Ruger's Mini-14 And Mini Thirty

Handy Rifles that Get Better with Age

- Brian Pearce

Development of the Ruger Mini-14 began in 1967, three years after the official U.S. adoption of the M16 service rifle, but it wasn’t until 1971 that prototypes were built and tested. Production began in 1974, and the new rifle quickly gained popularity among sportsman, law enforcement and recreational shooters. It even caught the attention of U.S. military brass, particularly those who had battle experience with the M1 Garand and M14 service rifles. In the past 45 years the Mini-14 has undergone several design changes and improvements, which combined with tightened quality control has resulted in notably improved accuracy. Additionally, submodels and new calibers have been introduced to broaden its appeal.

The Mini-14 action is similar to the M14; however, there are significant design changes. The breech bolt locking principles and appearance are based on the M1 Garand design but scaled down to correspond with the .223 Remington/5.56 NATO cartridges. The receiver is investment cast, heat-treated and has proven to be especially durable. It contains a fixed piston gas system with a self-cleaning moving cylinder that effectively sweeps residue and unburned powder out with each shot. The firing pin retracts as the locking lugs begin to unlock. The trigger unit and detachable magazine design resemble that of the M14 rifle and share a similar takedown procedure that only takes a few seconds, without tools, is simple and allows easy cleaning.

While space will not allow a detailed discussion of the Mini-14 design departures from the M14, suffice to say it is much more than a scaled down version. Rather, it has many improved features, including the important elimination of slam-fires. However, due to the overall function, it will feel more or less identical to the average shooter.