Mini-14

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Ruger Mini-14

The Mini-14
Type Semi-automatic carbine
Place of origin United States
Production history
Designed 1973
Manufacturer Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
Produced 1973-present
Variants 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)
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)

The Mini-14 is a small, lightweight semi-automatic rifle manufactured by the U.S. firearms company Sturm, Ruger. It is chambered to fire the popular .223 Remington cartridge as well as military 5.56 x 45 mm NATO ammunition, as stated in the user's manual. The rifle employs a cast, heat-treated CNC receiver and a version of the M14 rifle's breechbolt locking system, with a short-stroke fixed-piston gas system and gas cylinder derived from the M1 Carbine. The rifle is available in stainless or blued finish with synthetic or hardwood stocks and is fitted with an 18.5 inch barrel.

One reason for the popularity of the Mini-14 is that it does not have the "military" appearance that is associated with the AK-47 and M16 rifle. This resulted in most variants of the Mini-14 being specifically excluded from the now-expired and ultimately ineffective U.S. federal ban on so-called "semi-automatic assault weapons", even though the Mini-14 was functionally equivalent to, and even fired the same ammunition as, other prohibited firearms. The standard Mini-14 lacks such legislatively-defined military features as a bayonet lug and flash suppressor, though all of these are available through aftermarket alterations.

Contents

[edit] 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 arc (MOA). It is a rugged and robust design which addresses one of the M14's shortcomings with a 'self-cleaning' gas system similar in theory to the AK-47, though very different in design. Since the Mini-14 is not generally known to be sufficiently accurate (without accurizing) 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.

The Mini-14 has stiff competition from the less-expensive versions of the Chinese, Yugoslavian, and Soviet SKS rifle. 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 10-round magazine of a standard SKS.

The Mini-14 in its various forms has been adopted by various police and paramilitary forces around the world. In 1978, the rifle was purchased by the Royal Ulster Constabulary to replace its M1 carbines. In 1983, The Bermuda Regiment replaced its British-made L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs) in 7.62 x 51 mm NATO with the wooden-stocked Mini-14 20GB, a semi-automatic variant.

[edit] Variants

Bermuda Regiment soldiers clean their Ruger Mini-14 rifles. These were originally delivered with wooden stocks, but the Choate stocks were later retrofitted.
Bermuda Regiment soldiers clean their Ruger Mini-14 rifles. These were originally delivered with wooden stocks, but the Choate stocks were later retrofitted.

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 buttstock 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.

[edit] 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-primered 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.

[edit] Controversy

After several high-profile shootings and incidents involving the criminal misuse of Mini-14 rifles, along with its association with extremist movements during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sturm, Ruger & Co. co-founder William B. Ruger expressed an opinion highly unpopular among law-abiding firearms owners by opposing the use of so-called "high-capacity magazines" in civilian firearms.

In a letter to members of the U.S. House and Senate on March 30, 1989, Mr. Ruger stated the following in what has become to be known as "The Ruger Letter":

"...The best way to address the firepower concern is therefore not to try to outlaw or license many millions of older and perfectly legitimate firearms (which would be a licensing effort of staggering proportions) but to prohibit the possession of high-capacity magazines. By a simple, complete, and unequivocal ban on large capacity magazines, all the difficulty of defining "assault rifles" and "semi-automatic rifles" is eliminated. The large-capacity magazine itself, separate or attached to the firearm, becomes the prohibited item. A single amendment to Federal firearms laws could prohibit their possession or sale and would effectively implement these objectives..."

Mr. Ruger made additional comments during an interview with NBC, including "...no honest man needs more than 10 rounds in any gun..." and "...I never meant for simple civilians to have my 20- and 30- round magazines..."

This position caused outrage in the shooting sports community and led to a boycott of Ruger products that is still practiced by many firearms purchasers to this day. "The Ruger Letter" is widely accepted as being the genesis for those parts of legislation that were signed into law in 1994 in the now-defunct Assault Weapons Ban prohibiting the manufacture of any magazines holding over 10 rounds of ammunition for civilian sale.

While the true motivation behind "The Ruger Letter" may never be known, it is widely speculated that Ruger's position on rifle magazines and the "sporting" nature of firearms were more a matter of protecting his business than of individual philosophy. Given the legislative climate regarding firearms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the prospect of an outright ban that would have affected the sales of one of Ruger's most popular and profitable models was a very real possibility.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Trivia

  • The AC-556 was supplied to the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1979 as a weapon for its Special Patrol Groups, Special Operations (E Services) and exposed border police stations and units. Each selective-fire (single shot and three-round burst) rifle was equipped with a hardwood stock, flash eliminator, aperture rear sight, sling and 15-round and 30-round magazines. In the main the AC-556 was a reliable replacement for the Sterling submachine gun and M1 Carbines which were lightweight but had low penetration and limited range (especially in open country), and was lighter than the FN L1A1 rifles then used by the British Army. In situations such as an ambush of security forces in rural Northern Ireland the ability to respond with repeated and quick fire was more important than accuracy.
  • Serial killer Robert Hansen used this as his primary weapon of choice to commit his many murders in the Alaskan wilderness.
  • Modified Mini-14s were used in Paul Verhoeven's film Starship Troopers and designated "Morita Rifles".

[edit] External links

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