Ruger Mini-14 Tactical Rifles are back again -- to stay?

The on-again, off-again Ruger Mini-14 Tactical Rifle is back, plus a second compact tactical model. At bottom is the ATI 6-position collapsible and folding stock version and at top is the compact tactical flash suppressor version with synthetic stock. Both have the compact 16.125" barrels and come with 20-rd. magazines. I would say they're about the best buy out there for .223 assault rifles since ARs and AK variant prices have skyrocketed.

The gun shop where I'm working now has on Gunbroker what I suppose is an early release model of the flash suppressor version of the compact tactical, since it comes with only a 5-rd. magazine and no free scope rings. The two tactical models on Ruger's website say they come with scope rings and 1 20-rd. magazine. Of course, you can buy 20-rd. magazines from Ruger but they've finally seen the common sense to provide 20-rd. magazines in the box with some of their Mini-14 models. They should do it with all their models. I've always had a hard time with math ever since the 3rd grade, but I do know that 20 rounds is four times better than five.

Ruger playing shell game with new Tatical Mini-14

Ruger is playing "hide the assault weapon," for some strange reason.

Now you see it, now you don't is the game Ruger Firearms is playing with a new Tactical Mini-14 with folding stock. What's up wid dat? Here's the image that was on the site, nabbed by Firearm Blog, plus a screen cap from the Ruger site before the page disappeared.

Certainly good news for Gun Nutz 'R' Us, a folding tactical stock for a Mini-14, just in time for the Obama Assault Weapons Ban, coming to a gun store near you as soon as he can.

Features, from the now-missing page at the Ruger site, are:

* Folding and collapsible stock
* Ergonomic pistol grip
* 20 round magazine
* Quad rails
* Polymer stock

What's not to like? Personally I was leaning more toward the Ruger Mini-14 Target Model, which does something no Mini-14 has done before, hit exactly what you're shooting at, as in:

"The heavy barrel Mini-14® Target Rifle delivers minute of angle accuracy when tuned using the adjustable harmonic dampener."

Regular Mini-14s deliver something closer to hour of angle accuracy, sorta in the same ballpark, but it's a semi-auto so you can saturate the zone with 20 rounds of .223, as in spray and pray.

But if you're gonna shoot a spray and pray model, it is nice to have folding stock on it. Whatever.

Just thought I'd post something on guns on a Sunday evening and this is it. See y'all later.