Making a Mini 14 Straight Pull

I do a lot of my hunting in PA, where we cannot use semiauto rifles for hunting. Back when Bill Ruger brought out the first 44 mag rifle, you could get a plug to turn them into a straight pull bolt rifle. Curious if it is technically possible to do something similar to the mini to be able to use it to hunt in PA.
Thanks
Bfly

ya you can put a solid gas bushing in it and you will have to cycle it by hand.

ASI makes a Tunable Gas Block you can adjust it to cycle fast, slow or close it all the way for a single shot http://www.ruger-mini-14-firearms.com/m ... sories.php

Guess I would need the solid one. My conversation with PA GC leads me to believe that they would not accept the adjustable one. I've done a web search, couldn't find one. Anyone know who makes them? Second question. Curious if they affect accuracy. The ads for the adjustable ones imply that they can be adjusted to manual operation for precision long shots. Appreciate any thoughts.
Bfly

Have you dealer get hold of Williams Shooters Supply

R1878 RUGER KM145RPGBBAO .223 SS syn,b-lug,18" flash BOLT ACT

R1878 is the item Number

Ruger did make a straight pull Mini for the export market.
They have been slow sellers here.
Info on these are in RENE-Red Eagle News Exchange

I would just get a Ruger 77 compact in 223 and save myself the hassle. Better accuracy to boot.

I also live in PA and also called the game commission and the talks I had indicated that teh change was supposed to be a perminant change that would make it impossible for a user to undo the change in the field. Now, I was looking into it in relation to the AR-15.

What I actually built is an AR-15 pistol that has no gas port. It is in 300 Whisper with a 11-inch barrel and I used one of the side charging upper receivers that has a charging lever like a FNFal has.

Works great too but I have to be honest I never got a deer with it as I had kids and these days I am out to fill the tags as quick as I can more then looking for a challange.

I know this is no help with the mini-14, just sharing that I've been there and done that! AR-15s are much easier as you could just remove the gas tube, tap the hole in the front sight base for a set screw and you are set! It could be reversed too but remember that a 22 conversion kit would still make that semiauto :wink:

I would love to see you try and explain yourselves to a PA Game Warden. I'll bet that would be one interesting conversation!

I have a cabin in PA and have hunted there all my life. I've met more than my fair share of GW's and I'd betcha not a one of them would be real happy to see someone walking around the woods with anything that even resembled a semi-auto come deer season.

I wish you luck but think you are asking for a hard time. And one final question. Why? I'd just stick with a bolt gun. Gun for gun - on average - far better accuracy than any Mini 14 is capable of delivering.

I think you guys are right. Our GW's and the Deputies tend to be a bit zealous in their work. I worked for DEP for a very long time and did some joint enforcements. They are a tad stiff and are not much for discussion. they tend to issue citations and have the discussion in front of the magistrate. There are a few exceptions, though. I figured that I would need to go to my local guy and suggest taking it to the range to prove it would meet their rule. Frustrating. But every state has its odd rules. Heck where I hunt in VA, I can only shoot a rifle from 10 feet off the ground.
Bfly

Ltdshooter":20hy0a5a said:

I wish you luck but think you are asking for a hard time. And one final question. Why? I'd just stick with a bolt gun. Gun for gun - on average - far better accuracy than any Mini 14 is capable of delivering.

Click to expand...

Thinking the same thing. I know about the Euro export ones but for this purpose, I can't see where this would be ANY choice I'd even think of let alone decide to use. Bolt, lever, single shot...

The problem is, life's just to short to own dogs that don't hunt. I already have two 223's, a bolt and a break action. Not like I really need another one to hunt with.
Bfly

Black Fly":1bq9mdk7 said:

I do a lot of my hunting in PA, where we cannot use semiauto rifles for hunting. Back when Bill Ruger brought out the first 44 mag rifle, you could get a plug to turn them into a straight pull bolt rifle. Curious if it is technically possible to do something similar to the mini to be able to use it to hunt in PA.
Thanks
Bfly

Click to expand...

I might be able to offer some perspective since I am in CA. CA has all sorts of odd gun laws to include an AW ban, hi cap mag importation ban and some other odds & ends. The net result is that we have devised legal ways to work around those laws, but there was risk.

For example, on some rifles a flash hider is illegal - we use "brakes". Know the difference between the two? It can be a challenge. We buy & use ARs, AKs, FALs, Sigs, etc so long as they are set up a certain way - unfortunately they look pretty much like the banned "AWs" to most folks including cops and cops (much like gun owners) often do not respond well to things they may not understand. Alot of folks have gone through a certain amount of legal aggravation for us to do what we like but after a while, through repetition, LE accepts the law.

It would appear that what you want to do (with a permanent change) is entirely legal and your gun becomes essentially a "straight pull" Mini such as is sold overseas. If all of a sudden PA hunters flooded the countryside using those Minis then the GWs would get exposed to the gun, check up command and get a "they're OK". Problem is, that's probably not going to happen and you're the fellow who'll hear the GW say "well I've never seen that before" & that's probably not good.

How to do it on your own? Can you get Fish & Game to check the thing and say it's OK - in writing? Show it to a few of them & get them to say it's OK and when you are hasseled say "I checked with Officer Smith - give him a call?" Carry an out of country advert for the "Mini Straight Pull". Letter from a gunsmith that it's not a semi? All marginal I'd say. The GW is either going to get it right or give you all sorts of grief.

My bet is that if you use the gun and are hasseled but then OK'd the first year - then maybe the 2nd and a time or two after that at some point you'll become known by the F & G folks as "that pain in the butt guy who hunts with a bolt action Mini" and then you probably won't be hasseled.

Black Fly":1ih15jkk said:

I do a lot of my hunting in PA, where we cannot use semiauto rifles for hunting. Back when Bill Ruger brought out the first 44 mag rifle, you could get a plug to turn them into a straight pull bolt rifle. Curious if it is technically possible to do something similar to the mini to be able to use it to hunt in PA.
Thanks
Bfly

Click to expand...

I might be able to offer some perspective since I am in CA. CA has all sorts of odd gun laws to include an AW ban, hi cap mag importation ban and some other odds & ends. The net result is that we have devised legal ways to work around those laws, but there was risk.

For example, on some rifles a flash hider is illegal - we use "brakes". Know the difference between the two? It can be a challenge. We buy & use ARs, AKs, FALs, Sigs, etc so long as they are set up a certain way - unfortunately they look pretty much like the banned "AWs" to most folks including cops and cops (much like gun owners) often do not respond well to things they may not understand. Alot of folks have gone through a certain amount of legal aggravation for us to do what we like but after a while, through repetition, LE accepts the law.

It would appear that what you want to do (with a permanent change) is entirely legal and your gun becomes essentially a "straight pull" Mini such as is sold overseas. If all of a sudden PA hunters flooded the countryside using those Minis then the GWs would get exposed to the gun, check up command and get a "they're OK". Problem is, that's probably not going to happen and you're the fellow who'll hear the GW say "well I've never seen that before" & that's probably not good.

How to do it on your own? Can you get Fish & Game to check the thing and say it's OK - in writing? Show it to a few of them & get them to say it's OK and when you are hasseled say "I checked with Officer Smith - give him a call?" Carry an out of country advert for the "Mini Straight Pull". Letter from a gunsmith that it's not a semi? All marginal I'd say. The GW is either going to get it right or give you all sorts of grief.

My bet is that if you use the gun and are hasseled but then OK'd the first year - then maybe the 2nd and a time or two after that at some point you'll become known by the F & G folks as "that pain in the butt guy who hunts with a bolt action Mini" and then you probably won't be hasseled.

Black Fly":1ih15jkk said:

I do a lot of my hunting in PA, where we cannot use semiauto rifles for hunting. Back when Bill Ruger brought out the first 44 mag rifle, you could get a plug to turn them into a straight pull bolt rifle. Curious if it is technically possible to do something similar to the mini to be able to use it to hunt in PA.
Thanks
Bfly

Click to expand...

I might be able to offer some perspective since I am in CA. CA has all sorts of odd gun laws to include an AW ban, hi cap mag importation ban and some other odds & ends. The net result is that we have devised legal ways to work around those laws, but there was risk.

For example, on some rifles a flash hider is illegal - we use "brakes". Know the difference between the two? It can be a challenge. We buy & use ARs, AKs, FALs, Sigs, etc so long as they are set up a certain way - unfortunately they look pretty much like the banned "AWs" to most folks including cops and cops (much like gun owners) often do not respond well to things they may not understand. Alot of folks have gone through a certain amount of legal aggravation for us to do what we like but after a while, through repetition, LE accepts the law.

It would appear that what you want to do (with a permanent change) is entirely legal and your gun becomes essentially a "straight pull" Mini such as is sold overseas. If all of a sudden PA hunters flooded the countryside using those Minis then the GWs would get exposed to the gun, check up command and get a "they're OK". Problem is, that's probably not going to happen and you're the fellow who'll hear the GW say "well I've never seen that before" & that's probably not good.

How to do it on your own? Can you get Fish & Game to check the thing and say it's OK - in writing? Show it to a few of them & get them to say it's OK and when you are hasseled say "I checked with Officer Smith - give him a call?" Carry an out of country advert for the "Mini Straight Pull". Letter from a gunsmith that it's not a semi? All marginal I'd say. The GW is either going to get it right or give you all sorts of grief.

My bet is that if you use the gun and are hasseled but then OK'd the first year - then maybe the 2nd and a time or two after that at some point you'll become known by the F & G folks as "that pain in the butt guy who hunts with a bolt action Mini" and then you probably won't be hasseled.

Black Fly":19de37zt said:

I do a lot of my hunting in PA, where we cannot use semiauto rifles for hunting. Back when Bill Ruger brought out the first 44 mag rifle, you could get a plug to turn them into a straight pull bolt rifle. Curious if it is technically possible to do something similar to the mini to be able to use it to hunt in PA.
Thanks
Bfly

Click to expand...

I might be able to offer some perspective since I am in CA. CA has all sorts of odd gun laws to include an AW ban, hi cap mag importation ban and some other odds & ends. The net result is that we have devised legal ways to work around those laws, but there was risk.

For example, on some rifles a flash hider is illegal - we use "brakes". Know the difference between the two? It can be a challenge. We buy & use ARs, AKs, FALs, Sigs, etc so long as they are set up a certain way - unfortunately they look pretty much like the banned "AWs" to most folks including cops and cops (much like gun owners) often do not respond well to things they may not understand. Alot of folks have gone through a certain amount of legal aggravation for us to do what we like but after a while, through repetition, LE accepts the law.

It would appear that what you want to do (with a permanent change) is entirely legal and your gun becomes essentially a "straight pull" Mini such as is sold overseas. If all of a sudden PA hunters flooded the countryside using those Minis then the GWs would get exposed to the gun, check up command and get a "they're OK". Problem is, that's probably not going to happen and you're the fellow who'll hear the GW say "well I've never seen that before" & that's probably not good.

How to do it on your own? Can you get Fish & Game to check the thing and say it's OK - in writing? Show it to a few of them & get them to say it's OK and when you are hasseled say "I checked with Officer Smith - give him a call?" Carry an out of country advert for the "Mini Straight Pull". Letter from a gunsmith that it's not a semi? All marginal I'd say. The GW is either going to get it right or give you all sorts of grief.

My bet is that if you use the gun and are hasseled but then OK'd the first year - then maybe the 2nd and a time or two after that at some point you'll become known by the F & G folks as "that pain in the butt guy who hunts with a bolt action Mini" and then you probably won't be hasseled.

Another PA hunter here. My take - Gun season is too short to spend half a day explaining your gun to a game warden. With my luck, it would be the morning of opening day!