I just wrote the stock where the barrow come out the, MY brother carved a sharks face before they came out with the metal piece around the stock and barrow it was all wood. Every one wanted the ranch riffle just because of the shark carving on it. It was around that time 1984-86
10 years ago a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.
I grew up during the assault weapon ban so when I was a kid this was the closest thing my dad had to an ar15 I absolutely loved it I still love it I bought my own despite owning several ar's is just something cool about a Mini 14 Cool video it took me back
Mine is from the early 90s and I love it. New ones require and hex wrench to adjust the sights, but the older ones like mine can be adjusted with a bullet tip, which I like. Very dependable firearm and my go to for home defense.
I purchased a Mini 14 in 1983 and have enjoyed shooting it. I noticed the gas block was cracked and decided to upgrade the rifle a few years ago. I sent it to Accuracy Systems Inc. in Colorado. They installed their .750" barrel, an adjustable gas block along with other upgrades. Shoots amazing now.
I have both the Mini-14 and the Mini-30 Ranch Rifles and the stocks that they come with suits me fine. I've had the Mini-30 since the late 70's and the only "add ons" were an Accu-strut and a scope with see through mounts so I can still use the open sights. The Mini-14 just has a scope with see through mounts. I got the Mini-14 4 yrs. ago and it's definitely accurate enough for my use (2 inches or less at 100 yds) and the Accu-strut improved my accuracy of the Mini-30 enough to get the same results with it.
I like the looks with the original Wood Stock, I still remember how nice it looked when I bought it. I did do the following: I decided to get a Stabilizer. I believe the technical name is an ''Accu-Strut''. it's supposed to give you better accuracy. I also switched to an ATI Stock I could take advantage of extending the stock. It's more comfortable in my opinion, plus my oldest son is 6.3''-4'' tall & since I let him use my rifles, it's like the only way he can shoot.......
@@GUNS-GDC Actually I just bought a barrel that has a threaded end. I paid $30 for it but I'll have to take it to a gunsmith because the gas port is out of round. I suspect the gas block was loose & the original owner kept using it. I didn't notice it being too much of an issue but hey, if it ends up costing over $70 to get that right then I could have just removed my barrel & had it threaded. Oh well it'll be okay. I just sanded it & re-blued it & it looks good.
The Mini-14 is the only way I could see owning a 5.56mm rifle. I prefer the "Garand style action" used in the piece over the system used in AR-style rifles. Mine is also from the 580 series, but it came with a wooden gunstock rather than synthetic. My only complaint is that the sling swivels are not made to accept standard web slings such as used on the M1 and M14. Had to go to a slim width leather sling in order to get it to work. Nice video.
I had one of the first series of Ranch Rifles. I put an aftermarket folding stock on it, I think it was Ram-line in the 80s. The whole package cost me about $450 back then, if I remember correctly. Mostly used it for plinking, but also on coyotes in AZ. I had one buddy originally from Ohio, and we used to go camping a lot. We'd bring our plinkers along and burn up a bunch of ammo. One time his wife came with us. She was always afraid of firearms. We started her slow on a 10/22, then gave her the Mini-14 with a full 20 rd magazine. She fired it once, then paused. She fired two more times. Then she glanced over her shoulder at us, smiled . . . and proceeded to empty the rest of the magazine downrange. When she turned back to us, she had the biggest goofy grin on her face. She's been a shooting fan ever since.
My wonderful wife of 48 years bought me a Mini 14 in 1976 at the Camp Lejuene Marine Corps exchange for $164.00. The Model has printed on the receiver block side "Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty". I've used the rife on Aoudad, Deer and Hog hunts. I still have the rifle today. Over the years I've bought other Mini 14s one stainless, one in 300 Blackout and reciently traded another firearm for a Mini 30. None have ever failed me. I like the Garand action. If I were to ever come accross a functioning Ruger XGI i (.308 version) would buy without hesitation. Liked the video
I have been well satisfied with mine and prefer it over the AR platform. My 30 carbine is a real sweet gun also and my favorite for a 100 yard defensive weapon due to the light weight and reliability second to none.
I bought a 580 series tactical one on GunBroker 2 weeks ago,and ordered the new Samson folding stock from a local dealer, hopefully arriving in a couple of months as Samson cannot keep up with the demand, I love when a plan comes together....😉
When the A Team ended was the year I bought mine. Pencil thin barrel and all the weaknest described for three plus decades. I still have it. Fun to shoot and my army son likes that he's just as old!
Confession time. I bough my first semi auto pistol, a Browning High Power, after seeing Al Pacino carry one in Serpico. And then of course like thousands of others, I just HAD to have a 6” Smith 29 after Dirty Harry came out; a very difficult revolver to obtain at the time btw. And then in the mid 80s I desperately needed an Italian Beretta 52 after seeing Lethal Weapon. The fact is that American TV and movie culture has always impacted weapon sales and popularity, and that includes the Colt SAA, 2nd Generation, being reintroduced due to the popularity of Roy Rogers and other 50s cowboy TV shows, to James Bond still having a LOT to do with the PPK’s popularity, to even the recent reintroduction of the Colt Python thanks in large part to the Walking Dead series.....
Owned, and enjoyed several of these...Only one that gave me trouble, was an real early stainless model.....the gas chamber cracked, so I sent it in for repair to the factory.......returned in a short time, new gas chamber, new bolt, head checked, all at no cost....Ruger has excellent warranty service, and usually, at no cost......a real fun shooter....especially with 20 round magazines.
Thank you for this nice video. I liked how you explained the 580 barrel. I live in Maryland and I was talking about these guns to a friend and he informed me that a 223 equipped Mini 14 was banned in our Nanny state. Funny part is he said a 224 Valkyrie chambered one is perfectly fine to have a folding stock.
My first issued weapon was the M14 before being reissued the 16 on the Korean DMZ and Viet Nam. I'll take the Ruger Mini14 as a home weapon inna heartbeat.
Got mine in '91, it's the old style, the barrel gets REAL hot after a few rounds, need to let it cool. Syn stock is only mod I made. A sweetheart of a shooter, small and light. I can ring a 1-foot plate at 100 yds all day long, but accuracy diminishes rapidly beyond that, no point in using optics. It's a RANCH RIFLE !
The Ruger Mini-14 rifle was later made popular on NBC's "THE A-TEAM" in 1983 as George Peppard, "Mr. T, and Dirk Benedict sported these assault rifles with the folding stocks and the nice chrome barrels in various episodes of their show.
The side folding stock on the Mini-14 is kinda like the paratrooper version of the M1 carbine. I think that's what they were going for. "That old school sort of action," is the M1 Garand action, which was miniaturized to get the M1 carbine.
Got my ss ranch in early 90's. Synthetic stock and a flash suppressor. A 10, 20, and 40rd as mags, brand new for $350! Everyone who sees it or shoots it, loves it!
I have the older version and brought it out with the kids the other day. Hung clays at 25 and 50 yds and the kids had a great time plinking and hitting the clays. Mine might not be MOA accurate but we hit what we shoot at, have fun doing it and it's not failed for me even when I mix rounds (weights/caliber 223vs556).
1:00 Ruger stopped making the folders voluntarily because owner Bill Ruger thought they looked like "assault weapons" and he wanted his brand to be more associated with "hunting". He did not like the idea of an assault weapon image for Ruger.
@Ovy Licker I've met too many people whose parents left Vietnam during that time, to believe they wanted not to be free. Not everyone decided to leave either.
I own three mini 14s. The first one I bought is an old 180 series with the top wooden handguard. Probably made in the 70s, Great little Rifle, just not the most accurate out past 100 yards. The second is a SS ranch rifle. The third is a bull barrel target rifle. It is capable of hitting the target further than I have the ability to shoot. I have a half dozen ARs but the Mini 14 has a special place in my heart. The gas operated closed rotating bolt is the best action on any semi automatic rifle in my opinion. I also own an M1 Garland, M14 and a pair of M1 Carbines. I love the action of these rifles.
@@gullybull5568 Not sure what you mean, but I had purchased mine back in the late 80's and it started out as a Ruger ranch model and then was modified from there.
I've got a 581 Mini I bought from Walmart several years ago. It has a wood stock but the blued finish. It's fine and it shoots pretty good. I do like the look of the stainless Mini with the wood stock, it's a really good looking pairing. The folding stock on a stainless is also extremely attractive looking. It just looks good.
Being a Viet Nam vet, when I saw "mini 14" I was thinking that it was a civilian version of the old M-14's we used then. Chambered in .308 and very accurate. I was a little disappointed when I saw that yours was chambered in .223. I guess I should get out more. lol. I would love to have one of the old M-14's that we used then.
I have a 188 prefix. Another words an early model mini 14. I put a barrel struck from strum ruger On my mini 14. My groups Has Shrunk Down to one MOA at 100 meters. I've actually got it Sub MOA at 100 meters depending on Ammunition. The barrel strutt is integrated into the gas block. another words it's just one piece you don't have set screws to worry about. And you don't have to worry about The strutt coming loose. They come In different dimensions they fit the early mini 14 as well as the newer model mini 14. Just tell them what model of rifle You have.
Buying the rifles the government tells you that you can have does NOT "make sense". Are you going to wait to move out of CA until your home value is too low to sell it and buy a home for cash in TX or FL? If you can find a moving truck for rent...you can move to FL, buy a house, a boat and a truck to tow your boat for CASH after selling your overpriced, overtaxed home in CA. For now. Then you can own any rifle you want, take off your mask(s) and live in a FREE state.
@@garyK.45ACP One day I will be free, one day I will have The power or right to act, speak, or to think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. One day the promise that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, it will be a reality. One day I will leave this forsaken place.
Bought one in my 20's. Targets and Prairie dogs. About $280 new. Last time I looked at one it was over $800. I found mine to be inaccurate, would leave a 8" 00 pattern at 100 yard. I can see why they sell. They don't look scary to politicians.
Bought a River Mini-14 GB model in the early 80's. I was lured by its resemblance to the iconic M14. Bit it wouldn't group with any .223 ammo. My 1972 vintage Colt SP1 out performed it in every category, so I sold the Mini. Years later I bought a first model Mini-30. With a scope, from a bench, it peppered targets with no apparent repeatable pattern. Much research led me to discover that Ruger had put .308 diameter barrels on the first rifles released so my .311 diameter 7.62x39 bullets were squeezing down the tube creating dismal target performance. I began reloading with Winchester 125 grain .308 diameter bullets and the rifle immediately produced 1" groups with no other changes. Sadly, I traded it away for something I can't remember.
Now this is useful info. My Mini 14 is trash with all bullets, and so is my Mini 30. BUT, I reload for the 30 so I’ll try the switch to the smaller diameter bullets. Thanks for the idea!
Ruger had been working on a prototype semiautomatic chambered in .308 Winchester to be called the XGI. Test results found that after a few hundred rounds the wooden stock would crack at the tang and recoil on the light weapon was excessive. So, the caliber was changed to the 7.62x39 Russian. However, Ruger had already produced quite a few .308 diameter barrel blanks. These contoured blanks were fitted to existing receivers and the Mini-30 was born.
I love my mini-30 ,it has a heavy barrel ,flash hider, Hogue stock ,Bushnell Red Dot sight.. I use it to hunt whitetail deer.. extremely maneuverable in a climbing tree stand!! 7.62x39 Hornady black round works extremely well!! It's by far my favorite brush gun.. at the range, with a 8" gong at a 100yrds, you can make that gong dance!!! Heavy barrel ,gives a extremely soft recoil for that caliber!! Making for easy follow-up shots.. great score on the stock, I would have jumped on it too👍 you probably could feel ,a plan coming together! Lol
One of my favorite guns in my arsenal. Theres a gatling gun set up for a 10 22 ruger that can be adapted to work with twin minis. Its a tripod set up with a heavy wheel that when cranked the guns mounted on their sides alternate firing.
When I was discharged from the Navy in 1983, the very first thing I did was go to the hardware store (that's right, the hardware store) and bought a Mini 14. I was stationed on an old converted destroyer, DD converted to a DDG, guided missile destroyer, and the old school Gunners mates on the boat had a real disdain for the M-16. Therefore, the small arms locker was well stocked with M-14's and only had as many M-16's as they were required to keep in inventory. And so began my love affair with all things Garrand. The M-1 the M-2 the M-14 the M1-A1 Garrand actions are as tough and reliable as anything that ever burned powder. About 10 years after I bought it, I traded it for a Mini-30. I have never regretted that decision. However, if I should ever come across a Mini-14 for a price I'm willing to pay, (highly unlikely) I will jump on it like a Florida cur dog on a Boar hog.
Great rifles! They came with factory, built-in scope mounts and rings included in the 80's. I believe they quit making them with the folding stock to comply with the H.W Bush gun ban of 89".
@G M Yes you are correct . I stand corrected. I was thinking of the H.W. Bush Import ban that banned the importation of 56 guns by name including the Polytech Legend, Galil and Valmet. If I'm not mistaken the Ruger factory folders were included in the Clinton crime bill gun ban.
Great review! If you're into the Samson Mfg. Folding Stocks we build for this gun, we'd like to share with you all that the long-awaited black versions are coming soon! This stock and the B-TM for the Ruger 10/22 will be released in black oxide in early Q1 2022. No pre-order option as of this moment. As of this comment, both of the STAINLESS versions are now shipping under 30 days from order as well. The stainless backlog has been blasted!
I have a older ranch mini 14..with the right ammo it is accurate..used to shoot tall boys at 270 yards at the range repeatedly, when you could drink at the range..lol
Nifty. I have a 580 Mini 14 tactical. It came with the weird ATI tactical stock, quad rail and all that jazz.. lame, bulky and heavy. I replaced it with a Hogue overmolded stock and that was better... this looks good, I like the folding feature.
Great review. Im waiting to get my gun. Hopefully ill be able to pick it up on Tuesday. With the Corona virus going around. Everything has closed up. The collapsible stock is way cool but unfortunately i dont think i can legally own it in Cali.
I had a old one that my brother carved a sharks face at the end of the stock where the barrow come out the stock before they had the metal there. Everyone wanted to buy the ranch riffle just because of the shark carving it was detail on the old riffle.
I had a MAK 90 before the ban and had some leftover 7,62x39 ammo. I didn't want to waste it and bought a Mini 30. It's a good plinker and looks cool - after I re-finished the stock (the drab brown "finish" looked awful) - added a 1" rubber butt plate and an Accu-Strut. Ruger should've really offered a decent wood stock.
Mine friend bought the mini 14, and I bought the mini 30 with the idea of using it for hunting some. I think now I’d rather have had the 14 as brass ammo options are limited with the 7.62x39 compared to .223.
The barrel is only thickened from the gas port forward. Behind the gas port is is the same skinny barrel that loves to dance around, especially when heating up.
![Why Won't the Ruger Mini-14 Just Die? [Part 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EzyGl_w-IXg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Why Won't the Ruger Mini-14 Just Die? [Part 1]](/img/tr.png)
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I got a Mini-14 Ranch back when they came out around 1982. First centerfire rifle I purchased. Still have it to this day.
The barrels on the old ones are horrible. After 5 rounds the barrels get warm and don't shoot straight.
@@smokepeddler We made a video about the new models accuracy. Mind you, it's not a hot barrel: ruclips.net/video/_CoKefiTkbc/видео.html
whats centerfire
I just wrote the stock where the barrow come out the, MY brother carved a sharks face before they came out with the metal piece around the stock and barrow it was all wood. Every one wanted the ranch riffle just because of the shark carving on it. It was around that time 1984-86
I bought mine in Alaska in 1983. I really like this weapon! Like you, I still have mine.
10 years ago a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.
Is that true?
No , intro to the TV series.
@@josesolano5688 i was joking.
I watched the show... im that old.
@@craigmoran893 Cool, so am I. Your? Sounded so legit.
@@craigmoran893 It is if you need John Hannibal Smith.
I grew up during the assault weapon ban so when I was a kid this was the closest thing my dad had to an ar15 I absolutely loved it I still love it I bought my own despite owning several ar's is just something cool about a Mini 14 Cool video it took me back
It's a classic. Good looking gun.
@@GUNS-GDC you have great taste my friend. nice looking gun
Mine is from the early 90s and I love it. New ones require and hex wrench to adjust the sights, but the older ones like mine can be adjusted with a bullet tip, which I like. Very dependable firearm and my go to for home defense.
I purchased a Mini 14 in 1983 and have enjoyed shooting it. I noticed the gas block was cracked and decided to upgrade the rifle a few years ago. I sent it to Accuracy Systems Inc. in Colorado. They installed their .750" barrel, an adjustable gas block along with other upgrades. Shoots amazing now.
I have both the Mini-14 and the Mini-30 Ranch Rifles and the stocks that they come with suits me fine. I've had the Mini-30 since the late 70's and the only "add ons" were an Accu-strut and a scope with see through mounts so I can still use the open sights. The Mini-14 just has a scope with see through mounts. I got the Mini-14 4 yrs. ago and it's definitely accurate enough for my use (2 inches or less at 100 yds) and the Accu-strut improved my accuracy of the Mini-30 enough to get the same results with it.
Love the wood stock best, like you said “old school”, right up my alley. One day 🤙🏼🇺🇸🤠
I like the looks with the original Wood Stock, I still remember how nice it looked when I bought it. I did do the following: I decided to get a Stabilizer. I believe the technical name is an ''Accu-Strut''. it's supposed to give you better accuracy. I also switched to an ATI Stock I could take advantage of extending the stock. It's more comfortable in my opinion, plus my oldest son is 6.3''-4'' tall & since I let him use my rifles, it's like the only way he can shoot.......
Sweet rifle with that old stock. Ruger's got a few new models out that are pretty sweet without any add ons.
@@GUNS-GDC Actually I just bought a barrel that has a threaded end. I paid $30 for it but I'll have to take it to a gunsmith because the gas port is out of round. I suspect the gas block was loose & the original owner kept using it. I didn't notice it being too much of an issue but hey, if it ends up costing over $70 to get that right then I could have just removed my barrel & had it threaded. Oh well it'll be okay. I just sanded it & re-blued it & it looks good.
I've honestly never been totally comfortable shooting a rifle with a pistol grip.
Been wanting something like an AR but prefer wood stock guns. I think this is what I've been looking for. "I love it when a plan comes together".
Yep. It does "look badass." I have always liked that look. Seems like a Mini-14 is in my future. Thanks for the info.
The Mini-14 is the only way I could see owning a 5.56mm rifle. I prefer the "Garand style action" used in the piece over the system used in AR-style rifles. Mine is also from the 580 series, but it came with a wooden gunstock rather than synthetic. My only complaint is that the sling swivels are not made to accept standard web slings such as used on the M1 and M14. Had to go to a slim width leather sling in order to get it to work.
Nice video.
I had one of the first series of Ranch Rifles. I put an aftermarket folding stock on it, I think it was Ram-line in the 80s. The whole package cost me about $450 back then, if I remember correctly. Mostly used it for plinking, but also on coyotes in AZ. I had one buddy originally from Ohio, and we used to go camping a lot. We'd bring our plinkers along and burn up a bunch of ammo. One time his wife came with us. She was always afraid of firearms. We started her slow on a 10/22, then gave her the Mini-14 with a full 20 rd magazine. She fired it once, then paused. She fired two more times. Then she glanced over her shoulder at us, smiled . . . and proceeded to empty the rest of the magazine downrange. When she turned back to us, she had the biggest goofy grin on her face. She's been a shooting fan ever since.
I had a mini 14 a long time ago. I freakin loved that gun. Wish I still had it.
Sweet rifle.
My wonderful wife of 48 years bought me a Mini 14 in 1976 at the Camp Lejuene Marine Corps exchange for $164.00. The Model has printed on the receiver block side "Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty". I've used the rife on Aoudad, Deer and Hog hunts. I still have the rifle today. Over the years I've bought other Mini 14s one stainless, one in 300 Blackout and reciently traded another firearm for a Mini 30. None have ever failed me. I like the Garand action. If I were to ever come accross a functioning Ruger XGI i (.308 version) would buy without hesitation. Liked the video
I have been well satisfied with mine and prefer it over the AR platform. My 30 carbine is a real sweet gun also and my favorite for a 100 yard defensive weapon due to the light weight and reliability second to none.
I agree! I love my Mini 14 and my M1A. They are like the muscle cars of firearms, where AR’s are like a Honda Civic, unless it’s retro of course. 😊
Good job. No loud music or politics. Thanks!
I bought a 580 series tactical one on GunBroker 2 weeks ago,and ordered the new Samson folding stock from a local dealer, hopefully arriving in a couple of months as Samson cannot keep up with the demand, I love when a plan comes together....😉
Yeah baby. Nice. We have Mini's too on our site if you're interested.
Ain't free market capitalism great?
What barrel length and oal
I bought a mini 14 back in 89 for $200 and still have it, it's still my favorite rifle out of all my assault rifles
Love the 580 series Mini14. If I didn't live in NY I'd def have the A-Team setup. Nice rifle.
You know you wanted a Mini 14 when you use to watch the A-Team, and saw Hanibal and B.A. Baracus used it to send some bad guys running.
Hell yeah, I even tried cigars when I was 9 because of that show! Bad idea, but that show was awesome when I was a kid!
It must be shockingly inaccurate. I never once saw them actually hit anyone 😂
@@conlaiarla well the same is true with G.I. Joe, but we don't blame their blue laser rifles for that, now do we?
@@mattpeacock5208 Fair point dude.
It was the show to watch when growing up in the 80s
When the A Team ended was the year I bought mine. Pencil thin barrel and all the weaknest described for three plus decades. I still have it. Fun to shoot and my army son likes that he's just as old!
Confession time. I bough my first semi auto pistol, a Browning High Power, after seeing Al Pacino carry one in Serpico. And then of course like thousands of others, I just HAD to have a 6” Smith 29 after Dirty Harry came out; a very difficult revolver to obtain at the time btw. And then in the mid 80s I desperately needed an Italian Beretta 52 after seeing Lethal Weapon. The fact is that American TV and movie culture has always impacted weapon sales and popularity, and that includes the Colt SAA, 2nd Generation, being reintroduced due to the popularity of Roy Rogers and other 50s cowboy TV shows, to James Bond still having a LOT to do with the PPK’s popularity, to even the recent reintroduction of the Colt Python thanks in large part to the Walking Dead series.....
I love it when a plan comes together.
Good ol' Eye Ron sights.
Hahaha yes
Owned, and enjoyed several of these...Only one that gave me trouble, was an real early stainless model.....the gas chamber cracked, so I sent it in for repair to the factory.......returned in a short time, new gas chamber, new bolt, head checked, all at no cost....Ruger has excellent warranty service, and usually, at no cost......a real fun shooter....especially with 20 round magazines.
Right on. Great rifle and customer service.
Definitely on my bucket list!
Their making them again. $279.99. Sold by Ruger and Samson mfg.
@@garypulliam3740 Yep. They're shipping now. The original Ruger vintage stocks are still nicer but Samson's stocks are legit.
Thank you for this nice video. I liked how you explained the 580 barrel. I live in Maryland and I was talking about these guns to a friend and he informed me that a 223 equipped Mini 14 was banned in our Nanny state. Funny part is he said a 224 Valkyrie chambered one is perfectly fine to have a folding stock.
I love this gun. I've wanted one for years. As soon as it's possible I'm getting one. It's time.
My first issued weapon was the M14 before being reissued the 16 on the Korean DMZ and Viet Nam. I'll take the Ruger Mini14 as a home weapon inna heartbeat.
Right on.
@@GUNS-GDC 👍
*Gunscom* very cool, thanks for taking the time to show us. God Bless.
Got mine in '91, it's the old style, the barrel gets REAL hot after a few rounds, need to let it cool. Syn stock is only mod I made. A sweetheart of a shooter, small and light. I can ring a 1-foot plate at 100 yds all day long, but accuracy diminishes rapidly beyond that, no point in using optics. It's a RANCH RIFLE !
they have a cool factor. I really love my mini 14 and 30.
I love it when a plan comes together.
😉
ruclips.net/video/NsUFBm1uENs/видео.html
In 1977 I bought one new as my first centerfire rifle. Had good times with it but was a hassle trying to get the expensive 20 round factory mags.
The Ruger Mini-14 rifle was later made popular on NBC's "THE A-TEAM" in 1983 as George Peppard, "Mr. T, and Dirk Benedict sported these assault rifles with the folding stocks and the nice chrome barrels in various episodes of their show.
The side folding stock on the Mini-14 is kinda like the paratrooper version of the M1 carbine. I think that's what they were going for. "That old school sort of action," is the M1 Garand action, which was miniaturized to get the M1 carbine.
Yes and the M14. Basically, mini "M14"
Great rig . Ruger has really stepped up the game .
Thanks Ben! Great video!! Sweet weapon, I've always liked the Mini 14 as well!
Take care!
I have always wanted the Ruger Mini Thirty.
Plenty of ammo available
I have and AR-15 but few years back bought a mini grew up in the 80 A-tram fan there something special from childhood retro era love my Mini❤️14
I just bought one September a tactical with folding stock and one this Easter stainless! Love them! Shootn in Texas!🇺🇸🤠
Damn, seeing these pre-covid prices make me wanna cry... But thanks for the video! A mini-14 is definitely on my list!
I've got a 10/22 by Ruger and the have accessory that will make it look like a mini-14 . Only shooting 22lr. ammo .
One of my favorite rifles out there. Simply love it.
Right on! We usually have a few of them on our site if you're interested. Happy Holidays!
Sick build Ben!!! Classic.
Got my ss ranch in early 90's. Synthetic stock and a flash suppressor. A 10, 20, and 40rd as mags, brand new for $350! Everyone who sees it or shoots it, loves it!
Awesome rifle Ben;glad you found one! Thanks for the video!
Glad you enjoyed it HP67. Thanks for the comment.
@@GUNS-GDC Thanks for your work and videos! Much appreciated!
I have the older version and brought it out with the kids the other day. Hung clays at 25 and 50 yds and the kids had a great time plinking and hitting the clays. Mine might not be MOA accurate but we hit what we shoot at, have fun doing it and it's not failed for me even when I mix rounds (weights/caliber 223vs556).
I have a ranch rifle Mini-14. Why? It gets through all the "scary gun" criteria of assault weapon bans.
Yep. Nice.
You should keep that thought to yourself, the fricken gun grabbers pick-up on all the comments made here and use them against us.
Check out the fight lite SCR it also meets those definitions.
Please keep that quiet.
@@GUNS-GDC they banned these in Canada, called them assault rifles. Lying politicians
THANKS BEN, IVE ALWAYS LIKED MINI 14'S !!!! GOD BLESS YA !!!
I love my Mini-14 Ranch and my Tactical. Great guns to shoot. And I "pity the fool" who says otherwise.
Ha ha. Nice.
Best weapon made. The tactucal is totally bad ass.
Tactical.
I just love my mini... its my go to...
Right on!
1:00 Ruger stopped making the folders voluntarily because owner Bill Ruger thought they looked like "assault weapons" and he wanted his brand to be more associated with "hunting". He did not like the idea of an assault weapon image for Ruger.
I think he was also against hi-cap mags.
Mr. Pete Channel is 75٪ away 2 the big time! Yup. Big proponent of 10 round magazines.
Ovy Licker my cousin used a shotgun in Vietnam..
@Ovy Licker I lost a uncle in Korea and my wife lost a uncle in Nam.
@Ovy Licker I've met too many people whose parents left Vietnam during that time, to believe they wanted not to be free. Not everyone decided to leave either.
I own three mini 14s. The first one I bought is an old 180 series with the top wooden handguard. Probably made in the 70s, Great little Rifle, just not the most accurate out past 100 yards. The second is a SS ranch rifle. The third is a bull barrel target rifle. It is capable of hitting the target further than I have the ability to shoot. I have a half dozen ARs but the Mini 14 has a special place in my heart. The gas operated closed rotating bolt is the best action on any semi automatic rifle in my opinion. I also own an M1 Garland, M14 and a pair of M1 Carbines. I love the action of these rifles.
just a beautiful firearm, Thanks for sharing..
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the comment Scott.
This is the perfect truck gun so compact ! And rifle length
Thank you. Mini 14 is a fine rifle. Have no idea why the masses are obsessed with ar's.
I love my mini 14..something about that ching it makes with every cycle. Love shooting it, my kids love shooting it, sometimes more than the AR.
I've wanted one of these since I was a kid!!! Maybe this is the year...
My Mini-14 is a 580 series with a thin barrel. Bought new in 2006. I’ve added an accustrut and I love my old mini.
Personally, I would ditch the plastic grips for some nice wood ones.
I owned a mini-14 years ago and it was a fantastic rifle.
top qualities to look for ?
@@gullybull5568 Not sure what you mean, but I had purchased mine back in the late 80's and it started out as a Ruger ranch model and then was modified from there.
I've got a 581 Mini I bought from Walmart several years ago. It has a wood stock but the blued finish. It's fine and it shoots pretty good.
I do like the look of the stainless Mini with the wood stock, it's a really good looking pairing.
The folding stock on a stainless is also extremely attractive looking. It just looks good.
you have good taste, sir. Love the matte stainless/wood stock combo
Love that stock, the A-TEAM baby...
Always 50/50 wit ruger but I wish the mini 14 well!! An absolutely reliable one is like an ol M1 Garante
Being a Viet Nam vet, when I saw "mini 14" I was thinking that it was a civilian version of the old M-14's we used then. Chambered in .308 and very accurate. I was a little disappointed when I saw that yours was chambered in .223. I guess I should get out more. lol. I would love to have one of the old M-14's that we used then.
Springfield M1A
And there’s the mini 30 in .308! In the law enforcement version it even has the same front site set up as the M-14. And its a good shooting rifle!
I have a 188 prefix. Another words an early model mini 14. I put a barrel struck from strum ruger On my mini 14. My groups Has Shrunk Down to one MOA at 100 meters. I've actually got it Sub MOA at 100 meters depending on Ammunition. The barrel strutt is integrated into the gas block. another words it's just one piece you don't have set screws to worry about. And you don't have to worry about The strutt coming loose. They come In different dimensions they fit the early mini 14 as well as the newer model mini 14. Just tell them what model of rifle You have.
I don't just love the piece, I live in Kalivornia so it just makes sense.
Commiefornia where Piglousy,Mad Maxi Pad Waters,Numbnuts Newsom,and all the other fecal feasters reign.
@@spunbearing65 Yup its a real place 😂
Can features be scary if the rifle isn’t black? 🤔
Buying the rifles the government tells you that you can have does NOT "make sense".
Are you going to wait to move out of CA until your home value is too low to sell it and buy a home for cash in TX or FL? If you can find a moving truck for rent...you can move to FL, buy a house, a boat and a truck to tow your boat for CASH after selling your overpriced, overtaxed home in CA. For now.
Then you can own any rifle you want, take off your mask(s) and live in a FREE state.
@@garyK.45ACP One day I will be free, one day I will have The power or right to act, speak, or to think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
One day the promise that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, it will be a reality.
One day I will leave this forsaken place.
Got it!
Love it!
Awesome review.
Wish I had that under folder stock.
I have
The original wood and the polymer side folding stock.
I prefer yours
Nice rifle , I have owed several mini's , Converted one of them into an almost exact copy of an M1A , fun project.
Nice!
0:09 The stainless steel on the folder has been polished. Most don't look that way. The polished steel looks awesome.
Always loved that model..
Owned a few mini's in past but never that one.
Sweet rifle. We have a few on our site if you're interested Jimmie.
@@GUNS-GDC that particular (A-Team) model?
Bought one in my 20's. Targets and Prairie dogs. About $280 new. Last time I looked at one it was over $800.
I found mine to be inaccurate, would leave a 8" 00 pattern at 100 yard.
I can see why they sell. They don't look scary to politicians.
Bought a River Mini-14 GB model in the early 80's. I was lured by its resemblance to the iconic M14. Bit it wouldn't group with any .223 ammo. My 1972 vintage Colt SP1 out performed it in every category, so I sold the Mini. Years later I bought a first model Mini-30. With a scope, from a bench, it peppered targets with no apparent repeatable pattern. Much research led me to discover that Ruger had put .308 diameter barrels on the first rifles released so my .311 diameter 7.62x39 bullets were squeezing down the tube creating dismal target performance. I began reloading with Winchester 125 grain .308 diameter bullets and the rifle immediately produced 1" groups with no other changes. Sadly, I traded it away for something I can't remember.
Now this is useful info. My Mini 14 is trash with all bullets, and so is my Mini 30. BUT, I reload for the 30 so I’ll try the switch to the smaller diameter bullets. Thanks for the idea!
Thanks for the comment. Very good info!
Ruger had been working on a prototype semiautomatic chambered in .308 Winchester to be called the XGI. Test results found that after a few hundred rounds the wooden stock would crack at the tang and recoil on the light weapon was excessive. So, the caliber was changed to the 7.62x39 Russian. However, Ruger had already produced quite a few .308 diameter barrel blanks. These contoured blanks were fitted to existing receivers and the Mini-30 was born.
I love the min 14 with a pistol grip and folding stock. I live the look of it anyway. I've never shot it.
I love my mini-30 ,it has a heavy barrel ,flash hider, Hogue stock ,Bushnell Red Dot sight.. I use it to hunt whitetail deer.. extremely maneuverable in a climbing tree stand!! 7.62x39 Hornady black round works extremely well!! It's by far my favorite brush gun.. at the range, with a 8" gong at a 100yrds, you can make that gong dance!!! Heavy barrel ,gives a extremely soft recoil for that caliber!! Making for easy follow-up shots.. great score on the stock, I would have jumped on it too👍 you probably could feel ,a plan coming together! Lol
One of my favorite guns in my arsenal. Theres a gatling gun set up for a 10 22 ruger that can be adapted to work with twin minis. Its a tripod set up with a heavy wheel that when cranked the guns mounted on their sides alternate firing.
When I was discharged from the Navy in 1983, the very first thing I did was go to the hardware store (that's right, the hardware store) and bought a Mini 14. I was stationed on an old converted destroyer, DD converted to a DDG, guided missile destroyer, and the old school Gunners mates on the boat had a real disdain for the M-16. Therefore, the small arms locker was well stocked with M-14's and only had as many M-16's as they were required to keep in inventory. And so began my love affair with all things Garrand. The M-1 the M-2 the M-14 the M1-A1 Garrand actions are as tough and reliable as anything that ever burned powder. About 10 years after I bought it, I traded it for a Mini-30. I have never regretted that decision. However, if I should ever come across a Mini-14 for a price I'm willing to pay, (highly unlikely) I will jump on it like a Florida cur dog on a Boar hog.
Great rifles! They came with factory, built-in scope mounts and rings included in the 80's. I believe they quit making them with the folding stock to comply with the H.W Bush gun ban of 89".
@G M Yes you are correct . I stand corrected. I was thinking of the H.W. Bush Import ban that banned the importation of 56 guns by name including the Polytech Legend, Galil and Valmet. If I'm not mistaken the Ruger factory folders were included in the Clinton crime bill gun ban.
Great review! If you're into the Samson Mfg. Folding Stocks we build for this gun, we'd like to share with you all that the long-awaited black versions are coming soon! This stock and the B-TM for the Ruger 10/22 will be released in black oxide in early Q1 2022. No pre-order option as of this moment. As of this comment, both of the STAINLESS versions are now shipping under 30 days from order as well. The stainless backlog has been blasted!
The A - Team is exactly why I want this rifle
I bought my Mini back in the '70s for $200 NIB!
1978 $165.00
I have a older ranch mini 14..with the right ammo it is accurate..used to shoot tall boys at 270 yards at the range repeatedly, when you could drink at the range..lol
I bought mine brand new 30s ago have owned hundreds guns , but this is my baby.
Sweet gun!!!
Very nice rifle Funny people bring up A Team because that's exactly the show I think of when I see a mini 14
Nifty. I have a 580 Mini 14 tactical. It came with the weird ATI tactical stock, quad rail and all that jazz.. lame, bulky and heavy. I replaced it with a Hogue overmolded stock and that was better... this looks good, I like the folding feature.
Great review. Im waiting to get my gun. Hopefully ill be able to pick it up on Tuesday. With the Corona virus going around. Everything has closed up. The collapsible stock is way cool but unfortunately i dont think i can legally own it in Cali.
I have the 580 series Mini 14 , I have been tempted to sell it , but now I'm glad I held on to it.
I had a old one that my brother carved a sharks face at the end of the stock where the barrow come out the stock before they had the metal there. Everyone wanted to buy the ranch riffle just because of the shark carving it was detail on the old riffle.
Just got a black 5805---love it's looks!
That's a beautiful weapon with or without the folding stock.
A great shame that we have such strict gun laws in the UK.
🦅🇺🇸
I had a MAK 90 before the ban and had some leftover 7,62x39 ammo. I didn't want to waste it and bought a Mini 30. It's a good plinker and looks cool - after I re-finished the stock (the drab brown "finish" looked awful) - added a 1" rubber butt plate and an Accu-Strut. Ruger should've really offered a decent wood stock.
I paid $420 for a new Mini-14 in 1989.
Great gun!
Got 10 factory magazines years later. Works fine!
If there is one weapon you have to own it is this weapon. Find it and buy it.
*A-Team theme begins playing*
Mine friend bought the mini 14, and I bought the mini 30 with the idea of using it for hunting some. I think now I’d rather have had the 14 as brass ammo options are limited with the 7.62x39 compared to .223.
MIni-30 is nice too.
An elegant weapon, for a less civilized time.
I see what you did there.
I had one in the 80s. My first deer rifle.
Sweet rifle.
Now that the mini 14 is illegal in Canada you may see some of these come to the USA . They speak with French Canadian accent.
😁
Le Bang!
Trudeau needs to fuckin go....
The barrel is only thickened from the gas port forward. Behind the gas port is is the same skinny barrel that loves to dance around, especially when heating up.
Love the A team when i was a kid and always want a rifle like it. Great video!