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.