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Posted: 1/1/2002 9:43:43 AM EDT
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Hi guys, Some of you know I am considering selling a couple Mini 14s to clear room in the safe. Well, just for giggles, I visited the Ruger wep page and checked out the "retail" price. Now, I know nobody in their right mind actually pays the list manufacturer price, but would you believe the cheapest Mini 14 made today costs $606? OMG. This is near what an AR15 costs. I'm baffled and wondering what value/price I could get for my Minis. I don't know how to rate them so don't ask. They work fine and both are preban (for whatever thats worth - nothing I think). They are both box stock except one has a Pentax 6X scope on it. I can't shoot for shit with either of 'em but it could be me. All I can say is they are both functional and look nice (no big scraches, gouges, rust, etc). What's a ballpark value of these things? James |
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Well, let's clarify. The Mini-14 GB model (the one that came from the factory with flash suppressor, bayo lug, and folding pistol-grip stock) will sell for $800. A regular Mini-14 made in 1993 is not a "pre-ban" unless you can prove that it was in "assault weapon" configuration on 9/13/94. Simply being made before the date doesn't make it a "grandfathered assault weapon" that you can add pre-ban features to. -Troy |
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Wow. Didn't think I'd get this much response on this topic. Six - Was that a used 1981 Ranch blue for $499? Was it in .223? SKS and Troy - It is also my understanding that unless the rifle was configured as an "assault weapon" prior to the ban it can not now have the added features. You can not take a 1988 rifle in box stock form and add a folder and flash hider. If I am correct, the preban aspect of Minis is less important than with an AR. Those Minis with the evil features do command higher prices from what I can see. AR15Fan - your prices are more in line with what I thought. The $606 price is the base unit on the Ruger web page. I am surprised there is this big a difference between MSRP and actual pricing. Mine are far from beaters, and not 99% either. I'm thinking $300-350 each is about right. And about $30 per 30 magazine. Alas, not Ruger mags but they are the better aftermarkets (not USA crap). Out of curiousity, how in the world would the ATF KNOW if your rifle was converted prior to the ban? I mean, isn't it their burden of proof? If so, why wouldn't anyone be able to convert them and sell for the higher price? This is a hypothetical question guys as I certainly don't need the money badly enough to commit a crime or possibly screw whoever buys these from me. The pricing I just found in the paper from two dealers is $479 for Mini 14s. So maybe $300 is low. Perhaps I can get $350 and $380 for the scoped one. Opinions? James |
| One would think that they might fetch a higher price in a state, like Kali, where other competing guns were illegal. Perhaps an ad in GL or SGN, or one of the online gunbrokers could hook you up with a buyer who would then arrange for their FFL to do the transfer. FWIW |
BATF only has to prove that you are in possession of a rifle in AW configuration. That is their burden of proof, but obviously that bar is set very low, due to the way the law is written. You may then present a defense that your rifle meets the law's criteria to have been grandfathered under the law. It is up to you (or rather, your lawyer) to present evidence to support this claim. If you had a GB model, a letter from Ruger stating the rifle's configuration when it left the factory, and the date it did so, would be sufficient to make your case. On a regular Mini, you'd need some evidence, such as a pre-ban-dated receipt for a folding pistol-grip stock, AND you'd need to be able to testify that you installed the stock prior to 9/13/94. If you didn't own the rifle on that date, you'd need the person who did to testify to the assembly, given that you legally wouldn't have had first-hand knowledge of that happening. While I'm sure there are a few people who could in fact prove that their rifles were grandfathered, the bulk of those rifles were not. Remember: "preban" is NOT about manufacture date, but instead about the date the gun was assembled into "assault weapon" configuration. There's plenty of information regarding this in the Legal section. Even Righteous_Kill, who refused to believe the above was true, has now, after a year of study, come to understand that it is. -Troy |
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Six - Was that a used 1981 Ranch blue for $499? Was it in .223? Yep - both the new one and the used one were Mini 14s - not 30s. And yes I have seen them in SGN for $380ish NIB recently. I have also seen them for substantially more. 'Course I have seen Beta C Mags for civis between $350.00 and $690.00 in the last month as well. As with all things - it will come down to the sophistication of the purchaser and the availability of alternatives to that purhaser. Shit - ask for a bunch - see if W.C. Fields axiom still holds true today (it does). |
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