Ruger goes walnut for a throwback Mini
Ruger has gone full walnut on an anniversary model of the company’s famed Mini-14carbine to celebrate more than half a century of the rifle’s production.
Designed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by Bill Ruger and L. James Sullivan, the latter one of the engineers behind the AR-15, the Mini-14 took visual and naming cues from the Army’s 7.62 NATO M14 battle rifle (albeit with mechanical cues from the M1 Garand), but was scaled down to fire a .223 Remington/5.56 NATO round.
Since its introduction in 1974, the gun has captured the public’s imagination and chalked up over 200 film and TV credits, making it an icon.
I mean, who can forget Colonel John ‘Hannibal’ Smith and his khaki tuxedo?
The new 50th anniversary model remains a modern variant of the Mini when it comes to its 580-series Ranch Rifle gas system and internals, while sporting a laser-engraved anniversary logo on the bolt, polished stainless steel accents, and full walnut furniture, including a wood handguard rather than the plastic one that was introduced in 1978. In an ode to the old and highly collectible “GB” models, it sports a bayonet lug and a birdcage style flash suppressor.
The 50th anniversary Ruger Mini-14 ships with a hard case, two 20-round magazines, and scope rings with an MSRP of $1,399. For comparison, the standard sans bayonet lugged blued model with a simpler walnut stock and plastic top cover has an ask of $1,339 and ships with a 5-round mag.