Ruger Mini-14

The Mini-14 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Introduced in 1973, it is based on the M14 rifle. The Ruger Mini 14 was one of the first .223 or 5.56 semiautomatic firearms offered on the market in the year 1973 and is based on the M14 rifle. Designed by Bill Ruger and further developed by James Sullivan the Mini-14 now has a number of variants, including: the Ranch Rifle (a basic, civilian variant), the Mini-14 GB, and the Mini Thirty, which is chambered for 7.62×39mm. The rifle is currently used by military personnel, law-enforcement personnel, and civilians in the United States and around the world.

By 1974 the Ruger Mini-14, chambered in .223 Remington, was released to the general public. The mini-14 is inspired from the classic M-14, a rugged magazine fed semi-automatic carbine rifle. It has an investment cast heat-treated receiver and a Garand breech bolt locking system with a short-stroke fixed-piston gas system. The well designed self-cleaning system vents unburned powder keeping the system clean and running properly. This is a noteworthy advantage over the AR-15 gas impingement system, which vents spent powder residues and gases directly into the receiver.

Disassembling the Ruger Mini-14 rifle for cleaning and service is simple when compared to most firearms in its class. It has no takedown screws holding the receiver in the stock. The removal of the trigger group will allow the rest of the rifle to be separated from the stock. First ensure the chamber is empty. Remove the magazine and cycle the bolt so that the internal hammer is cocked. Next, place the safety in the on-safe position (safety is pushed back toward the trigger). Turn the rifle upside down so that the trigger is now facing upward. At the rear of the trigger guard you will find a hole in which you place a 1/8 inch roll pin punch and pry the trigger guard up until it pops loose from the latch at the bottom of the trigger guard. If you have a very strong thumb you can actually force this without a tool. I have done it, but prefer to use a tool as my thumb is getting old. It will take some pressure to release the trigger guard. Pull the trigger guard upward until it can no longer go forward. Tilt the back of the trigger group upward and remove it from the stock. The rest of the barreled action can easily be removed from the stock.