Are The French Police Armed With Mini-14s?

[Straightshooter2]

I was just watching a replay on FOX of a number of French police moving down a street. I had noticed earlier some of the police were armed with wood stocked rifles but I couldn't tell exactly what. In this last replay one of the officers had his rifle across his chest and I swear it's a Mini-14. Anybody notice that?

CW

 

[sipowicz]

Yep.

Shooting Illustrated Mobile

 

[Rick_A]

Right on. Sure are.

They were very popular here in the states, too, until people figured out that AR-15's don't go out on shooting rampages on their own.

The troops were all carrying FAMAS rifles and I even saw some pump shotguns in the mix.

 

[sipowicz]

They also used SP101 revolvers before switching to autos.

 

[NZshooter]

Mini 14, yeah I was surprised about that too. I know they were initially marketed toward LE and some foreign countries bought them back in the day.

Guess still in use because wood is more PC than black plastic and pistol grips.

 

[mcpilot]

Those are AC556's

 

[pharmer]

No selector "switch" on the right rear of the receiver, semi-auto only. I like the checkered wood stock. Problem there is the same as anywhere, the appropriate weapons come out after the stink breaks loose. By the time it's "Calling all cops!" it's over. Joe

 

[beach elvis]

I watched about 2 hours of live broadcast on SkyNews about it as it went down.

Unfortunately, the continued British mis-education about firearms was present. Pictures of a couple of police holding 870's to which the reporter referred as "Remington pump action machine guns". Later, a pic of a couple of military hanging out of a chopper with AR platforms were said to be holding, "semi-automatic machine guns".

Apparently in England, a Springfield Trapdoor musket would be a "breech-loading single-shot machine gun".

I know, I'm knitpicking but...really?

 

[Farmer17]

I saw a couple of guys carrying the FAAMAS carbines with three 30 roungd magazines. It looked like they were clipped together with the one on each side of the magazine that was in the mag well. Not like the conventional method where an extra is clipped upside down to the main magazine.

 

[CH4]

In the mid to late 80s, I owned 2 Mini 14s and a Mini 30 - couldn't get them to shoot minute of barn. May be better now, but IMHO there are far better options.

 

[cmort666]

For a while, French security forces were buying quite a few Ruger products, including Security and Speed Sixes.

 

[Farmer17]

In about 1984 I bought a orange Mazda RX-7. I had it two weeks and was cruising down a country single lane highway and this car pulls out of side road right in front of me, so I swerve off the road at about 60 mph and slide sideways through a field and roll over on my side. I wasn't hurt but was a little mad that my new car was now totaled, and pretty quickly an Oklahoma highway patrol trooper pulls up and is talking to me with his car door open. On the bottom of his driver door was a stainless factory folding stock mini-14 with 20 round mag held upside down to the door with two crudely made U-shaped brackets. I think OHP was one of the first agencies to issue rifles to every trooper.

I can't remember my wedding anniversary but I can remember certain guns like it was "yesterday".

 

[shawn mccarver]

For a while, French security forces were buying quite a few Ruger products, including Security and Speed Sixes.

The French did buy Mini-14s, as well as other Ruger revolvers. They may have even purchased some scope-equipped Redhawks or possibly Super Redhawks, if I recall correctly.

In addition, after selling complete revolvers to the French, Ruger sold "kits" to the French which were Ruger Speed Six parts assembled at Manurhin (they wanted a French work force in on the deal).

After a considerable time of selling those partially finished revolvers, Manurhin made some changes and began producing a weapon that PROBABLY violated various of Ruger's patents or trademarks, leaving some hard feelings between Ruger and the French. That Manurhin was called the MR88, and had a very strong resemblance to the Ruger line. I do not believe any royalties were ever paid to Ruger.

Look familiar?

 

[Toyman]

When I attended the Ruger Armorer's school ,in fall of 1980 at Newport , New Hampshire Ruger was in the process of finishing an order of Mini 14s for France. There was an inspector from US Army doing inspections on revolvers.

 

[murphydog]

The French did buy Mini-14s, as well as other Ruger revolvers. They may have even purchased some scope-equipped Redhawks or possibly Super Redhawks, if I recall correctly.

In addition, after selling complete revolvers to the French, Ruger sold "kits" to the French which were Ruger Speed Six parts assembled at Manurhin (they wanted a French work force in on the deal).

After a considerable time of selling those partially finished revolvers, Manurhin made some changes and began producing a weapon that PROBABLY violated various of Ruger's patents or trademarks, leaving some hard feelings between Ruger and the French. That Manurhin was called the MR88, and had a very strong resemblance to the Ruger line. I do not believe any royalties were ever paid to Ruger.

Look familiar?

Interesting story, never heard it before.

The barrel, cylinder and latch look very familiar . It doesn't seem to have the frame opening via the trigger guard assembly on the bottom, like brand R?

 

[ace22]

CNN coverage

I was in the waiting room of a doctor's office this morning and the small low quality blurry tv on the wall had nonstop cnn coverage of that incident. It looked like a couple of the French swat were carrying mini 14s and that did surprise me.
what took the cake was while that image was on the screen a cnn reporter describing their weapons talked about how powerful they were, able to shoot clean through cars and telephone poles.
that was enough for me, I tuned out the coverage and snoozed until my name was called.

 

[palmetto99]

I noticed the Mini-14's in a couple of still pictures on line. I assume they have pulled everything out of the locker and put it all on the street.

 

[stantheman86]

I have a Manurhin F1 revolver, pretty much the same as the MR88. Great gun, not much different in handling and DA pull from a Service Six.

It's too bad Mr. Trausch died and you can't buy the grips any more, the ones on mine are kinda ratty.

 

[KEN L]

Interesting looking stocks on those Mini's. They appear to have a longer butt with a recoil pad and what appears to be a sling cut like an M1 Carbine. Makes sense though, it would make it easier to carry flat against the chest.

 

[jonesy814]

On page 152 of "Ruger & His Guns", by RL Wilson it says the the French National Police purchased approximately 2500 of the AC556, select fire version of the mini 14. these had a blued 18.5 inch barrel with no warning roll mark, a special front sight, gas block with side mounted sling swivel, curved magazine latch, special roll mark. Some with special checkered stocks. Here you can see the cylindrical shaped select fire control at the right rear of reciever and the nicely checkered French Walnut stock