help please with a 185 prefix mini 30 ranch rifle

[roland45acp]

I have a Ruger mini 30 ranch rifle with a serial number of 185-796XX.
I went to rugers website to date it and only found the 186 prefix for the mini30, and when i googled a 185 series mini 30 the only page with any real info that popped up was the ruger mini 14 dates of Manf. from rugers website.
Below is a pic of the serial number and the back of the receiver stating it is indeed a mini 30 in 7.62 x 39.
I would indeed be thankful for any help on this rifle.
Roland

 

[golferboy426]

ooo! That's interesting

 

[9x19]

Ruger has been known to produce guns out of the "logical" serial number sequence... keeps thing interesting for the die-hard collectors and/or drives them nuts!

You should PM Chet so he can add it to his book...

 

[BillBingham2]

How do you like her? I've been torn between a SKS and a Mini-30 and would love to hear about your thoughts, decision process and findings.

Thanks.

B2

 

[roland45acp]

9x19, not sure who chet is, but if he pms me ill tell him all i know.
Bill, altho it has been shot, I have not shot the rifle, a close friend dropped it off to me whith the hopes of selling it. He is retiring to NY state.
that is why I was looking for a manf. date.
Has anyone here ever run across somthing like this before concerning the mini 30s?
thanks for all the input so far.
Roland

 

[9x19]

Sorry, his handle here is chet15, he's the guy who keeps the best source info on Ruger production pieces, and IIRC, publishes a periodical.

 

[golferboy426]

that is why I was looking for a manf. date.

why does he need that?

 

[chet15]

Sounds like you've got a great example of what can happen during modern american manufacturing processes!! It would seem that Ruger gave it the wrong serial number sequence...probably more likely, a Mini-14 receiver with its Mini-14 serial number got the wrong caliber mark on the back and it was finished up as a MINI-THIRTY. I've only heard of one other like yours, but it is exactly the opposite of yours, a Mini-14/5R Ranch rifle serial numbered 189-85048 (built in 1997) with a Mini-30 serial number.
Chet15
Send me a PM please. I'd like to add your full sn to the reference. If there's one there's probably more out there!

 

[Jimmy Thomason]

I also have a Ruger Mini-30 7.62x39 with a 185 serial number. I could not find it on Ruger's list of manufacturing dates. I did a Google search and found this discussion. Is there any insight as to what happened?

 

[chet15]

As mentioned...a Ruger error in serial numbering.
The first Mini-30 example mentioned above has a serial number in the 185-79xxx range. Since Ruger began the Mini-30 sequence (probably the first production run) in 1987 beginning with a few rifles in the 186-, then moved the series to 189-, there should have been no Mini-30's with a 185- prefix serial number...since 185-796xx was the regular Mini-14 series and that serial number would have been produced sometime in very late 1989.
Somewhere around here I have the pic of that first gun mentioned, just didn't get the sn info in the "Reference of Ruger Firearms".
So yes...serial number errors do happen, just as easily as rollmarking a model name on a gun when it is something totally different...it all depends on the employee doing the work.
Jimmy...please send me the sn info on your gun so I can also list it in the Reference of Ruger Firearms. It is probably guaranteed somebody down the road will ask the same question again and at least we'll have a couple of other examples that can be talked about.
Thanks!!
Chet15