Anybody remember the A-Team Mini-14s?

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GatorFarmer

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My kids like that show. I have the DVR record it each morning, it is on "centric" these days. Isn't Direct TV wonderful?

Anyway... Looks like the A - Team had factory folding stainless models fitted with some sort of aftermarket flash hider. Anyone know which model of flash hider it was - Choate?

They also seem to have replaced the plastic top covers with ventillated metal ones made out of nickel plated or stainless steel. Anyone know who made these, or if they are still made?

Mags look to have been 30 and 40rd PMI stainless?

It's possible that after two decades and change of reruns, that I might soon be able to trade into a basic version of such - a stainless factory folder. Yes, these do command silly prices, going for half again as much as a brand new (and more capable arguably) Mini 14. But I wanted one as a kid. Shrug.

So anyway, I think I could scare up one of the mags on Gunbroker, but I'd really like to know about that replacement top cover and which pin on flash hider to search out. If I'm going part way, might as well go all in I figure.

Was there something special about the old Ruger factory folders other than not being all that common? Today's Minis seem to ship in simple ATI stocks for the "tactical" look. But it looks like the old factory folders were steel?

Now if I can just find someone that wants to trade me a nickel 39-2 or stainless 639 or some such...
 
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I don't think I would want anything at all the A-Team had on their Mini-14s. After all, these guys shot thousands of rounds every firefight and never could kill anybody. :)
 
Sorry I can't answer any of your questions about the rifles. All I remember is they NEVER hit anybody with 'em!:eek:
Guess that's what made it kid acceptable.

Jim
 
I used to watch the A-Team with my kids and one day I seen something that made me say, aha! A Huey slammed into the side of a mountain then crashed to the ground and I couldn't believe my eyes when all of the bad guys climbed out of the wreckage. :eek:

For a second there I thought, finally, the bad guy "get's it" in the show. My aha moment was premature.........
 
Mini 14 folders were marketed by the Ruger factory, as an option, or part of a model available only as an assembly. I don't think you could by the factory folder separately. Eventually "Falcon" a separate company, started building an almost exact copy. I had a matte blue one I bought for a mini 14. It was $150, which was a a hefty chunk of change then. It was solid as rock and was a beautiful thing as it came fully assembled with a whole new forearm that matched the Ruger wood perfectly. Aftermarket folders are rollmarked Falcon.I put my mini together pre '94 so it was exempt. Flash hider with integral bayo lug and all that baloney.
 
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Back in the A team heyday I didn't even know what a mini 14 was but it was love at first sight when GF showed me his collection a few years ago. I've got 3 now, 1 ss synthetic stock old model and 2 carved stock showdog model 14s of which I shall now post a couple gratuitous photos since this is a thread about minis. :D

DSC03361.jpg


DSC02982.jpg
 
I actually had one. Stainless folder with Choate flash hider. Totally reliable, but wouldn't group better than 6" at 100 yds. (Guess that's why they never hit the bad guys.):confused: Traded it along with considerable cash for a Colt AR 15 HBar. I was happy at the time, but kind of wish I had it back for old times' sake.
 
Rugskipper said:
I actually had one. Stainless folder with Choate flash hider. Totally reliable, but wouldn't group better than 6" at 100 yds. (Guess that's why they never hit the bad guys.):confused: Traded it along with considerable cash for a Colt AR 15 HBar. I was happy at the time, but kind of wish I had it back for old times' sake.
Click to expand...

I have a Mini-14 handed down to me from my Grandfather, and found that once they get heated up from a few round they loose the grouping. Thought about going to a bull-barrel, but can't do it to my grandfather's gun. Mine is a Ranch Rifle, and if used for the intended purpose, it is a very well built varmint gun. Always joke when I take it out shooting, that it shoots in two different directions, lead out the barrel and brass out the ejector. Man can it throw brass. :eek:
 
I have a factory folding stock that was purchased separately from Ruger by an LEO and given to me for a favor I did. Unfortunately at that time, Ruger had quit making them and were selling off what they had (LEO's only) and were out of stainless so mine is blued. One of these days I intend to send it to BIrdsong for their finish, I just never seem to get around to it. The trick to tell the guns that came from the factoryt with the folders vs the ones that were added later is the front sling swivel on the gas block. If it is mounted on the left side, then the mini came from the factory with the folder. If it is on the bottom, then the folder was added.

And yes Gator I do indeed remember the A team with the stainless mini's with folding stocks. :D
 
Rugskipper said:
I actually had one. Stainless folder with Choate flash hider. Totally reliable, but wouldn't group better than 6" at 100 yds. (Guess that's why they never hit the bad guys.):confused: Traded it along with considerable cash for a Colt AR 15 HBar. I was happy at the time, but kind of wish I had it back for old times' sake.
Click to expand...


It's a hundred yard carbine-I can shoot offhand with a Williams peep and consistently hit a 8" round steel plate at 100 yards. How much more accuracy do you need???
 
Apparently the metal ventillated handguards were made in Japan and are no longer imported. Accuracy Systems used to be the seller from what I can gather. I don't know why no one offers one currently, maybe they heated up too much. Federal Ord also offered some metal ones, but of a different design that are more commonly found.

I still haven't turned one up mind you, but at least now I narrowed down what they were. In theory I'd think any machine shop could make one.

The AC556 were the full auto ones. The full auto ones were rarely used on the A Team set, if ever. The sound of automatic fire was simply dubbed in for the most part. (In Season one when they had Colt SP1s, it was also apparently dubbed.)

The most recent - 580 series and later - Mini 14s tend to be fine and hold accuracy better when they get hot than the older ones. Various fixes - new gas blocks, Amega rails, shorten the bbl, put a flash hider on, etc - exist to tweak earlier ones.

I still have a 580, I've had 3 other early ones over the years that I got rid of for various reasons, but still have over two dozen working hi cap mags, hence I kept the 580 that I got at Walmart some years back.

The folders used on the A Team don't seem to have been GBs. They look to have had after market flash hiders pinned on. They also lacked the bayonet lug then found on the GBs (and yet now curiously absent on all Ruger tactical models, despite all other "evil" features being readily had.)

Factory models can be had now with an ATI folding/collapsible stock. I've used Choate and Butler Creek folders in the past without problems... well save that you can forget about cheek weld and the other usual problems that go with the territory.

Maybe something will change, but it doesn't look like I had the right trading goods this time around, frown. This is going to be harder than I thought apparently.

I suppose that I could take solace in getting a flash hider putting on my 580 and having something very much akin to Lorenzo Lamas' "Snake Eater" rifle (anyone else remember that cinema gem?).
 
They never hit anybody because the never learned how to open the fancy folder and didn't have a clue how to use the sight. Other wise I love the rifle, bought one then and still have it.
 
hberttmank said:
I don't think I would want anything at all the A-Team had on their Mini-14s. After all, these guys shot thousands of rounds every firefight and never could kill anybody. :)
Click to expand...

C'mon. Cut 'em some slack. It's not like they were a crack team of former mercanaries so dangerous the .gov was out for them... :D

..and they WERE able to make a vehicle roll over and explode with one round.;)
 
Loved how the 5.56 bullets bounced and sparked off of everything in that show. The guys would take cover behind empty 55gal drums and the bullets would bounce off. The bullets would even throw sparks off windshields!
 
I have a factory folder SS 184 series, standard not the GB. I called Ruger and had it verified as such. I tried to post pics but photobucket is on the fritz right now. Cool little gun, gets lots of attention at the range but accuracy is not the best in the world.
I've seen more GB's offered than standard factory folders. Don't know why tho. The stock design is well thought out and very solid, wish they still made something like that, I've never been a big fan of the standard Colt collapsable stock.
RD

Finally got it to work:

031-1.jpg


One important note on the Ruger Mini: Never, but Never take the bolt completely apart. I did ONE time, it took about 4 hours to get back together and I had to hunt down the tiny little stud and spring that hold the extractor in after they launched. Just spray with cleaner and oil.
 
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Evil pistol grips! Folding stocks! 20rd "assault clips!" :eek:

Puppies just died in Kalifornistan.
 
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