Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle 5.56 NATO
Model: 5801
Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle 5.56 NATO
Model: 5801
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle is a hardwood-stocked semi-automatic 5.56 NATO built for ranch and field work. It has an MSRP of $1,299. Its receiver has scope mounts machined into it and the rings to use them come with the rifle, so an optic sits low over the bore with no base to buy.
Two magazines come with it, each holding 5 rounds, along with a Picatinny rail for the receiver's drilled and tapped holes. A protected blade front sight and an adjustable ghost ring rear are fitted, so it works with no optic at all. The action is Ruger's own, with a Garand-style breech bolt locking system, a fixed-piston gas system and a moving gas cylinder Ruger describes as self-cleaning. Length of pull is a fixed 13.5 inches in wood, the muzzle is not threaded, and the forend has no slots for a light.
If you're cross-shopping, a Ruger AR-556 is out of production but 0.50 lbs lighter and feeds from AR-15 magazines. A Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport III has an MSRP of $799 and a free-float M-LOK handguard that takes a light and a bipod directly. Magazines, stocks and spares for the Mini-14 are Ruger's alone, so an owner coming from an AR-15 starts the parts search over.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The scope mounting surface is machined into the steel receiver, so there is no base to work loose under recoil.
- A blued barrel and a hardwood stock can both be refinished when a rifle starts to show its miles, which a molded synthetic stock cannot.
- The stock is one piece of wood with no adjustment hardware, so there is nothing on it to rattle loose in a truck.
- A larger magazine means a Ruger part, because nothing in the AR-15 magazine aisle fits.
- The 1:9 twist is slower than the 1:8 on both rifles above, which puts the heavy end of the match bullet range outside what it will stabilize.
- With no muzzle thread and no slots on the forend, a suppressor needs gunsmithing and a light needs a clamp.
Category Rankings
How the Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle 5.56 NATO ranks among full-size 5.56 NATO rifles.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it an AR-15 underneath?
No. The action is Ruger's own Garand-style design with a fixed-piston gas system, so nothing on it interchanges with an AR-15 except the cartridge it fires.
What magazines are available?
Ruger's own Mini-14 pattern. Two come with the rifle and Ruger sells larger ones separately.
Is the receiver steel or aluminum?
Alloy steel, blued to match the barrel. The scope mounts are machined into it, which is why the rifle needs no separate base.
