I have always liked the way the Ruger Mini 14 feels and handles. It was near the top of my "must buy when I can" list for many years.
When my brother got one I was envious. Then he told me that someone had given him a 20 round mag for it.
In this country a semi-automatic rifle with a folding or telescopic butt, pistol grip, bayonet lug, flash suppressor or a magazine that holds more than 7 centrefire or 15 .22 RF cartridges is defined as a Military Style Semi Automatic (MSSA). It requires both an endorsement to a standard firearms license and enhanced security storage.
My brother has neither of these, although I do. And I told him that as a police officer it would not look good for him to be caught with the high cap mag, so he gave it to me and I put it on the top shelf of my rifle safe.
Sometime later my brother told me of a very nice second hand Mini 14 in a sports store about an hour from here. The next time I was passing I called in to look at it. It was a 183- serial number rifle in very good condition, topped off with a 4 X 40 scope and had had less than 100 rounds through it after being rebarelled.
I just by chance had enough money in the bank to take the rifle home with me. As I had the 20 round magazine I called into the arms officer a few days later and had it recorded against my MSSA endorsement.
Over a few months I managed to find another 20 round mag and a 30 round one. The gun is a great for shooting mobs of wild goats, although these days it is mainly used on the range. At one time I even joked about taking it to a club rifle day and using it to compete against the black plastic pistol gripped stock M4's etc that everyone else is using.
Then just before Christmas I saw an online ad for a black, plastic pistol grip Mini 14 stock. When I told my brother he said I should get it. I thought about it for a few days then thought "What the heck" and sent away my credit card number.
After it arrived I put the parts together and them put it back in the box intending to fit the action to it sometime. I then bought a neat little Chiappa .22 lever action that has a smooth action, is accurate but which has very course open sights on it. I decided that I would swap scopes around on a few of my rifles over the winter to put one on the Chiappa. And the rifle to sacrifice its scope for this would be the Ruger which I would use with the standard peep sights.
Yesterday I helped my brother move his rifles form the local police station where they have been stored temporarily back to his house. During the move I mentioned I needed to set aside a time to do the scope swaps and put the black stock on the Mini 14.
This afternoon I spent half an hour doing so.
I know it will not compete against the "better" semi auto rifles on the range, but it should be fun. But still, when I had finished I thought it just looked "wrong". It is no longer the neat handling little carbine I always loved. It is just another black plastic rifle.
When my brother got one I was envious. Then he told me that someone had given him a 20 round mag for it.
In this country a semi-automatic rifle with a folding or telescopic butt, pistol grip, bayonet lug, flash suppressor or a magazine that holds more than 7 centrefire or 15 .22 RF cartridges is defined as a Military Style Semi Automatic (MSSA). It requires both an endorsement to a standard firearms license and enhanced security storage.
My brother has neither of these, although I do. And I told him that as a police officer it would not look good for him to be caught with the high cap mag, so he gave it to me and I put it on the top shelf of my rifle safe.
Sometime later my brother told me of a very nice second hand Mini 14 in a sports store about an hour from here. The next time I was passing I called in to look at it. It was a 183- serial number rifle in very good condition, topped off with a 4 X 40 scope and had had less than 100 rounds through it after being rebarelled.
I just by chance had enough money in the bank to take the rifle home with me. As I had the 20 round magazine I called into the arms officer a few days later and had it recorded against my MSSA endorsement.
Over a few months I managed to find another 20 round mag and a 30 round one. The gun is a great for shooting mobs of wild goats, although these days it is mainly used on the range. At one time I even joked about taking it to a club rifle day and using it to compete against the black plastic pistol gripped stock M4's etc that everyone else is using.
Then just before Christmas I saw an online ad for a black, plastic pistol grip Mini 14 stock. When I told my brother he said I should get it. I thought about it for a few days then thought "What the heck" and sent away my credit card number.
After it arrived I put the parts together and them put it back in the box intending to fit the action to it sometime. I then bought a neat little Chiappa .22 lever action that has a smooth action, is accurate but which has very course open sights on it. I decided that I would swap scopes around on a few of my rifles over the winter to put one on the Chiappa. And the rifle to sacrifice its scope for this would be the Ruger which I would use with the standard peep sights.
Yesterday I helped my brother move his rifles form the local police station where they have been stored temporarily back to his house. During the move I mentioned I needed to set aside a time to do the scope swaps and put the black stock on the Mini 14.
This afternoon I spent half an hour doing so.
I know it will not compete against the "better" semi auto rifles on the range, but it should be fun. But still, when I had finished I thought it just looked "wrong". It is no longer the neat handling little carbine I always loved. It is just another black plastic rifle.
