Introduced in 1973, yeah that's right, we're coming up on the 50 year anniversary), the Mini-14 was, at the time, the Semi-Auto Carbine to have. The AR-15 had yet to be more than a blip on the radar of most gun owners, and hey, by the early 80's it was the rifle of choice of the A-Team on TV. And don't think for a minute that bit of free advertising didn't contribute to it's sales.
Vilified as unreliable by some, and eventually a victim of a lack of add-on upgrades, as well as the fact that after cutting a deal with the Bush administration in the late 80's (as gun control was starting to heat up as semi-auto rifles were becoming more popular), the Ruger brand name became mud with a large portion of the gun-buying market.
Yet, it's still around, multiple variations are available, add-on parts can be had and is also available in 7.62 x 39 caliber (as theMini-30) along with the original 5.56 caliber.
To see why, watch the video!
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