![]() It likely would have faded off into the used racks at your local gun shop along with dozens of sporting rifles from the ‘60s and ‘70s if not for the various so called “assault weapons” bans across the country that prohibited certain cosmetic features. With little prospect of military adoption after 1975, the Mini-14 would go on to focus on commercial sales. Much of the M16’s initial problems were caused by the issuing of ammo with the incorrect powder type, however, and most of the reliability problems had been addressed by the introduction of the M16A1 in 1968. Miniaturizing it would have made sense at the time as a way to expedite training, however, the selection process for the M16 was rife with corruption and it resulted in a large amount of preventable death early on. It would have made tremendous sense to issue another rifle based on the Garand action two or three generations of soldiers had already used them at that point in history and it was a mature platform. While the American suite of arms had great potential to accomplish something similar, the adoption of the M16 prevented this by introducing an entirely new manual of arms. If you knew how to use an AK-47, you could also operate an RPK, SVD and many other weapons in the Soviet arsenal. ![]() The competing Soviet Union was issuing weapons that largely shared the same manual of arms despite variances in caliber or role. military was aware of the design, the last helicopter left Saigon in 1975, making the rifle’s 1973 introduction too late for there to be any significant military interest in the benefits of the Mini-14.Ĭommentary on the rifle’s design was interesting. This resulted in a superbly reliable and clean-running gun, neither of which were accurate descriptors of the M16. M14.īy the time the Mini-14’s design was finalized, the rifle essentially used a Garand action. 223 Remington cartridge were things that Sullivan was already familiar with, his heading of the project was a natural choice. Since both miniaturization and the relatively new. James “Jim” Sullivan, the man responsible for originally scaling down Eugene Stoner’s AR-10 into the now ubiquitous AR-15. The lead engineer for the Ruger Mini-14’s development was L. While not necessarily intended for use as a service rifle, the introduction of the Mini-14 in 1973 was an interesting juncture of private venture and military features. Going to a rifle better than the M16 at this time would not only have been a major embarrassment to the government, but it could have also meant co-opting a Kalashnikov design and acknowledging that the Russians had made a better service rifle. It was reliable enough, but it wasn’t well-suited to the environment it was pressed into. Just as large as the M1 Garand, which itself saw considerable jungle warfare against the Japanese during WWII and in Korea shortly after, the M14 was not well suited for the tight spaces and close-range, high-volume firefights in which the AK-47 excelled. The M14, on the other hand, was an extremely rugged and powerful rifle that was praised for being much more reliable than the M16. Many soldiers would never forgive the subpar reliability they experienced with their M16s, especially after facing enemies armed with reliable AK-47 and SKS rifles. The space-age M16 had only been first fielded in Vietnam in 1965, and its initial problems resulted in a poor reputation that lasted many years. When the Mini-14 was introduced, there was something of a market vacuum. Mini-14 History: Too Late To Make A Difference While the Mini-14 may look very similar to its larger counterparts, it is substantially smaller and shares no interchangeable parts. ![]() Its design took advantage of Ruger’s advanced investment casting capabilities and was centered around a gas operation system and action that was very similar to those of the full-size M1 Garand and M14 rifles it resembles. The Mini-14 was officially released in 1973. ![]() It may not be the rifle for you, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place in the contemporary gun market. Regardless of your own opinion on the Mini-14, it’s certainly proven itself to have staying power and has done a good job of filling a niche that many Americans require. Aspects of its design and marketing have resulted in criticism as well as praise, but we’ll dive into those details later on. The Ruger Mini-14 and Mini-30 may have never been adopted for mainline military service, but their features still make them a very practical choice for many American shooters.įew modern rifles have enjoyed such a love/hate relationship with the gun community as the Ruger Mini-14. ![]()
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