The Mini-14 is a lightweight

semi-automatic rifle A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. For comparison, a bolt ...

manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Introduced in 1973, it is based on the M14 rifle and is essentially a scaled-down version chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO. It is made in a number of variants, including: the Ranch Rifle (a basic, civilian variant), the Mini-14 GB, and the Mini Thirty, which is chambered for 7.62×39mm. The rifle is currently used by military personnel, law-enforcement personnel, and civilians in the United States and around the world.

History and design

Introduced in 1973 by Sturm, Ruger & Co., the Mini-14 resembles a smaller version of the military M14 rifle. Designed by

L. James Sullivan Leroy James Sullivan (born June 27, 1933) is an American firearms inventor. Going by Jim Sullivan, he has designed several "scaled-down" versions of larger firearms. Early life Sullivan was born on June 27, 1933 in Nome, Alaska. Sullivan lived ...

and William B. Ruger, it incorporated numerous innovations and cost-saving engineering changes. The Mini-14 rifle has an investment-cast, heat-treated receiver and is mechanically similar to the M1 rifle, with a self-cleaning, fixed-piston gas system. Initial rifles were produced with a complex, exposed-bolt hold-open device with no button for manual engagement. Stocks were somewhat angular, and heat shields were made of wood. These rifles, with serial number prefixes before 181, were tooled and redesigned with a new stock, new bolt hold-open mechanism, and other small changes. The original Mini-14 rifle had a rear aperture sight with large protective wings and no integral scope bases. In 1982, Ruger introduced the Ranch Rifle with an integral scope base on the receiver, a new folding-aperture rear sight, and factory scope rings. In 1987, Ruger introduced the Mini Thirty rifle chambered for the Russian 7.62×39mm cartridge. At the time, large quantities of surplus military ammunition were being imported into the United States at rock-bottom prices. Also, the 7.62×39mm is ballistically similar to the

.30-30 Winchester The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire cartridge was first marketed in 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle.ghost ring aperture rear sight, and a winged front sight similar to that used on the Ruger Police Carbine. They have serial numbers beginning with 580 and are sometimes referred to as 580-series Ranch Rifles. They also have a new modified gas system designed to reduce barrel vibration and can shoot two-inch groups at 100 yards, which is 2 minute of angle (MOA) accuracy. Around 2007 or 2008, Ruger added a heavier, larger-diameter barrel visibly tapered from gas block to muzzle. These changes combined with tighter tolerances result in greater potential accuracy. All Mini-14-type rifles are available in stainless steel or blued finish with hardwood, synthetic, or laminated stocks with or barrels.

Variants

Ranch Rifle

The Ranch Rifle is a basic model offered in a wood or synthetic rifle stock paired with a blued or stainless steel receiver and a standard 18.5" tapered barrel (1:9" RH twist rate). These rifles feature an adjustable ghost ring rear sight and winged front sight, and they are sold with a detachable Picatinny scope rail mount and a choice of two 20-round or 5-round detachable box magazines to comply with some U.S. states and other countries, which have laws restricting magazine capacity. All models are chambered in both .223 Remington and 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition except the Target Rifle variant (which is .223 only).

Target Rifle

Introduced in 2007, the "Target Rifle" version has a cold hammer-forged heavy barrel, adjustable harmonic tuner with adjustable MOA accuracy, and either a laminated wood or Hogue overmolded synthetic stock. The Target Rifle does not have iron sights but includes the standard scope rings and

Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was ...

mount. It is designed for use with the .223 Remington round only; 5.56 NATO is not warranted by Ruger.

Tactical Rifle

Introduced in 2009, the "Tactical Rifle" is the newest variant, which includes the shorter 16.12" barrel with flash suppressor, and is available with a standard fixed stock/fore end, or a collapsible ATI-brand stock with Picatinny rails. This model is chambered in both .223 Remington/5.56×45mm NATO and

.300 AAC Blackout The .300 AAC Blackout (designated as the 300 BLK by the SAAMI and 300 AAC Blackout by the C.I.P. or 300 AAC Blackout'' C.I.P. TDCC sheet 300 ACC Blackout/ref>), also known as 7.62×35mm, is an intermediate cartridge developed in the United Sta ...

as of 2015.

Mini Thirty

In 1987, Ruger began production of the Mini Thirty, which is chambered for the Russian 7.62×39mm cartridge, used in the

SKS The SKS (russian: Самозарядный карабин системы Симонова, Samozaryadny Karabin sistemy Simonova, 1945, self-loading carbine of (the) Simonov system, 1945) is a semi-automatic rifle designed by Soviet small arms ...

and AK-47, as many states prohibit hunting of deer with calibers smaller than 6 mm (.243 in). The 7.62×39mm has ballistics similar to the well-known

.30-30 Winchester The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire cartridge was first marketed in 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle. The Mini Thirty is available with a 16.12" (Tactical Model) or 18.50" barrel having a twist rate of 1:10" RH, and is sold with two 20-round or 5-round box magazines. Ruger does not currently produce 30-round Mini Thirty magazines. The Mini Thirty shares many of the same design and accessory options with those of the smaller caliber Mini-14 Ranch Rifle.

Mini Thirty Tactical Rifle

The "Mini Thirty Tactical Rifle" variant was introduced in 2010. It closely mimics the Mini-14 Tactical Rifle variant, but in 7.62x39mm. It also has a shorter 16.12" barrel with flash suppressor, and is available with a standard fixed stock/fore end, or a collapsible ATI-brand stock with Picatinny rails.

Government models

Mini-14 GB

The Mini-14 GB ("government barrel") models feature either a pistol grip, side-folding stock, or a standard semipistol grip rifle stock, a 20- or 30-round magazine, bayonet lug, threaded barrel, and flash suppressor. Proof that GB stands for "government barrel" and not "government bayonet" can be seen in Ruger's new Tactical models and Ruger continuing to use "GB", which are catalogued for example KM-14/20GBCP. These models have no bayonet lug but do have the flash hider. Sales of the models with bayonet lug were intended only for law enforcement, military, and private security markets, and could only be found in Ruger's Law Enforcement Catalog. Many have entered the civilian market, though.

AC-556

Introduced in 1979, the AC-556 is a selective-fire version of the Mini-14 marketed for military and law-enforcement use. The design incorporates a selector on the right/rear of the receiver to select either semiautomatic, three-round burst, or full automatic fire modes; the manual safety at the front of the trigger guard operates the same as a standard Mini-14. The front sight is winged and incorporates a bayonet lug. The or barrel incorporates a flash suppressor, which can be used to launch approved tear-gas and smoke rifle grenades. A folding stock was used on the AC-556F and AC-556K. The rifle came equipped with 20-round magazines and a 30-round version was available for a time. The AC-556 was dropped from production in 1999 and Ruger stopped offering service for the rifle in 2009. By that time, some models became available for private civilian purchase in the NFA market.

=Mousqueton A.M.D.

In France, the AC-556 is known as the Mousqueton A.M.D. where it was used by several governmental agencies within the French

Interior Ministry An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

: the Police Aux Frontières ("P.A.F."—Border Police), the

Police Nationale The National Police (french: Police nationale), formerly known as the , is one of two national police forces of France, the other being the National Gendarmerie. The National Police is the country's main civil law enforcement agency, with prima ...

Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (or "C.R.S."—Riot Control Brigade), and the Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale ("GIGN") special-operations unit. The A.M.D. was made in two versions, the first has the standard Ruger aperture rear sight. On the other, the aperture rear sight has been completely removed and replaced with a tangent rear sight located on top of the barrel just forward of the receiver.

Straight-pull action

A small number of straight-pull only (or

bolt-action Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed). Most bolt-actio ...

only) Mini-14 and Mini Thirty rifles were manufactured for sale in the United Kingdom as a result of legislation that banned semiautomatic centerfire rifles in 1988.

Other calibers and accessories

.222 Remington

Ruger produced a

.222 Remington The .222 Remington or 5.7×43mm (C.I.P), also known as the triple deuce, triple two, and treble two, is a centerfire rifle cartridge. Introduced in 1950, it was the first commercial rimless .22 (5.56 mm) cartridge made in the United Stat ...

caliber model as early as 1984. Designated Mini-14/5R.222, these rifles were made mostly for civilian markets overseas where .223 caliber and 5.56 mm firearms are generally banned. These were discontinued in the early 1980s.

6.8 mm Remington

In 2007, Ruger began production of the Mini-6.8 using the commercial 6.8 mm Remington SPC cartridge. However, they were discontinued in 2012 and are no longer listed in the Ruger catalog.

.300 Blackout

In 2015, Ruger introduced the Mini-14 Tactical chambered in

Accessories

A wide range of aftermarket accessories are available for the Mini-14 and Mini Thirty, including numerous stocks, magazines, and Weaver and Picatinny rail mounts.

Users

Royal Bermuda Regiment Soldier at Ferry Reach in 1994

*: Currently used by the

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Department of Corrective Services * : Mini-14GB and AC-556 used by the National Civil Police *: Mousqueton A.M.D. variant used by French police forces ( Police Aux Frontières, GIGN, CRS). *Gander, Terry J.; Hogg, Ian V. ''Jane's Infantry Weapons 1995/1996''. Jane's Information Group; 21 edition (May 1995). . *: Used by the Hong Kong Police Force Hit Team and Hong Kong Correctional Services. *: Used by

Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...

*: Used by Rhodesian security forces during the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rh ...

. *: The

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Roya ...

had used the AC-556 model prior to its inventory being destroyed by 1995. The

Surrey Constabulary Surrey Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Surrey in South East England. The force is currently led by Chief Constable Gavin Stephens. Previously the force was led by Nick Ephgrave who left the force ...

Firearms Support Team (now known as the Tactical Firearms Unit) was armed with Mini-14s in the 1980s modified with folding stocks. **: The Royal Bermuda Regiment has used the Mini-14GB/20 as its standard service rifle since 1983. Original wooden stocks were replaced with Choate black plastic stocks about 1990. The regiment received

L85A2 The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Se ...

rifles in August, 2015, and the Ruger was phased out in January, 2016. *: Mini-14s were used by the New York City Police Department Emergency Service Unit with mostly 13 inch barrels, factory flash hiders and AC556 gas block front sights in both standard & folding stocks, the rifles eventually being replaced by the

M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensive ...

. The NYPD's Organized Crime Control Bureau is armed with the Mini-14s. The Mini-14 is the main rifle used by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the North Carolina Department of Correction. US Marines that serve as guards at certain US embassies are sometimes issued Mini-14s. Delta Force has some Mini-14s in inventory. The Rajneeshpuram Peace Force employed some Mini-14s in addition to Galils and Uzis. The Nevada Department of Corrections uses the Mini-14

Criminal use

The Ruger Mini-14 was used in several notable crimes: * Michael Lee Platt used a Ruger Mini-14 in the

1986 FBI Miami shootout The 1986 FBI Miami shootout occurred on April 11, 1986, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, U.S. (the specific area was incorporated as Pinecrest in 1996), when a small group of field agents for the FBI attempted to apprehend William Russell Matix an ...

, which resulted in FBI agents and other American law-enforcement agencies adopting stronger body armor and discarding revolvers in favor of more powerful, higher-capacity handguns. *

Marc Lépine Marc Lépine (; born October 26, 1964 – December 6, 1989) was a Canadian antifeminist mass murderer from Montreal, Quebec, who, in 1989, murdered fourteen women, and wounded ten women and four menNote: Many sources state thirteen were wounded ...

used a Ruger Mini-14 in the École Polytechnique massacre, which resulted in the Canada Firearms Act, 1995 and new police response procedures. *

Anders Behring Breivik Fjotolf Hansen (born 13 February 1979), better known by his birth name Anders Behring Breivik () and by his pseudonym Andrew Berwick, is a Norwegian far-right domestic terrorist, known for committing the 2011 Norway attacks on 22 July 2011. On ...

used a Ruger Mini-14, along with a Glock 34, in the 2011 Norway attacks, during which he fatally shot 69 people on an island summer camp and was further responsible for eight additional deaths in a bombing in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. It was Norway's deadliest attack since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. * Gabriel Wortman reportedly used a Ruger Mini-14, along with several other firearms, in the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks. This resulted in the reclassification of the Mini-14 and at least 1,500 models and variants of other "assault-style" firearms as prohibited weapons in Canada. * Serial killer Robert Hansen used a Ruger Mini-14 and a knife to hunt down and kill his victims in the wilderness around

Anchorage Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

between 1971 and 1983. He was later arrested and sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 461 years. * Gordon Kahl used a Ruger Mini-14 during an arrest attempt on February 13, 1983 in Medina, North Dakota. Two U.S. Marshals were killed.

References

External links

* {{Ruger .300 BLK firearms 5.56×45mm NATO semi-automatic rifles 7.62×39mm semi-automatic rifles Carbines Mini-14 Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1973