Mini 14 slide binds up

[Pawpawc]

Bp, face of bolt is not flattened or bulged, checked it first thing. I am going to take gun apart today so I will be able to determine then if any bent rods or anything.

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[Southpaw]

The problem is it is a Mini 14.
Poor bastardization of a great rifle.
You want an easy way to double the value of a Mini 14?- insert a loaded magazine in it.

Does the bolt cycle smoothly with the operating rod removed? If so something in the operating rod chain of things is amiss. Bent rod, alignment etc.
If not I would be looking real hard at the condition of the locking lugs of the receiver and bolt. If peened it may have a high round count or a bunch of hot rounds run down it.
Don't shoot 5.56 out of a Mini!
Is the nose of the bolt intact or does it appear bulged/damaged? If bulged it may have suffered a case head blow out.
Clean and degrease the rifle well. Take Dykem or Magic Marker and coat all contact surfaces, cycle the action a few times by hand and check your contact patterns.

Ruger doesn't say not to use 5.56 ammo for any of it's models except the Target model.

 

[bmnloader]

It sounds to me that the op-rod is making the bolt get in a bind. I've never seen it before but it could happen. I'd break it down and do some minor stoning just to deburr everything, it sure helped mine.

 

[40Arpent]

Problem is I cant sell it like it is.

With full disclosure, yes you can. How much do you want for it?

 

[Texasjack]

The mini is specifically designed to handle 5.56. The owners manuals are available online and will show that.

 

[Pawpawc]

40, you are correct, with full disclosure I could sell it. At this time I am going to try to fix it before I give up. It is in too good condition to dump right now. Its already paid for so it doesnt cost anything to sit in the safe.

Thanks though

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[bptactical]

I have not noticed a barrel marked 5.56.
Not that I was looking anyway.
I try not to look at Mini 14's unless paid to.

 

[General Zod]

I have not noticed a barrel marked 5.56.
Not that I was looking anyway.
I try not to look at Mini 14's unless paid to.

Then why are you in this thread? Just to take pot shots at a rifle you personally don't care for, and provide bad information? The barrel is not marked "5.56", it's marked ".223" unless it's a target model - they're marked ".223 WIN". The owner's manual explains that the ones simply marked ".223" are good to go for either .223 Win or 5.56. All it takes is a few seconds to learn this rather than spreading false information.

 

[Hoji]

I have not noticed a barrel marked 5.56.
Not that I was looking anyway.
I try not to look at Mini 14's unless paid to.

Go piss somewhere else other than this thread. To paraphrase an old saying, it is better to keep your mouth closed and have the world think you a fool, than to open it and let them know it for sure.

 

[Kyle]

I have not noticed a barrel marked 5.56.
Not that I was looking anyway.
I try not to look at Mini 14's unless paid to.

Douche. Any particular reason you felt the need to chime in with your uninvited arrogance?

 

[TXARGUY]

I have not noticed a barrel marked 5.56.
Not that I was looking anyway.
I try not to look at Mini 14's unless paid to.

Still making friends I see. If your name and avatar really is your brand you are definitely not doing yourself any favors here.

 

[Kyle]

Bp, face of bolt is not flattened or bulged, checked it first thing. I am going to take gun apart today so I will be able to determine then if any bent rods or anything.

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Where are you located pawpawc? If you're around the SA area, I'd be happy to give you a hand.

 

[Pawpawc]

I appreciate all the info from the serious guys trying to help. Kyle, thanks for the offer but I am in DFW area. I am pretty savvy on mechanical stuff so it shouldn't be a problem breaking it down. I was hoping someone had experienced this issue before and had the fix.

I have never disassembled this gun before. I have found an owners manual and video on how to disassemble the gun. Problem is I had shoulder surgery Friday and was hoping to work on it this week. Looks like I am going to start tomorrow.

I will post up pics and anything I find out of the ordinary.

Once again, THANKS for all of your input and suggestions .

 

[Hoji]

Pawpaw, if you decide to sell it as is, send me a pm. I am looking for a mini 14 project gun.

 

[Pawpawc]

Hoji, I will keep that in mind. Hopefully it is an easy fix.

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[Kyle]

I appreciate all the info from the serious guys trying to help. Kyle, thanks for the offer but I am in DFW area. I am pretty savvy on mechanical stuff so it shouldn't be a problem breaking it down. I was hoping someone had experienced this issue before and had the fix.

I have never disassembled this gun before. I have found an owners manual and video on how to disassemble the gun. Problem is I had shoulder surgery Friday and was hoping to work on it this week. Looks like I am going to start tomorrow.

I will post up pics and anything I find out of the ordinary.

Once again, THANKS for all of your input and suggestions .

The only time I've had any sort of binding issues has been because the operating rod was out of place. When I first got my mini 14 the gas pipe came out and Jammed everything up. I couldn't move anything. The guy forgot to put the gas bushing back into the gas block which locks the pipe in place. Odds are, once you get it apart, the problem will stand out. I love minis. They are just plain ole fun to shoot.

 

[General Zod]

When I first got my Mini the first thing I did was take it apart - I field stripped it and removed the bolt. Easy as pie - no screws, just the tension provided by the trigger guard snapping into place. I cleaned the whole thing and had it back together in a few minutes. It's easier than field stripping a 1911.

I'd offer to try to help if I was more of an expert in the inner workings of the rifle. Unfortunately, diagnosing a malfunction that's not bleedingly obvious exceeds my "expertise".

 

[Texan-in-Training]

Maybe you've seen these from Ruger...
Ruger Mini-14 Disassembly - YouTube
Ruger Mini-14 Cleaning - YouTube
Ruger Mini-14 Reassembly - YouTube

 

[Pawpawc]

Texan in training. I had not seen those videos. That is going to make life much easier. I am tearing down this afternoon after I get back from local gun show today.

Thank you for the videos.
I will take pictures and post uo my findings

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[Texan-in-Training]

Thank you for the videos.

You're welcome. Hopefully they help you to find the source of the problem.