Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle Instruction Manual

							Ruger Mini Thirty Magazine
(Incorrect)
For Caliber 7.62 x 39mm
Ammunition Only
Do not use in Mini-14Ruger Mini-14 Magazine
(Correct)
For Caliber .223
Ammunition Only
Bottom        Top               Side                  Bottom        Top                Side
Never attempt to use 7.62 x 39mm ammunition in Ruger Mini-14 rifles, as it will
not chamber correctly and will “jam” the action. As with any firearm, always
wear safety shooting glasses and adequate hearing protection.
12
MAGAZINES
RUGER®MINI-14® magazines are identified by having three vertical
creases in the side of the magazine versus one vertical crease in the Ruger Mini
Thirty magazine. The bottom of the Mini-14 magazine is more rectangular than
the generally tapered bottom of the Mini Thirty magazine, and the follower,
visible from the top of the magazine, is distinctly more pointed on the Mini
Thirty (see illustrations below). DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE MINI THIRTY
MAGAZINES IN RUGER MINI-14 RIFLES.
Discharging firearms in poorly ventilated
areas, cleaning firearms, or handling
ammunition may result in exposure to
lead and other substances known to the
state of California to cause birth defects,
reproductive harm, and other serious
physical injury. Have adequate ventilation
at all times. Wash hands thoroughly after
exposure.
SHOOTING OR CLEANING GUNS
MAY EXPOSE YOU TO LEAD
!WARNING – LEAD EXPOSURE
USE ONLY FACTORY AMMUNITION LOADED
TO U.S. INDUSTRY STANDARDS 
						

							INSERTING THE MAGAZINE
See Figure 5. The magazine may be inserted with the bolt either in the closed or
open position (See “Bolt Lock” section p. 10).
1. Hold the magazine at an angle as
shown and insert all the way up
into the magazine well. NOTE:
There is a hole in the top-front
portion of the magazine that
mates with a stud on the inside of
the receiver.
2. Pull the bottom of the magazine
toward the trigger guard until the
magazine latch at the rear of the
magazine well engages. Check to
be sure that the magazine is
securely latched into place.
REMOVING THE MAGAZINE
To remove the magazine, simply push the magazine latch forward until the rear
end of the magazine drops out of the magazine well. The magazine can then be
withdrawn from the rifle. To minimize the possibility of damage and malfunc-
tions, do not let the magazine drop to the ground (See Figure 6, p. 23).
13
2
1
Figure 5
LOADING THE MAGAZINE
Use only clean ammunition of the proper caliber manufactured to U. S. Industry
specifications, in good condition. (See Notice and Warnings in other sections of
this manual pertaining to Ammunition).
To load the magazine, align each cartridge with the bullet forward (pointing
toward the hole in the front of the magazine body) and push downward until the
cartridge snaps into place. Do not attempt to load more than the designated
number of cartridges for which the magazine has been designed. RUGER
®
MINI-14®RIFLESare sold with 5 round Ruger magazines.
The RUGER
®MINI-14® magazine is notinterchangeable with the Ruger
Mini Thirty magazines. Do not use non-Ruger magazines -- they may cause
malfunctions.
DAMAGED, NON-STANDARD, OR IMPROPERLY
ASSEMBLED MAGAZINES SHOULD NOT BE USED.
THEY CAN CAUSE THE RIFLE TO MALFUNCTION. 
						

							The bolt automatically opens
and shuts quickly while firing.
Keep face and hands away from
it. Hot brass and powder gas is
ejected quickly and can burn
you. The rifle should be fired
from the right shoulder.
Always wear shooting glasses
and hearing protectors.
BOLT OPENS FAST–
HOT BRASS EJECTED
14
TO LOAD AND FIRE (WITH MAGAZINE)
Practice this important aspect of gun handling (with an unloaded rifle) until you
can perform each of the steps - described below - with skill and confidence. But
before you do anything with the rifle, please first read completely through this
manual. This procedure begins with an empty
rifle with its magazine out.
1.Be certain the muzzle is pointing in a safe direction. (See Rule 2, p. 42).
2. Before inserting loaded magazine, engage the bolt lock so the bolt is held
open. Check the chamber to be certain it is empty. MOVE THE SAFETY TO
THE “ON” POSITION. (See Figure 3, p. 10).
3. Load a magazine with the desired number of cartridges.
4. Insert the loaded magazine into the magazine well, and immediately...
5. Draw the slide handle all the way to the rear and release it, allowing the slide
to snap forward under full spring force. A cartridge will be stripped from the
magazine and chambered by the motion of the bolt.
WARNING: If cartridges do not feed smoothly from the magazine into the
chamber then do not use the rifle until the problem is corrected.(See
“Malfunction Warning” p. 22)
6. The rifle is  now cocked and a loaded cartridge is chambered. Visually check to
be certain the safety is in the “ON” position.
7. When you are ready to fire the rifle, move the safety to the “OFF” position.
WARNING: DO NOT TOUCH THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE ACTUALLY
READY TO FIRE. KEEP THE SAFETY “ON” UNLESS ACTUALLY FIRING.
8. The rifle will fire one shot each time the trigger is pulled until the magazine is
empty. Some of the gas produced by the combustion of the powder is used to
push the slide and bolt to the rear, which extracts and ejects the fired cartridge
case, recocks the gun, and reloads a new cartridge from the magazine into the
firing chamber.
!WARNING–FIRING  
						

							15
If dropped or
struck with the
safety “off”, the
rifle may fire.
Keep chamber
empty unless
actually firing!
Keep safety “on”
unless actually
firing!
ANY GUN
MAY FIRE IF
DROPPED
!WARNING–HANDLING
SAFETY IN OFF (FIRE) 
         POSITION
9.Immediately following the firing of a shot, and if a subsequent shot is not to
be fired at once, put the safety “ON” while the rifle is still pointing in a safe
direction down range. The safety should be moved to the “ON” position as
soon as firing is completed, and it should be “ON” at all times except when
the rifle is on target and being fired.
10. When the last cartridge in the magazine has been fired, the bolt lock will
automatically engage and hold the bolt and slide in the rearward, open
position. CAUTION: Autoloading firearms have reciprocating bolts and slides.
Do not position your fingers or face so these components can strike you when
the gun is fired. 
						

							So that the rifle can be used as a single loader, it
will fire whether or not a magazine is in the gun
if a cartridge is chambered. Removing magazine
does not unload rifle! To unload, first
remove
magazine, thenpull bolt to rear, eject chambered
cartridge, and visually inspect chamber. The
safety should always be in the “on” (safe) position
when loading or unloading the rifle.
GUN WILL FIRE WITH
MAGAZINE OUT
16
TO UNLOAD
WARNING:This sequence must be followed exactly as spelled out. Failure to do
so can result in the rifle’s chamber becoming unintentionally loaded with a
cartridge!
1. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times and keep the fingers
outside the trigger guard. Move the safety to the “ON” position.
!WARNING – UNLOADING
TO LOAD AND FIRE (WITHOUT MAGAZINE)
The rifle can be used as a single shot rifle in the absence of a magazine or for
safety or training purposes. To do so, follow step 1, p. 14. Then, manually load a
cartridge into the chamber, and follow steps 5 and 6 p. 14, disregarding the
magazine. Note that the bolt will not automatically lock open after the cartridge
is fired and automatically ejected. Engage the safety between shots.
WARNING – SUSTAINED FIRING!
HOT BARREL CAN
“COOK-OFF” (FIRE)
CARTRIDGE IN CHAMBER
The Mini-14 Ranch rifle fires from
a closed bolt. Sustained firing can
create excessive heat in the barrel
and can cause “cook-off” of
ammunition (heat-firing of the
cartridge in the chamber).  This
“cook-off” can occur a substantial
period of time after firing has
ceased. Always unload the firearm
immediately after you have
finished shooting. 
						

							17
CORRECT UNLOADING SEQUENCE
1
3a
2
Safety
 ON
3b
4
2. Remove the magazine. REMEMBERthat even though the magazine has been
removed, a cartridge remaining in the chamber can still be fired!
3. Pull the slide handle all the way to the rear, extracting and ejecting the
cartridge in the chamber. When the bolt is fully retracted, push down on the
bolt lock plunger and then allow the slide to move forward until it comes to
rest against the bolt stop.
4.Always visually double check the chamber to be certain it is empty.
5. The only “safe” rifle is one in which the bolt is open and the chamber and
magazine are empty. 
						

							TO RELOAD THE RIFLE
1. Firing all cartridges in the magazine and the chamber will cause the bolt to
automatically lock open. Keep the rifle pointed in a safe direction.Put the
safety “ON”. Reloading can be accomplished by pressing forward on the
magazine latch with the thumb or forefinger. The magazine will fall free of the
rifle of its own weight. To avoid the possibility of damage to the magazine, do
not let it fall to the ground unless rapid reloading is absolutely necessary.
2. Insert a loaded magazine. WARNING: The bolt stop is held in place by a spring
detent. Therefore, when there is a loaded magazine in place and the rifle is
jarred, the bolt can fly forward and chamber a cartridge.
3. Release the bolt to move forward by pulling the slide handle fully to the rear
and release the slide. A cartridge will be chambered when the bolt shuts.
WARNING: The rifle is ready for instant use once the bolt moves forward.If
the rifle is not to be fired immediately, keep the safety “ON”. When you are
ready to fire immediately, take the safety “OFF” and resume firing, putting the
safety back “ON” whenever you cease firing, even for a moment.
TO EXTRACT AND
EJECT A CHAMBERED CARTRIDGE
When the rifle is fired, the same gas pressure that drives the bullet forward acts
through the gas port to push the slide and bolt to the rear. This action causes
extraction and ejection of the fired cartridge case. If a cartridge fails to fire or if
the shooter wishes to eject the chambered cartridge manually, follow the
procedure “To Unload” step 3, p. 17. When the slide handle is operated there can
be a failure to extract the cartridge from the chamber, or a failure to eject the
cartridge clear of the rifle. These failures usually are the result of the slide
handle not being pulled rearward vigorously. From the foregoing, it is clear that
the gun user must:
1.Always visually check the chamber and the br
eech-face after opening the slide
to eject a chambered cartridge. If the slide is not vigorously retracted, the
extracted cartridge can be “ejected” into the magazine area or remain held to
the breech-face by the extractor.
2. Thor
oughly clean the chamber and the extractor as often as necessary.
If an empty magazine is in the rifle when the slide handle is being retracted to
extract a cartridge, the cartridge may drop on top of the magazine or remain
held to the breech-face by the extractor. Then, when the slide goes forward, the
cartridge will be chambered again! REMEMBER -- always remove the magazine
before clearing the chamber, and visually check to ensure that no cartridges
remain in the gun.
TO REMOVE A BORE OBSTRUCTION
Rifles like the Mini-14 Ranch Rifle which are chambered for small caliber, high
velocity cartridges, are particularly susceptible to damage from firing when the
bore is obstructed. Excess oil, grease, water, or raindrops may form an
obstruction which could cause damage and injury. If you suspect that your rifle
may have excess oil, grease or cosmoline in the barrel, or if it may have been 
18 
						

							Before loading or shooting the Mini-14 Ranch
rifle, be certain the bore is unobstructed. Firing
the rifle with any obstruction in the bore may
result in severe damage to the rifle and serious
injury to the shooter and other persons nearby.
A MISFIRE or unusual report (sound) upon firing
is always a signal to cease firing immediately and
after waiting for one minute, examine the
chamber and bore of the firearm. It is not
sufficient to retract the slide handle and examine
the chamber. You must remove the magazine,
clear the chamber, lock the bolt open and inspect
the bore visually - and with a rod if necessary - to
be certain it is completely clear of any
obstruction. Failure to detect and correctly
remove a bore obstruction can result in serious
injury to the shooter and bystanders, and damage
to the firearm.
DO NOT “SHOOT OUT” 
A BORE OBSTRUCTION
19
A gun user should recognize that a lodged bullet is a fairly common form of bore
obstruction. Therefore the following information on how a bullet may become
lodged in the bore, and how it should be removed, deserves most careful reading
and heeding!
1. When firing, a bullet may become lodged in the bore if the cartridge contains
no powder, or the powder fails to ignite and only the primer charge ignites,
producing insufficient force to propel the bullet out of the bore.
2. A bullet may also become lodged in the bore when extracting a cartridge from
the chamber (unloading). If the bullet is not crimped tightly enough in the
cartridge case, the bullet may stick in the bore, with only the case being
extracted.
Experience indicates that the two conditions described above occur most
frequently with reloaded ammunition.
When either of the above described (1 or 2) situations occurs, proceed as follows
with the rifle pointing in a safe direction:
a) If the rifle is cocked, move the safety to the “ON” position.
b) Remove the magazine from the rifle.
!WARNING–BORE OBSTRUCTIONS
exposed to humid conditions which could cause condensation, or to rain or snow
which might have entered the bore, open the bolt and clean out the barrel.
Inspect the bore visually to be sure that it is perfectly clear (See “Ammunition
Warning” p. 11 and “Care and Cleaning” section p. 28) 
						

							20
c) Retract the slide handle and lock it in the open position by pressing in the
bolt lock plunger in the top of the receiver. Retracting the slide handle
should remove the cartridge case. Be certain the safety is in the “ON”
position.
d) Check the chamber to be certain there is no cartridge case in it -- if there
is, extract it before proceeding with steps (e) and (f).
e)After making sure that the rifle is unloaded,inspect the bore from the
muzzle end of the barrel. If the bore is obstructed, insert a proper size
cleaning rod (without a tip or brush) into the bore from the muzzle and
dislodge and remove the bullet. If the bullet does not readily dislodge, it
may be necessary to lightly tap the handle end of the cleaning rod. If such
efforts fail to dislodge the bullet, take the rifle to a gunsmith. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO REMOVE A LODGED BULLET USING A BLANK
CARTRIDGE, OR A CARTRIDGE FROM WHICH THE BULLET HAS BEEN
REMOVED, OR BY ANY MEANS OTHER THAN THE  USE OF THE
PROPER SIZE CLEANING ROD AND REASONABLE FORCE APPLIED TO
THE ROD. BE CERTAIN ALL LOOSE POWDER HAS BEEN REMOVED
FROM THE BORE AND ACTION BEFORE INTRODUCING THE ROD INTO
THE BORE. NEVER TRY TO SHOOT OUT A BORE OBSTRUCTION! See
“Bore Obstruction Warning”, p. 19.
f) Reinspect the bore to be certain it is free of unburned powder particles or
any other debris. At the same time clean the magazine, the magazine well, 
and other areas of the mechanism of unburned powder grains.
It is absolutely essential that steps (a) through (f) be followed if there is any
suspicion that a bullet has been lodged in the bore because of the situations
described in 1 or 2 above. Remember that a bullet can be lodged in the bore
of a rifle just where the rifling begins, and a live cartridge can still be
chambered and the bolt closed and locked. This can occur because the bullet
in the chambered cartridge is pushed back into the cartridge case far enough
to give the shooter the impression that the loaded cartridge has chambered
normally.
Always check the bore for an obstruction if you experience difficulty in
chambering a cartridge, experience a failure to extract, have a misfire, or the
rifle does not make a normal loud report on firing.
RELOADERS SHOULD USE ONLY CANNELURED BULLETS AND BE SURE TO
CRIMP THEM SECURELY IN THE CARTRIDGE CASE. NOTE: Sturm, Ruger &
Co. specifically does not recommend the use of reloaded, hand-loaded or
remanufactured cartridges. Please see “Ammunition Notice” p. 11.
TO CLEAR A MALFUNCTION (“JAM”)
Before “doing something”, study the situation to determine the nature of the
jam and how best to clear it. Any autoloading firearm may occasionally
malfunction. If it does:
1.Be certain the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction and the safety is “ON”.
Keep fingers away from trigger. 
						

							21
2. When attempting to free a jammed cartridge, do not use any type of tool that
is likely to act as a “firing pin” and discharge the cartridge should the tool
impact on the primer. Never use a cartridge as a “tool”.
3. After clearing a jam, inspect the gun mechanism to determine if dirt or debris
might be the cause of the problem. Excess lubricant or grease can cause
cartridges to feed sluggishly. An accumulation of grease, dirt or powder grains
in the magazine can contribute to cartridge feeding problems.
4. After clearing a jam, inspect all cartridges that have been removed from the
gun. Safely dispose of any cartridges which are dented or nicked or have
bullets that are loose or improperly positioned in the cartridge case.
5. If it appears that the gun and magazine are not at fault and that the jam was
caused by the type of cartridge being used, then try another type.
6. If the above procedures do not result in a smooth and reliable feeding firearm,
don’t use the gun until it feeds cartridges smoothly and reliably. The rifle
should be returned directly to our Newport Product Service Department for
repair. See the “Service and Parts” section p. 34, for packing and shipping
information.
Another precaution: Form the habit of examining fired cartridge cases from time
to time. If fired cases have bulged heads or show splits on any part of the case,
stop using that ammunition and return the rifle to the factory for inspection.
(See page 34)
7. If a cartridge or shell is caught between the bolt and receiver, put the safety
“ON”, retract the slide, and lock it in the open position. Remove the magazine;
then remove the jammed case.
8. If a fir
edcase is in the chamber, use a cleaning rod to knock it out.
9. If an unfir
edcartridge is stuck in the chamber, remove it from the breech-end
rather than trying to dislodge it with a cleaning rod inserted from the muzzle.
Use a piece of 3/16” brass rod which has one end shaped like a screwdriver tip.
Insert the tip in the extractor groove of the cartridge, use the face of the
receiver ring as a fulcrum and carefully pry out the cartridge. Be careful not to
strike the primer area of the live cartridge!Vigorously brush-clean the
chamber with solvent after clearing any jam involving the chamber.
TO MINIMIZE MALFUNCTIONS (“JAMS”)
Autoloading firearms of all makes and types occasionally malfunction when a
cartridge fails to feed from the magazine to the chamber, or when a cartridge (or
fired case) fails to properly extract and eject.
To minimize the possibility of such occurrences the gun user should:
1. Use ammunition of the correct caliber and type which is loaded to Industry
Specifications. Avoid reloads, remanufactured cartridges, and cartridges that
are dirty, corroded, or deformed. (See “Ammunition Warning”, p. 11)
2. Clean and lubricate the gun in accordance with the instructions in this
manual.