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Posted: 8/19/2004 5:30:46 AM EDT
| Not that it matters much now, but how do you tell is your Mini is a pre-ban? |
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It also had to be in assault rifle configuration before the ban. The standard model Mini-14 wasn't banned and does not qualify. Hopefully this all will become moot 9-13-04. Dennis Jenkins quote]Quoted: Not that it matters much now, but how do you tell is your Mini is a pre-ban? |
I've got one I've had since I was 15. I was a big A-team fan too. |
I had a chance to buy one when I was 17 (1994). The ban had just started and a guy wanted $800 for one never out of the plastic with 10 factory hicaps. I only had half the money and I couldn't talk my dad into loaning me the rest. Anytime I see one at the gunshows now they want $1200-1500 for a used one. I really wish they would make them again. |
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ACK! You would be FAR better served putting that kind of money into an AR. The cost of a Mini + folding stock puts you in Bushmaster country, and then there's the magazine issue, accuracy issue, and customization issue. Friends don't let friends buy Mini-14s. Did you ever notice that even the A-Team, crack Army SpecOps guys, could never hit a single badguy with their Mini's despite hundreds of rounds on full-auto? That isn't just TV... -Troy |
As I understand it, most, but not all Minis left the factory in a non "assault weapon" configuration. Now, if you take your pre-Sept '94 Mini and add, say a folding stock with a pistol grip, you have created an illegal "assault weapon", same as if you had added the FS+PG unit to a post-ban Mini. OTOH, if you had added the FS+PG combo before the ban, and had the foresight to document same, then you are off the hook. It is also my understanding that if you should be unfortunate enough to run afoul of the BATFE or other such agency, they will demand proof from you that the weapon alteration was kosher. In this case, no presumption of innocence on your part. Be prepared to prove your claim. When the ban expires, I will have some work to do, not the least of which is documenting any and all alterations that the expiration of the ban will make possible and legal. I would not rush out and buy a Mini. However, if you already have one or get a great deal on one, there are a few not-too-expensive tweaks you can do that will render it a reliable 2 MOA carbine. The Mini is better than most people give it credit for being. |
The difference is that virtually all ARs made before the ban were in "assault weapon" configuration, and so they qualified to be grandfathered under the law. The vast majority of Mini-14s (meaning all but the GB models) were NOT in "assault weapon" configuration, and so despite being manufactured before the ban, they don't qualifiy as grandfathered "assault weapons." Fortunately, the AWB is about to die in about 25 days, so for folks without a state-level ban, it will no longer matter. -Troy |
I'd just get one to play with. I've already got a good Bushmaster M4gery. I don't think I would spend more than about $500 for one (assuming they're made again). I'll never drop $1500 on one. It would be a cool toy, but not $1500 cool. |
excuse me please...um, where are these shows exactly????? suddenly the .308 bush-hamster seems a bit closer.......  J/K i like mine just fine. kinda like an American AK IMO |
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