1988 "A-Team" Stainless Side-Folder Mini-14

[1srelluc]

I picked this Stainless Mini-14 with factory side-folding stock up this morning. I have about $650.00 in it.

The guy brought in two of them (the other was a plain version) but forgot the the damn mags, I had a five-round mag I stuck in there. He deals with the shop a lot (FFL) so I suspect I'll get them by and by....No big deal given what I have in it.

I've since removed the muzzle brake as it's 4.5oz and 2.25" on the end I don't need.....They are a terrible thing to stick on the end of a Mini as powder residue builds all around the inside of it and gets hard. I had a heck of a time getting it clean. I had a stainless cross pin to replace the one that held the brake on.

I took it down to my range and after adjusting the irons it shot very well. I much prefer the older Minis's irons over the Ranch versions that are set-up more for scope use.

Oh yeah....

 

[odanny]

Someone once told me that tower guards at prisons have a Mini-14 at their disposal, and always wondered if that was standard for certain types of prisons, or each prison could assign whatever weapons they deemed necessary.

 

[Pete7469]

I've not heard very good reviews of them, especially the older ones. For launching 5.56 pills I'm happy with my AR's. That is a nice piece for a collection though, at a good price.

 

[Pete7469]

Someone once told me that tower guards at prisons have a Mini-14 at their disposal, and always wondered if that was standard for certain types of prisons, or each prison could assign whatever weapons they deemed necessary.

At TDCJ we had AR-15's.

 

[1srelluc]

Someone once told me that tower guards at prisons have a Mini-14 at their disposal, and always wondered if that was standard for certain types of prisons, or each prison could assign whatever weapons they deemed necessary.

When I retired they had pretty much all gone to semi-auto ARs though we did have a few Thompson and Reising sub-machine guns, and some Marlin .30-30s.

The old VDOC Armory was something to see, they even had a couple of old water-cooled belt-fed Browning M1917 and M1919 machine guns.....Sigh, the armory went the way of the old Virginia State Pen wen it was torn down in the 90s.

 

[fncceo]

What is it chambered for? The magazine well forward of the trigger housing looks to be quite small.

 

[1srelluc]

I've not heard very good reviews of them, especially the older ones. For launching 5.56 pills I'm happy with my AR's. That is a nice piece for a collection though, at a good price.

I've owned a couple early models and never had a minutes trouble out of them.

I killed a turkey with a head shot at around 75 yards with my first one but on the whole a AR is more accurate at distance.

 

[1srelluc]

What is it chambered for? The magazine well forward of the trigger housing looks to be quite small.

.223

 

[Concerned American]

I picked this Stainless Mini-14 with factory side-folding stock up this morning. I have about $650.00 in it.

View attachment 751357

The guy brought in two of them (the other was a plain version) but forgot the the damn mags, I had a five-round mag I stuck in there. He deals with the shop a lot (FFL) so I suspect I'll get them by and by....No big deal given what I have in it.

I've since removed the muzzle brake as it's 4.5oz and 2.25" on the end I don't need.....They are a terrible thing to stick on the end of a Mini as powder residue builds all around the inside of it and gets hard. I had a heck of a time getting it clean. I had a stainless cross pin to replace the one that held the brake on.

I took it down to my range and after adjusting the irons it shot very well. I much prefer the older Minis's irons over the Ranch versions that are set-up more for scope use.

Oh yeah....

I love my mini-14

 

[Pete7469]

I've owned a couple early models and never had a minutes trouble out of them.

I killed a turkey with a head shot at around 75 yards with my first one but on the whole a AR is more accurate at distance.

That's certainly the best accuracy report I've heard about the older models for the most part. I have heard mostly negative, and people with good ones assert bad reviews came from shitty shooters.

If anything, I'd probably go for a Mini-30.

 

[Pete7469]

.223

Would you shoot 5.56 in it? I've heard you shouldn't on account of the pressure.

 

[1srelluc]

Would you shoot 5.56 in it? I've heard you shouldn't on account of the pressure.

Sure, nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[1srelluc]

That's the other way around, I think.

It really does not matter....It's more to do with barrel twist rate and bullet weight as to ultimate performance.

This one has a 1-7 twist rate (Ruger changed the twist rate over the years) so it's GTG with 55 gr up to 62 gr.

Ruger Mini 14/30 manufacture date and twist rate, UPDATE

 

[The Duke]

It really does not matter....It's more to do with barrel twist rate and bullet weight as to ultimate performance.

This one has a 1-7 twist rate (Ruger changed the twist rate over the years) so it's GTG with 55 gr up to 62 gr.

Ruger Mini 14/30 manufacture date and twist rate, UPDATE

Oh! My head! I was just reading about all that.

Pressure and headspace and throat angles..GRAWR!!

 

[Flash]

Mini-14????

LOL!

 

[1srelluc]

Mini-14????

LOL!

Look-up a completed auction on GunPorker for a 80s era SS Mini-14 factory side-folder of the same style and then laugh.

Here, I'll help.

Looks like it was purchased on the 5th of this month.

*Pre Ban* 1988 Ruger Mini 14 223 Stainless Folder Folding w/Factory Letter - Semi Auto Rifles at GunBroker.com : 961698043

That said I think $1500 - $1700 is about the proper "shop price" in most places. Still better than double what I have in it on the low-end.

I've seen a few fakes with the newly produced Sampson stocks but they are easy to tell because the real factory side folders had the sling swivel on the side of the gas block, not on the bottom as did SS rifles with regular stocks. That and the OEM stocks were birch, not walnut like the Sampsons.

 

[Flash]

Look-up a completed auction on GunPorker for a 80s era SS Mini-14 factory side-folder of the same style and then laugh.

Here, I'll help.

Looks like it was purchased on the 5th of this month.

*Pre Ban* 1988 Ruger Mini 14 223 Stainless Folder Folding w/Factory Letter - Semi Auto Rifles at GunBroker.com : 961698043

That said I think $1500 - $1700 is about the proper "shop price" in most places. Still better than double what I have in it on the low-end.

I've seen a few fakes with the newly produced Sampson stocks but they are easy to tell because the real factory side folders had the sling swivel on the side of the gas block, not on the bottom as did SS rifles with regular stocks. That and the OEM stocks were birch, not walnut like the Sampsons.

Never owned one but I've shot enough Mini-14s over the years to know that I am glad I never wasted my money on one. Great concept but the action didn't work very well being scaled down. Ruger simply fucked it up.

However, if you like yours then have fun. If you bought one for a good price then even better yet. I hope you have factory mags.

 

[1srelluc]

Never owned one but I've shot enough Mini-14s over the years to know that I am glad I never wasted my money on one. Great concept but the action didn't work very well being scaled down. Ruger simply fucked it up.

However, if you like yours then have fun. If you bought one for a good price then even better yet. I hope you have factory mags.

Meh, never had a minutes trouble out of the ones I've owned and they were plenty accurate enough......I believe most of the 'hate' is internet gun site hogwash from non-owners......But yeah, factory mags are the only way to go.

Oh, I called a friend in town this morning and he hooked me up with a stainless 20-rounder factory mag so I bought his breakfast for him.

 

[westwall]

Would you shoot 5.56 in it? I've heard you shouldn't on account of the pressure.

That is a myth. The only time the difference matters is when you are using a match grade rifle. The chambers are so tight in those that you can have issues, but in any normal rifle it is a non issue.