Is the officer at the left of the photo carrying a Mini-14?



Source: FoxNews article from March 26

I don't think I've ever seen a Mini in use anywhere but at the range.

Looks like one to me

Looks like a mini 14.

Yup

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:


I don't think I've ever seen a Mini in use anywhere but at the range.

My first agency issued them. I personally purchased a Colt 6920 and had the first AR. Minis were a lot cheaper than ARs back then.

Yes, that looks like a Mini-14. I left there over 20 years ago, but the Mini-14 was used by the San Bernardino County, CA Sheriff's Dept. (the photo is of the City of San Bernardino police) along with a shotgun. Sidearms were a choice between the Glocks 17 and 21.

Looks like it might be an early 580-series Mini. Produced around 2005. Seems to have the newer winged front sight but the older non-tapered barrel. One of our test rifles was exactly this configuration.

Minis were indeed issued by some police and sheriff's departments. Also common among prison officers.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:


I don't think I've ever seen a Mini in use anywhere but at the range.

My first agency issued them. I personally purchased a Colt 6920 and had the first AR. Minis were a lot cheaper than ARs back then.

Jones, if you dont mind me asking, what year was this and do you still have said 6920?

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:


Jones, if you dont mind me asking, what year was this and do you still have said 6920?

Would have been late 98 or 99 and yes I do.

Yep, San Bernardino County is one of the last remaining US LE agencies using Mini-14s in quantity. Certainly the largest.

Their Minis featured prominently in photos from both that massive manhunt they had for the fugitive former LAPD cop several years back as well as their mass shooting terrorist attack a few years back.

They have a hodge-podge of models from old 180-series to newer 580-series rifles. Notice the variation in front sights between the older single blade and the newer USGI-style front sight with protective ears. And the various stocks, ranging from fixed polymer stocks to old school "A-Team" style folding wooden stocks to pistol grip/AR collapsible stock versions.

My mini is an old St. John's County sheriff's gun.

Great stuff, y'all. Thank you for the input.

I’ve heard that a lot of LE in California uses the mini 14

quote:

Originally posted by limblessbiff:
I’ve heard that a lot of LE in California uses the mini 14

No. That used to be the case 30ish years ago, but not any more. The AR-15 has become the de facto standard LE rifle nationwide, even in California.

There are just still a few CA departments holding onto their Mini-14s, like the aforementioned (and shown) San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office.

The California Department of Corrections still has a ton of Mini-14s too.

The old A Team config is only true config for the Mini 14.

Interesting so many of the guys in Rogue’s photos are using a magwell hold. How sensitive is the Mini to feeding issues when you do that?

quote:

Originally posted by Shackelford:
The old A Team config is only true config for the Mini 14.

That lone detective/admin with the A-Team rifle is clearly the coolest guy on scene.

quote:

Interesting so many of the guys in Rogue’s photos are using a magwell hold. How sensitive is the Mini to feeding issues when you do that?

No idea as to the impact on reliability. The Mini-14's magazine is held in place pretty rock solidly, though.

Note that this "magwell hold" with the support arm is often unintentional/subconscious.

As fatigue sets in, it's natural to bring your arms in closer to your chest, which engages additional muscles in your chest/back/shoulders to add support for your tiring arm muscles.

(Similar to how when you're trying to muscle open a tight lid on a jar, you hold the jar close to your chest, rather than out at arms' length.)

You'll see it start to creep in more and more when guys are shouldering rifles for long periods, like during the extended manhunts or perimeter holds shown in those photos.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by limblessbiff:
I’ve heard that a lot of LE in California uses the mini 14

No. That used to be the case 30ish years ago, but not any more. The AR-15 has become the de facto standard LE rifle nationwide, even in California.
There are just still a few CA departments holding onto their Mini-14s, like the aforementioned (and shown) San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office.
The California Department of Corrections still has a ton of Mini-14s too.

Hmm... I posted the following over on the Ruger Forum a few years back:

So I'm getting hell from my better half to clean up and organize some of my gun stuff. Well, what should I stumble upon but a pair of used "LEO Only" Ruger 20 round Mini/AC magazines. They were in a box of random Ruger pieces-n-parts I got many, many, years ago. Looking at the mags closely I see one of them was engraved with "Burney Div." Doing some internet investigating, I see that the Shasta County California Sheriff's Office has a Burney Division. Other than SCSO, I was unable to find any other cop shop with a "Burney Division". My guess is that these mags were used by them during the Clinton magazine ban. Both magazines fit and function perfectly in a Mini-14 GB and an AC-556.





As an aside: my AC556 served with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and my Mini 14-GB served with Kentucky Department of Corrections.

Drifting off from the Mini-14, at one time there were cautions about resting an AR/M16 type rifle’s magazine on the ground when shooting from the prone due to concerns about malfunctions. That’s not the same as pulling back on the magazine, but it’s still putting unnatural pressure on the mag. In addition, rearward pressure can easily be placed on the bottom of the mag when resting it on the ground. In time, however, that advice has pretty much faded away and even the Marines are now reportedly allowing the practice (as I do myself when teaching).

Compared to something like the M1 Carbine, where pressure on the magazine definitely does affect feeding reliability. But Carbines are known to have loose/sloopy mag fit anyway, as well as iffy reliability with some of the larger 30 round magazines anyway.

The Mini-14 is used by an entire Army!

The Royal Bermuda Regiment...all 350 of them