The Ruger Mini-14 never gained much traction as a military rifle, but instead was adopted by police forces all over the world, including France. The Mousqueston A.M.D. rifle—a nearly 30-year-old variant of the Ruger Mini-14—stands for “carbine intermediate defense weapon” and is France's version of the Mini-14. A magazine-fed, semi-automatic rifle, it has served France through many tumultuous times. Similar to American versions of the Mini-14, the Mousqueton A.M.D. differs slightly by having a finer detailed stock, as well as the receiver markings located underneath the wood line so they were not immediately visible. Today, the collecting public in France can own the Mousqueton A.M.D., but only as an Arme Neutralisée—or deactivated weapon. For more on the Ruger Mousqueton A.M.D. Rifle, watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
Our official coverage of new products for the current year is set for next month, but we included two substantial new developments in this issue that have the potential to make significant ripples in the firearm business even before then.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law requiring public and open enrollment public charter schools to provide age-appropriate firearm safety instruction beginning during the 2025-2026 school year.
Alexandria Pro-Fab, a contract machine shop based in Minnesota, announced that it has purchased the assets of Adams Arms, along with all of the company’s intellectual property, and it plans to relaunch the company in the second quarter of 2025.
The Herstal, Belgium, firm of Anciens Etablissements Pieper was apparently expecting big things when, in 1908, it named its new semi-automatic pocket pistol “Bayard.”
This latest update to Benelli’s pump-action shotgun gives users a few upgrades over previous generations, making the new NOVA 3 the most exciting pump-gun yet to come from the Italian maker.