKS carbines, and from other rifles like the comparatively-priced Kel-Tec
SU-16. The SKS is chambered in 7.62 x 39, which is thought to be a
superior deer-hunting cartridge (the .223/5.56 mm bullet is considered
by many game authorities to be inadequate for deer-size game), and many
states prohibit deer hunting with calibers under 6 mm/.24 caliber. The
Mini-14 does have the advantage of a detachable magazine, compared to
the fixed ten-round magazine of a standard SKS.
Variant
Variants of the Mini-14 rifles are
available in blued or matte finished stainless steel, with wood or
composite stocks. An aftermarket Choate black fiberglass stock with
pistol grip may be retrofitted to older Mini-14s. However, this stock,
with its straight-line butt stock adversely affects sight line. The rear
sight on standard models was an aperture sight with large protective
wings, and there were no integral scope bases.
The "Ranch Rifle" variant has scope
bases integrated into the receiver, and an ejector that ejects the spent
cartridge case at a lower angle to avoid hitting a low-mounted scope.
The original Ranch Rifle rear sight was a folding-type aperture, which
would fit under a scope.
Ruger made significant design
alterations to the Mini-14 in 2005 which changed the receiver, rear and
front sight configurations. All new Mini-14s are built as updated Ranch
Rifles, with integral scope bases, non-folding ghost ring aperture rear
sight (smaller than the original Mini-14 rear sight) and a winged front
sight similar to that used on the Ruger Police Carbine.
A "Target Rifle" version with a heavy
barrel, adjustable harmonic dampener and target stock was introduced in
2006.
Two militarized versions were also
produced:
1. The K Mini/14-20GB which featured
a fiberglass handguard, flash suppressor and a bayonet lug.
2. The AC-556, identical to the K
Mini/14-20GB, but with selective fire capability and an optional folding
stock.
While never adopted by the
U.S.
military, both civilian and military Mini-14 variants are popular with
some police departments as a medium-range rifle to fill the gap between
handguns and shotguns, and sniper rifles.
Some K Mini/14-20GB's originally sold
to U.S. law enforcement agencies have
been released to the civilian market. Often these carbines carry dual
serial numbers and are desired by collectors due to their provenance.
Likewise the factory flash suppressor and bayonet lug are more rugged
than their typical aftermarket equivalents and adds to their appeal.
Other calibers
In 1987, Ruger also began production
of a Mini-14 variation, designated the Mini-30. The Mini-30 is chambered
for the Russian 7.62 x 39 mm cartridge, used in the SKS and AK-47. As
stated earlier, many states prohibit hunting of deer with calibers
smaller than 6 mm (.243"). The 7.62x39 mm has only slightly inferior
ballistics to the well-known .30-30 Winchester. Unfortunately, the Mini-30 was not
designed to use the corrosive-premi¡§¡§red surplus 7.62 x 39 mm ammunition
then widely available on the civilian market, and the rifle's barrel and
gas system were sometimes destroyed through rust and neglect. The
current Mini-30 is configured as an updated Ranch Rifle, with integral
scope base, non-folding rear aperture sight, new front sight and
low-angle ejection.
Some earlier Mini-14 rifles were
chambered in the .222 Remington cartridge, which was the basis for the
development of the .223 Remington and its military equivalent 5.56x45 mm
NATO. Since the .223 Remington is dimensionally equivalent to the
5.56x45 mm, civilian firearms chambered in that caliber are highly
restricted in countries that restrict or prohibit firearms that chamber
military cartridges (such as
Mexico). By chambering the Mini-14 in
the similar but not interchangeable .222 Remington caliber, the Mini-14
could be sold in those countries.
A larger version of the Mini-14,
called the XGI, was developed by Ruger in .308 Winchester and .243
Winchester, but while it was advertised in 1985,
it never entered production due to continued accuracy and functioning
problems.
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Type
Semi-automatic carbine
Place of
origin United States
Production
history
Designed
1973
Manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
Produced
1973-present
Variants
Ranch Rifle, Mini-30, AC-556, Mini-14/20GB, Mini-14 Target Rifle
Specifications
Weight 6 lb
6oz (2.90 kg)
Length
37.25 in (946 mm)
Barrel
length 18.50 in (470 mm)
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Cartridge
5.56x45 mm NATO
Caliber
.223
Action
Gas-actuated with rotating bolt
Rate of
fire Semi-automatic
Muzzle
velocity 3100 ft/s (945 m/s)
Effective
range 225 yards (206 meters)
Technical data
-
Caliber: .223 Rem/5.56x45 mm
NATO, .222 Remington (discontinued), 7.62x39 mm (as Mini-30)
-
Length: 946 mm (37.25 in)
-
Weight: 2.9 kg (6 lb 6oz)
-
Barrel: 470 mm (18.5 in)
-
Rifling: 6 grooves, right
spin
Commercially Available Magazines And Capacity
-
5 (standard factory issued
with all new rifles, approx. 2.5" long),
-
10 (rarely encountered
factory and aftermarket - necessary in some
U.S.
states (such as
California), approx. 3.5" long)
-
18 (discontinued aftermarket
for Mini-30)
-
20 (factory and aftermarket,
approx. 5" long)
-
30 (discontinued factory and
aftermarket, approx. 7" long)
-
35 (aftermarket)
-
40 (discontinued
aftermarket, approx. 9" long).
-
90-round drum (aftermarket)
-
100-round Beta C-Mag drum
magazine
Note: Prior to 1994, even
though no Federal prohibitions on magazine capacity were in
effect, Sturm, Ruger Inc. refused to sell factory-produced
Mini-14 magazines holding over 5 rounds to non-military, non-law
enforcement purchasers. With the expiration of the Federal
Assault Weapons Ban in 2004, Ruger still refuses to sell
20-round magazines direct to consumers and continues to mark
them "Law Enforcement Only", even though there is no longer any
requirement for them to do so. Ruger does sell the 20-round
Mini-14 magazines to a number of distributors who in turn are
willing to sell them to private individuals. The 30-round AC-556
magazine which may also be used in the Mini-14 has been
discontinued by the factory.
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