The standard Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle is the NY-compliant model in Ruger’s Mini-14 lineup: it ships with a traditional stock, an unthreaded barrel, and none of the features New York bans on a semi-automatic rifle that takes a detachable magazine. The Tactical and Folder variants do not qualify. New York uses a one-feature test, and those models cross it before they leave the box.
The One-Feature Rule That Decides Everything
New York Penal Law § 265.00(22) classifies a semi-automatic rifle as an assault weapon if it can accept a detachable magazine and has even one of the following features:1New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 265.00 – Definitions
- Folding or telescoping stock
- Pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action
- Thumbhole stock
- Second handgrip or protruding grip for the non-trigger hand
- Bayonet mount
- Flash suppressor, muzzle brake, muzzle compensator, or a threaded barrel designed to accept any of those devices
- Grenade launcher
One feature is enough. This is stricter than the old federal test, which required two. Possessing a rifle that meets the definition is criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.2New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 265.02 – Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree The registration window for pre-existing rifles closed in January 2014, so any Mini-14 you buy today has to be compliant from the start.
Why the Ranch Rifle Qualifies
The Ranch Rifle’s factory configuration clears every item on the list. Its hardwood or synthetic stock wraps around the action in a conventional rifle shape. Your trigger hand sits behind and below the stock in the same position as on a bolt-action hunting rifle, so there is no separately protruding pistol grip.1New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 265.00 – Definitions
The barrel ships with a smooth, unthreaded crown. Nothing can attach at the muzzle, so flash suppressors, brakes, and compensators are off the table by construction. There is no bayonet lug, no folding mechanism, no second handgrip, and no thumbhole. The one-feature test simply has nothing to catch on.
Ruger’s current Ranch Rifle catalog includes Model 5801 in 5.56 NATO and Model 5816 in .300 Blackout, among others, each shipping with five-round magazines.3Ruger. Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle Autoloading Rifle Models Those magazines sit well inside New York’s limits. When buying, confirm the model number printed on the box rather than relying on what the salesperson tells you, because Ruger sells non-compliant variants under the same Mini-14 family name.
Variants That Do Not Qualify
The Mini-14 Tactical ships with a synthetic stock that incorporates a pistol grip, and some versions add a threaded barrel. Either feature alone makes the rifle an assault weapon under state law. The Mini-14 Folder, as the name suggests, has a folding stock designed to collapse the rifle for storage or transport. That folding stock is a prohibited feature on its own.
Muzzle configurations deserve particular attention. The statute treats a threaded barrel “designed to accommodate” a flash suppressor, brake, or compensator as its own prohibited feature, even with nothing attached.1New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 265.00 – Definitions Welding a thread protector on top does not necessarily save a rifle whose barrel was designed to accept a prohibited device. This is where aftermarket muzzle work most often trips owners up.
Checking a Specific Rifle Yourself
Whether you are looking at a new Ranch Rifle at a dealer, a used Mini-14 on consignment, or a rifle a previous owner modified, run through the same short checklist against the rifle in front of you:
- Does it accept a detachable magazine? If no, the assault weapon features list does not apply. If yes, keep going.
- Is the stock fixed, non-folding, non-telescoping, and free of a thumbhole?
- Is the grip area a continuous part of the stock, without a pistol grip protruding conspicuously beneath the action?
- Is the barrel unthreaded at the muzzle, with no flash suppressor, brake, or compensator installed?
- Are there no bayonet mounts, second handgrips, or grenade launchers?
A “yes” on the first question and “yes” on all the rest is the compliant configuration. A single “no” on questions two through five converts the rifle to an assault weapon under state law.
The Fixed Magazine Option
The assault weapon definition only engages when the rifle has “the ability to accept a detachable magazine.” State guidance confirms that features like muzzle brakes and flash suppressors face no restriction on semi-automatic rifles with fixed magazines.4New York State. Resources for Gun Owners For Mini-14 owners this is mostly academic, because the platform is built around detachable box magazines and converting it would change how the rifle operates. It matters more if you are comparing the Mini-14 against other platforms where a fixed-magazine build is realistic.
Modifications That Void Compliance
Buying a compliant Ranch Rifle is the first step, not the last. The most common way owners end up with an illegal rifle is by modifying a legal one. Any of the following changes converts a compliant Ranch Rifle into an assault weapon:
- Swapping the factory stock for a pistol-grip stock, thumbhole stock, or one with a folding or telescoping mechanism
- Adding a folding stock adapter
- Threading the barrel for a muzzle device, or installing a flash suppressor, muzzle brake, or compensator
- Attaching a bayonet mount or a forward second handgrip
Check every modification against the prohibited features list before it goes on the rifle, not after. There is no meaningful difference under the statute between a rifle that shipped with a banned feature and one that acquired it in your garage.
Magazine Capacity Rules
Whichever Mini-14 you own, New York’s magazine rules apply. A “large capacity ammunition feeding device” is any magazine capable of holding more than ten rounds, and possessing one is a criminal offense.1New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 265.00 – Definitions The 20-round and 30-round Mini-14 magazines widely available elsewhere are illegal to own in the state. Stay with magazines holding ten rounds or fewer.
The SAFE Act’s original seven-round load limit was suspended, and magazines holding up to ten rounds may be loaded to their full ten-round capacity.5New York State. Changes to the SAFE Act Permanently blocked ten-round magazines built from higher-capacity bodies work for compliance so long as the block is genuinely permanent and cannot be reversed without tools or disassembly.
What You Need Before You Can Buy
Owning a compliant Mini-14 also means clearing New York’s licensing step before the purchase. Since September 4, 2022, you cannot buy any semi-automatic rifle in the state without first obtaining a semi-automatic rifle license.6Monroe County, NY. Semiautomatic Rifle Permits It is separate from a pistol permit and separate from a concealed carry license.
You apply through the licensing officer in the city or county where you live. The application requires a photograph, fingerprinting, and a background investigation, with prints forwarded to the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the FBI.7New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 400.00 – Licenses to Carry, Possess, Repair, and Dispose of Firearms There is no training requirement for this particular license.
Fees vary. Outside New York City, Nassau County, and Westchester County, the statutory license fee ranges from $3 to $10. Those three jurisdictions set their own fees, which can be substantially higher.7New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 400.00 – Licenses to Carry, Possess, Repair, and Dispose of Firearms Fingerprinting is separate and usually runs over $100. Total out-of-pocket costs often land somewhere from around $110 to over $230 by the time the license issues.
Once the license is in hand, a federally licensed dealer runs the state background check at purchase, which carries a $9 fee per firearm transaction.8New York State Senate. Senator Walczyk Introduces Bill To Repeal New Fees on Background Checks From first application to walking out with a Ranch Rifle, plan on several weeks at minimum, and sometimes months depending on your county’s backlog.