With sales approaching 1 million and the loyalty of a generation of shooters, Ruger’s Mini-14 has secured a permanent place in firearm history. Now, more than 30 years after its debut, the Mini has been retooled and is available in a new chambering and several new configurations—including one that can help protect your Second Amendment rights.
The Mini-14 works on the proven Garand-style breechbolt locking system. The gas block, found forward of the fore-end, also anchors the rifle’s sling swivel.
This special rifle comes with an NRA logo on the pistol grip cap, just one of the features that set it apart from other versions of the Mini-14. The sale of each of these rifles will also generate funds for the NRA-ILA to protect the Second Amendment.
Rugged, simple and proven is the best way to describe nearly everything about this rifle. The rear sights are an adjustable ghost ring aperture and are made to take abuse.
Ruger has continued to broaden the Mini-14’s
appeal through the years with specific models that meet more and
more shooters’
preferences. Today, regular-production Minis are available in seven
distinct variations. The first five, which feature 18 1/2-inch barrels
for 37 1/4-inch overall lengths, are: The Mini-14/5 Ranch Rifle,
a blued-steel and hardwood-stocked .223 Rem.-chambered gun that weighs
7 pounds and is the nearest approximation to an “original” Mini-14;
the K-Mini-14/5, a stainless steel and hardwood-stocked version;
the K-Mini-14/5P All Weather, a stainless and synthetic-stocked model
that weighs 6 3/4 pounds; the K-Mini 6.8 5P All Weather, a stainless
and synthetic version chambered in 6.8 Rem. SPC; and the K-Mini Thirty-P
All Weather, a stainless and synthetic version chambered in 7.62x39
mm. The other two are what, in the past, would have been considered
anachronisms. They are .223 Rem.-chambered Mini-14 Target Rifles.
The K-Mini-14/5T, with a thumbhole laminate stock and 5TH with a
Hogue OverMolded stock feature 42 1/2 inch overall lengths thanks
to their 22-inch, heavy barrels, which include witness marks and
adjustable harmonic dampeners designed to tune barrel harmonics for
specific loads and moa accuracy.
The latest Mini-14 variation is a special limited-edition
NRA-ILA Mini-14 Ranch Rifle designed to support the NRA Institute for Legislative
Action in the fight for all Americans’ Second Amendment rights on Capitol
Hill and in state legislatures around the country.
The new NRA-ILA Mini-14 benefits from all the latest
design enhancements, but is even more compact owing to its 16 1/8-inch
barrel, which makes it the shortest semi-automatic Mini to ever leave
the Ruger factory. Standard Mini-14 barrels measure 18 1/2 inches.
The compact size makes the NRA-ILA Mini-14 quite handy and suitable for
convenient stowage and quick retrieval from vehicle-mounted racks
and scabbards.
In addition, the new gun ships with two factory Ruger
20-round magazines. That will come as a pleasant surprise to legions
of Mini-14 fans in view of the company’s long-held policy of selling
its 20- and now discontinued 30-round magazines only through law enforcement
channels. According to Ruger Shooting Sports & Media Relations
Coordinator Ken Jorgensen, Ruger plans to make factory 20-round magazines
available to the general public if sales of the NRA-ILA Mini-14 demonstrate
the public’s demand and production capacity becomes available.
In another departure from the norm, the NRA-ILA Mini-14 is set in a
black Hogue OverMolded stock. The stock has a rigid fiberglass-reinforced
skeleton covered with a textured, rubberized exterior for secure-handling
in bad weather and noise attenuation in the brush. Its grip cap sports
a gold-tone metal NRA logo.
Finally, the NRA-ILA Mini-14 features the serial
number prefix “NRA.” Explaining the special designation earlier this
year, then Ruger President Stephen L. Sanetti said, “We are extremely
pleased to be partnering with the NRA on this special-project Mini-14
to support the Institute for Legislative Action. It is very important
that we, as an industry and as individuals, support the efforts of
ILA as they work to protect our Second Amendment rights.”
The NRA-ILA Mini-14’s barreled action is set in a black Hogue OverMolded stock. With a 16 1/8-inch barrel, it’s the shortest Mini-14 ever offered by Ruger.
Sanetti added, “A portion of the sales from each rifle will go to the NRA-ILA to support their ongoing efforts. This project is also made possible through the support of Hogue Stocks, one of our key vendors, and through our distributors.”
NRA-ILA Mini-14
Manufacturer: Sturm, Ruger & Co.,
1 Lacey Place, Southport, CT 06890; (203) 259-7843; ruger.com
Model: NRA-ILA Mini 14
Caliber: .223 Rem.
Type: Gas-operated, centerfire semi-automatic rifle
Finish: Matte finished chrome-moly steel
Stock: Black synthetic/rubber Hogue
OverMolded; length of pull, 13 1/2
inches; drop at comb, 7/8 inch, drop at heel, 1 1/2 inches
Barrel: 16 1/8 inches
Rifling: 1:9 inch RH
Overall Length: 35 3/8 inches
Weight: 6 pounds, 12 ounces
Sights: Windage- and elevation-adjustable wing-protected
rear aperture; wing-protected front blade; proprietary Ruger-style
bases cast integrally with receiver.
Trigger Pull: 6 pounds, 14 ounces
Accessories: Extra 20-round magazine, Ruger scope rings, instruction
manual, cable lock
MSRP: $1,035
