1985 Ruger Ranch Rifle

[DetBrowning]

Is it possible to mount a picatinny style rail on this rifle? It's all original with iron sights and I'd like to put on either a scope or red dot.
Is it best to replace the "hand Guard" with something more suitable to what I'm trying to achieve?
If so where might be the best place to find what I'm looking for.
Thanks for your help, as a new enthusiast I appreciate all your time and patience.
Bill

 

[DetBrowning]

Ruger Mini 14 Ranch Rifle Mount Installation - Aim Sports Inc

The following installation video features the AIM Sports Inc. Ruger Mini-14/Mini-30 Ranch Rifle Mount. Visit http://www.aimsportsinc.com for our complete pr...

www.youtube.com

I found this any thoughts?

 

[1KPerDay]

Your ranch rifle should have milled cutouts in the receiver fore and aft of the bolt/ejection opening for scope rings. For a scope the easiest way is to just use Ruger rings. If you want to mount a pic rail the style you linked to will work. However make sure the threads for the clamping/retaining screws are steel into steel. I have a GG&G rail and the steel screws have stripped out of the aluminum base body. I could helicoil it but I don’t care enough. I run my 1994 ranch rifle with open sights for now.

 

[1KPerDay]

You sure it’s a ranch rifle and not a Mini-14? Your pic is too dark to tell. Please post a pic of the rear sight area.

 

[1KPerDay]

Another option but call and ask about steel threads into aluminum base.

Ruger Mini 14 30 Rifle Scope Bases Rifles Base Accuracy Systems Inc

Accuracy Systems sells Ruger Mini 14 and Mini 30 Rifle Scope Bases. Buy the best scope mount systems available for the Ruger Mini 14 and Ruger Mini 30 rifles.

www.ruger-mini-14-firearms.com

If you want a forward/scout mount the main options are UltiMAK

Scout Mount for Ruger® Mini-14® / Mini-30® - UltiMAK, Inc.

Fits year 2008 and later production rifles with standard barrel Model# M4-S

ultimak.com

And Amega

Amega Ruger Mini 14 Mounts

BEST solution for employing a pistol scope, Laser Sight, Tactical Flashlight on a Mini-14, Mini-30, Ruger 6.8 SPC, Garand, M14-M1A, Remington 870, or M1 Carbine and provides you with the MOST sighting system options available.

amegamounts.com

Though Sampson has come onto the scene the last couple of years and has new features

Hannibal™ Rail for the Ruger® Mini-14® or Mini Thirty®

Check out the deal on Hannibal™ Rail for the Ruger® Mini-14® or Mini Thirty® at Samson Manufacturing

www.samson-mfg.com

 

[dh1633pm]

You mount it like this: gg&g rail.

 

[DetBrowning]

You sure it’s a ranch rifle and not a Mini-14? Your pic is too dark to tell. Please post a pic of the rear sight area.

 

[1KPerDay]

Yeah, that’s not a Ranch Rifle. That’s an older Mini-14. It’s confusing because the new Mini-14s have the scope mounting features of the old Ranch Rifle. You will be limited to a scout mount or one of the older goofy Mini-14 mounts that attach to the side of the receiver. I personally don’t recommend those.

 

[Riomouse911]

Our office had three of those older Mini-14’s, two came with original wooden hand guards and one was shiny, polished stainless. As @1KPerDay posted, the older Mini-14 guns don’t have the milled in scope ring attachment points and folding rear sight that the early style ranch rifles had.

Since you said you were newer to the Mini-14 game, here are a couple of pics of an older and newer stainless steel Ranch Rifle to show the scope mounts built into the receiver.

A 195-series Ranch Rifle with a scope mounted and the folding rear sight (in a camo Ram Line stock.)



This is a newer 583- series with the integral scope mount points and non-folding rear sight.



Ultimak and Amega make a replacement hand guard with a picatinny rail built in, that’s about the only way to mount a scope/dot on that older Mini without drilling/tapping holes. (I don’t know if there is a non-drill option for those older guns, I think there was one made that replaces the cover on the left side of the receiver?)

As for the hand guard scope mounts, the stock hand guard is held on with a spring steel clip that holds it to the barrel with a tongue/groove at the front. If the Ultimak/Amega mounts use this attachment method to the gun, they wont be the most secure mounts.

As an option, if your old Mini is in really good shape it may be worth some bucks as a collectors item. It would probably sell for enough to buy a newer model if that crosses your mind.

Cool old gun, good luck finding whatever you need to make it what you want.

Stay safe.

 

[DetBrowning]

Yeah, that’s not a Ranch Rifle. That’s an older Mini-14. It’s confusing because the new Mini-14s have the scope mounting features of the old Ranch Rifle. You will be limited to a scout mount or one of the older goofy Mini-14 mounts that attach to the side of the receiver. I personally don’t recommend those.

I appreciate your help, thank you

 

[1KPerDay]

As for the hand guard scope mounts, the stock hand guard is held on with a spring steel clip that holds it to the barrel with a tongue/groove at the front. If the Ultimak/Amega mounts use this attachment method to the gun, they wont be the most secure mounts.

They don’t. They bolt to the barrel securely.

 

[Riomouse911]

They don’t. They bolt to the barrel securely.

That would be a solid mount. A spring clip would be a loose goose for sure

Stay safe.

 

[jmorris]

The old mini-14 had a spring ejector that would throw brass into an optic but the brass would be in a nice little pile close by.

In 1985 they came out with the “Ranch Rifle” that “retained features of the mini 14. Then even listed the differences between the two different rifles in their adds back then, see bullet points on right side of page.



It wasn’t just scope mounts.

They turned the ejector into the now infamous “across the county“ brass throwers….unless there is something in its path…

 

[jmorris]

Looking at that add again, I wonder how many .222 versions are out there, I had forgot they made them, if I ever knew.

 

[1KPerDay]

^^that’s the kind I have. Don’t know about any buffer system but it does launch brass into the next county. I’ve dinged my truck more than once. Ironically I use the open sights.

 

[jmorris]

Me too. Although I don’t think I have shot mine since 2012. I have shot my friends non ranch version. It’s also more accurate than my ranch with an optic, with its factory iron sights…

 

[illinoisburt]

For many years the side plate mounts were the only option available for older rifles lacking the factory receiver cuts. They had a habit of working loose when firing if someone mounted a heavy optic. So far as I'm aware the name brand manufacturers have discontinued in favor of the gas block rails.The cheap copies you will find online today do not have a reputation for durability and are likely a waste of money. I would not buy one of them today.

That said, I've got a pair of old b-squares sitting on a shelf not being useful anymore. They would likely work okay with a light weight dot or reflex. @DetBrowning Send me a private message with an address and I'll be happy to send one your way to give it a whirl.

 

[DetBrowning]

Our office had three of those older Mini-14’s, two came with original wooden hand guards and one was shiny, polished stainless. As @1KPerDay posted, the older Mini-14 guns don’t have the milled in scope ring attachment points and folding rear sight that the early style ranch rifles had.

Since you said you were newer to the Mini-14 game, here are a couple of pics of an older and newer stainless steel Ranch Rifle to show the scope mounts built into the receiver.

A 195-series Ranch Rifle with a scope mounted and the folding rear sight (in a camo Ram Line stock.)

View attachment 1174879View attachment 1174880

This is a newer 583- series with the integral scope mount points and non-folding rear sight.

View attachment 1174881View attachment 1174882

Ultimak and Amega make a replacement hand guard with a picatinny rail built in, that’s about the only way to mount a scope/dot on that older Mini without drilling/tapping holes. (I don’t know if there is a non-drill option for those older guns, I think there was one made that replaces the cover on the left side of the receiver?)

As for the hand guard scope mounts, the stock hand guard is held on with a spring steel clip that holds it to the barrel with a tongue/groove at the front. If the Ultimak/Amega mounts use this attachment method to the gun, they wont be the most secure mounts.

As an option, if your old Mini is in really good shape it may be worth some bucks as a collectors item. It would probably sell for enough to buy a newer model if that crosses your mind.

Cool old gun, good luck finding whatever you need to make it what you want.

Stay safe.

I really appreciate your input, this gun has a bit of a story, when I was in LE I was in a gun shop just before the Clinton ban was approaching and a guy walks in to sell this gun, it was in NYC and he was scared to still own it. I made him an offer and I still have the rifle. I've maybe shot 300 rounds through it and it's in great condition. What do you think it's value is?
thank you for your generosity of knowledge

 

[Riomouse911]

The old mini-14 had a spring ejector that would throw brass into an optic but the brass would be in a nice little pile close by.

In 1985 they came out with the “Ranch Rifle” that “retained features of the mini 14. Then even listed the differences between the two different rifles in their adds back then, see bullet points on right side of page.

View attachment 1175418

It wasn’t just scope mounts.

They turned the ejector into the now infamous “across the county“ brass throwers….unless there is something in its path…

View attachment 1175419

Amen to that!!

When it was a trimester range day you could tell the veterans from the rookies pretty quickly. The vets would congregate towards the left side of the 40-lane range early, so when it was time to line up the first 4, maybe 5 rows were pretty safe from those hot brass missles. Any lane past those meant the shooters were at risk of a pelting.

I really appreciate your input, this gun has a bit of a story, when I was in LE I was in a gun shop just before the Clinton ban was approaching and a guy walks in to sell this gun, it was in NYC and he was scared to still own it. I made him an offer and I still have the rifle. I've maybe shot 300 rounds through it and it's in great condition. What do you think it's value is?
thank you for your generosity of knowledge

Cool story! The older guns we had as reserves, so they sat for decades in the HQ armory safe after newer synthetic stocked Minis were bought. I didn’t even send them out to the ready-safes in our outer county offices after I started that program because I had enough of the later-series guns to do that (2 minis per office, one 870, one less lethal 870, 2 tasers plus ammo for each at all of our four outlying offices)

Values in the real world could probably be best-guessed by checking completed auctions on Gun Broker. There may be regional affects, like an AR ban state vs a free state, and even the possibility of increased collector interest since it is old, original and in great shape.

The office went to AR-15’s about three years ago, so we traded the minis in for Colt AR’s to a LE dealer based in Prescott, AZ. I took the trade ins there myself so everything went. I noticed that the wood stocked/wood hand guard guns never made it to their Ca store for retail sale as LE trade-ins, I guess the guys at the dealers warehouse snapped them up.

We were allowed to buy the trade in Minis from the dealer at their cost when they shipped them back to their Ca store. (I bought my new black Mini for around $425 OTD. As the guy responsible for the armory, I knew that gun never was fired by our office.)

Again, a very cool story and a nice old Mini.

Stay safe.