#Value blue ruger mini 14 factory folder serial#
#Value blue ruger mini 14 factory folder tv#

#Value blue ruger mini 14 factory folder serial#

On April 11, 1986, an event in Pinecrest, Fla., became one of several incidents that changed the way America's law enforcement agencies trained and armed themselves.Īround 9:30 a.m., an FBI rolling stakeout spotted the suspect car of two serial bank robbers, William Matix and Michael Platt. In the current catalog, the Ranch Rifle is simply the base model of the Mini-14 family and is offered in blued or stainless steel, hardwood or synthetic stocks. This eventually led to all Mini-14 rifles coming equipped with integral scope mounts. This new version featured a lower ejection angle and integral scope bases machined into the receiver, which accommodated the factory-supplied Ruger scope rings. In 1982, demand for a reliable optics mounting solution led to the release of the Ranch Rifle. This Mini-14 AC556 had many of the same aesthetics as the GB-F, including the folding stock, but it had select-fire capability. The full-auto sound effects were added in post-production.

#Value blue ruger mini 14 factory folder tv#

In 1984, American TV audiences became intimately familiar with the Mini 14 GB-F rifle on season two of NBC's 'The A-Team.' Airing until 1987, the A-Team appeared in living rooms across the country, wielding Ruger Mini 14 GB-F rifles as its trademark problem solver.Ĭommonly mistaken for the full-auto capable AC-556, the riflesÂ used on the A-Team were semi-auto only and were portrayed as such by the cast who can be seen repeatedly pulling the trigger on screen. For those government agencies seeking select fire capabilities, Ruger released the AC-556. The Mini 14 GB-F model featured a paratrooper-style folding stock, pistol grip, threaded barrel with flash hider and bayonet lug. To compete with the multiple options offered by their competition, Ruger expanded its catalog. The Mini-14 GB-F, with a folding paratrooper stock, was made famous after appearing on the popular TV series, 'The A-Team.' Even so, many departments stocked their armory with Mini-14s. The idea of the police having a shootout with heavily armed gunmen was considered far-fetched by the average person. They were the days when patrolmen wore dress shoes and carried a six-shot revolver. These were the days before American cities had SWAT teams.

It had a classic look that didn't allude to allude to America's involvement in what was an unpopular war.ĭespite its roots in military designs, it was not the extreme-looking black rifle carried by soldiers and Marines overseas, and therefore, it appealed to civilians, police departments and correctional institutions that sought the firepower available from either platform but liked theÂ tried-and-true Garand-style action and a classic wood and steel look. It didn't look like the rifle that most Americans had only seen in newsreels from the Vietnam War, nor was it plagued with rumors of unreliability. The Colt SP1, the precursor to the AR-15, was the main competitor to the Ruger Mini-14 in the 1970s and '80s.įor a period of time, the Ruger held one distinct advantage. A more correct statement would be that, from the mid-1970s until the 1990s, Colt and Ruger competed head-to-head in the small high-power semi-auto rifle market.

In the early 1970s, a brand-new Colt SP1, the original version of what would become the incredibly popular AR-15, sold for anywhere between $200 and $250.