Ruger Mini 14 --- is it really black?

[chanman]

Still not a black rifle.

It's a throwback to the battle rifle. IE M14.

The SVT-40 isn't a black rifle either. Yet has all the same features. A full auto version (AMT), detachable 10 round mag (20 round AK style for the AMT), gas piston system, semi auto and even has a built in muzzle break. But.. it's still a conventional receiver in a stock.

Wouldn't that mean the FN CAL doesn't count as a black rifle either?

 

[diananike]

Wouldn't that mean the FN CAL doesn't count as a black rifle either?

The FAL is a main battle rifle. The CAL is just it's 5.56mm variant
It doesn't mean it isn't black, but I would remind you the FAL came with wood stocks till the 70s.
One main difference is the FALs receiver is it's own chassis, wheras the M14/Mini chassis is it's wood stock. Pretty big difference IMHO

 

[Juster]

The FAL is a main battle rifle. The CAL is just it's 5.56mm variant

The CAL has a rotating bolt, it is not exactly an FAL variant:

Black refers to Mall Ninjas, who argue about tactical reloads as they take their trigger locks off. "M16 or more modern" is another way of looking at it.

 

[chanman]

The FAL is a main battle rifle. The CAL is just it's 5.56mm variant
It doesn't mean it isn't black, but I would remind you the FAL came with wood stocks till the 70s.
One main difference is the FALs receiver is it's own chassis, wheras the M14/Mini chassis is it's wood stock. Pretty big difference IMHO

Just pointing out that if you disqualify it on the basis of being a miniaturized battle rifle, you'd have to toss the HK33/G41 (mini-G3), FN CAL (mini-FAL), and AR15 (mini-AR10) as well. Seeing as how the M14/Mini often come in fibreglass stocks without even counting stocks developed later.

So the defining feature of a black rifle is that its receiver is its own chassis? What specifically does that entail?

 

[hfp75]

Mini

Many guns have an identity chrisis... The Mini does not in my opinion....

Call it a Mini-14... Call it a Ranch Rifle... dress it in brown wood or black plastic... use a 5 rounds mag or a neutered 20 round.... scope it or use iron sites... get a folding stock or a fixed stock....

No matter what you do...

It is a SR Mini-14

really its simple.

 

[bankshot]

its all in the dressing you can take a nice girl and turn her into a tramp by dressing her up

 

[Epoxy7]

The FAL is a main battle rifle. The CAL is just it's 5.56mm variant
It doesn't mean it isn't black, but I would remind you the FAL came with wood stocks till the 70s.
One main difference is the FALs receiver is it's own chassis, wheras the M14/Mini chassis is it's wood stock. Pretty big difference IMHO

Exactly. The receiver being the chassis is the main difference. Mechanically the FN FAL was very similar to the SVT-40 in operating principle. The main difference other than a pistol grip, was the receiver being most of the chassis, rather than a conventional receiver in a stock design. This is needed to be in the black rifle category.

 

[JAGDMORDER]

This is mine. It is black in colour. That is it.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

w/diff optic:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The sparta kit would be nice. Who has this and where can I spend more money???

 

[NaOH]

I don't think of it as a black rifle either.

 

[Netghost]

I look at black rifles as "modern rifles". The Mini 14 seems to just be a smaller version of a traditional rifle, but in it's pistol grip form it is a modernized design. So, in the traditional non-pistol grip design I would say no.