My AR has been asking for a little brother for a while now, so I surprised him today with a Mini-14(well, I pick it up in 10 days). I'm in California, and I'm wondering if there's anything even remotely cool I can put on this rifle. I'll probably put a red-dot sight on it and leave it alone, but the muzzle looks pretty naked right now. Can I put a flash-hider on it, or am i stuck with a muzzle brake? Can I put a non-folding pistol-grip stock on it? I'm pretty sure that if I can do either of the above, I can't do both, but I'm not even sure I can do ONE of those things...

You can do one or the other.... not both!  You can add a Non-Folding pistol grip stock OR you can add a flash supressor.

Now this is the law here.... in Kalifornia you may and probably do have other STRANGE laws that apply!  Perhaps you should move to another state and buy an AR-15 instead!

TreeTop,

You can't add anything to the rifle except an approved, permanently fixed (no threads) muzzle brake.  California law basically says a centerfire, semi-automatic rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine and [b]ONE[/b] evil feature [b]is an assault weapon.[/b]

See the CA DOJ site for more info:  [url]http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/index.html[/url]

Edited to add "[b]is an assault weapon[/b]"

Check this site, this guy made his self named "urban scout rifle". They look really cool and shoot even better [smash]

http://homepages.skylink.net/~brett/

Yeah Dave G is right, all you can add is a muzzle brake. Kind of weird, I registered my mini-14 folder as an assault rifle and not my FAL.  That folding stock makes my mini so lethal. Of course who knows, someday mini-14s will probably be added to the roberti-roos list.

Exactly what I expected to hear. I guess I'll be looking for a muzzle brake; either a pin-on or a set-screw type, so I don't have to thread the barrel(which would make it too evil). Does anyone know of a good quality MB that either pins to the front sight, or preferably replaces the front sight(like an M1A) and has a new front sight as part of it?

Thanks for your help...

Here's a pic of the brake on my mini 30. It's a short version of an M14 type. It's pinned on and requires removal of the factory front sight from the barrel. It does not slip over the factory sight like some. It also reguires drilling a new hole for the pin in the barrel. I did mine myself and it is on straight and I didn't have any windage problem. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself a competent gun smith should be able to do it in 30 minutes or less not including any refinishing of the bluing for the pin. I had a regular M14 type but wanted something shorter. This works every bit as well while being almost 2 inches shorter. They are available for the mini 14. I picked mine up at a gun show for NIW for $15.

[url]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=395477&a=2919909&p=42876197&Sequence=0&res=high[/url]

A pin-on muzzle brake is kosher even in California, as long as it isn't one that is considered a flash hider by the CA DoJ.  You just can't thread the muzzle due to federal law.  (Strangely, threaded muzzles and bayonet lugs are federal but not CA AW features.)

I have a pre-ban mini-14.  It was in a folding stock for many years, but I had to take that off to avoid having to register it as a California AW.  Of course once the Mini-14 is added to the Roberti-Roos list and it becomes an instant AW I may just put the folder back on AND thread the muzzle after I register it.  Funny how those laws work, isn't it?

TreeTop,
You might want to check out my pictures on www.mini14world.com   I put a Choate M-14 look-a-like front sight and flash supressor on my mini.  It was well worth the approx 40.00.  It helped my groups also because of the smaller front sight.  jim g

http://www.mini14world.com/sights.html

The Choate muzzle devices are flash suppressors.  I believe that Smith Enterprise make a set-screw muzzle brake for the Mini-14.

Atencio,

You registered a Mini-14 but not a FAL?  Does it have a pistol grip or thumbhole stock?  If it does, you blew it.

My mini-14 has a pistol grip and folding stock.  The only reason I like it is because of those features which is why I registered it.  I would just as soon get rid of the gun then keep it minus grip/stock just to keep from registering it.
My FALs were bought last year, so I could not register those even if I wanted to.  

Troy,

Your comment on my previous post was correct and I inadvertantly left off the last four words of the incomplete sentence.  It should have read: "California law basically says a centerfire, semi-automatic rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine and ONE evil feature [b]is an assault weapon."[/b]  

The original post has been edited to add the words in bold face.

Thanks for the input, guys.
I picked up the rifle tonight, and I'll probably just leave it in it's original configuration until I find a suitable muzzle brake. Not because I think it'll need one, but just because it looks naked at the muzzle end...


I'm SO glad that I planned ahead quite [b]a few years ago[/b] and got a few high cap magazines for it. For some reason I had a feeling I guess...[:D] Although a 40rd mag looks a little out of place. I should have gotten more 20s.