Cue the music………

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Well, first thing you gotta do is set the mood. So….theme music.

And now, the backstory.

You youngun’s might not remember, but back in the day when you wanted a .223 ‘assault rifle’ you pretty much had two choices – a genuine Colt AR-15 or, if you were on a budget, a Ruger Mini-14. Now, back then you could get your Mini-14 in a couple special flavors. Most notably, the ‘GB’ model. The GB, it is said, stood for ‘government bayonet’ in that it was the ‘government’ (military/police) model and featured a bayonet mount.

Mini-14 GB model.

There was also a model of GB that featured a rather interesting folding stock. You can see it in pretty much any episode of the A-Team.

The movie was actually pretty good.

Unlike the TV show, where they dumped a couple mags every episode and never hit anybody.

The folding stock was…interesting. Like all folding stocks it was , at best, merely adequate as a stock but the cool factor was off the charts.

When the ‘Assault Weapons’ ban of 1994 rolled around, Bill Ruger, the guy in charge at Ruger, famously opined that no honest man needs more than ten rounds in his gun.

In addition to not being willing to sell mags holding more than 10 rounds to anyone except Only Ones, Billy Ruger also pulled the folding stock Mini-14 from ‘civilian’ sales. Fortunately, Bill Ruger died before the Assault Weapons ban sunsetted in 2004 and at that point the company was now making smart decisions that didn’t alienate its core customer base. Thus, not only were magazines flowing freely again, Ruger even introduced guns that would have probably never come out if Bill Ruger was still breathing.

But…the folding stock fo the Mini-14 was absent.

To the best of my knowledge, Ruger never reintroduced the folding stock for the Mini-14. I suppose they might have done some for contract sales to an agency somewhere but these days the odds of some agency saying “No, no…lets skip the AR-pattern guns and instead buy a more expensive gun with 1940’s ergonomics, a proprietary magazine, and a history of questionable accuracy” seem mighty slim.

But nature, and the free market, abhor a vacuum. And so some enterprising outfit not only is bringing back the folder, but Ruger, according to the article, even gave them their moulds to do it. Read about it here.

I picked up a couple Mini-14’s last year, including a GB model. And while the Mini-14 is, basically, a range toy for me I still desperately want one of these stocks to slap on it for no real practical reason except…dammit…it’s cool.

So, the folks who are supposed to be developing it still don’t have it on their website but SHOT show is this month and I expect it to be introduced there and then available for pre-order. But…I will get one, yes.

And, of course, everyone who thinks that they are being clever will post some sort of comment about ‘a plan comes together’ or ‘pity the fool’. Yeah..not actually clever.

 

14 thoughts on “Cue the music………”

  1. You are right Commander, these folding stocks are cool. This almost makes me sorry that I sold my old Mini 14 a few years ago. I write almost because, no matter what ammo I tried, the damn thing wouldn’t consistently print under 6 MOA at 100 yards.

    But aside from the cool factor, the addition of a folding stock means a mini 14 rifle can be used as a nice little trunk gun.

  3. I’m sure you know it’s modeled on the WWII paratroop stock for the M1A1 carbine. Very retro and cool.

    Regards

    • If they pay me, sure. Seemed like the A-Team never got paid except in one episode where they became silent partners in a Chinese restaurant after helping out the owners.

  5. Had a stainless GB with that folding stock back in the day.
    Mine suffered the accuracy and reliability issues often talked about, so I traded it off for a Colt. I’ve still got some new in the wrapper mags for that thing. Should take them to a gun show one of these days.

  7. I bought a Choate Machine Tool polymer folding stock for my Mini-14 back around 1985 (0it didn’t have the coolness factor). A short time later I bought a real Ruger folding stock Mini-14 from a private seller at a gun show. Still have both.

  9. Anybody know if these will fit current production Mini-14s? Supposedly they have worked out the accuracy problems.

  10. GB stood for Government Barrel. AR compatible bayonet lug and flash-hider, with protected front sight, that was it.

    The stainless folder model was good for boating carry, as it was less likely to rust badly, and was easier to hide in some cubbyhole, since most countries dislike boats and ships having armed personnel. That design was very slim in profile.

    That folding stock is very slow to deploy, so you must have situational awareness, but it can be fired while folded. And since it mounts to a wood stock, it’s not suitable for butt stroking boarders, or using to break your fall to the ground or deck for shooting prone. Would have been better if the new version had been redone in carbon fibre or kevlar fibre.

    Wish I hadn’t sold mine, though.

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