Mini 14 missfires

[351 WINCHESTER]

I have a Mini 14 that will misfire (light primer strike) about every 10 rounds or so. The rifle was sent back to Ruger decades ago to improve the accuracy which they did.

I have cleaned the chamber, barrel & trigger group to no effect. It acts like it's not going fully into battery, preventing the firing pin to set off the primer. It does leave a small dimple on the primer though. I have tried different ammo just for the heck of it, but I'm pretty sure the out of battery is correct. When this happens I pull the bolt, ejecting the unfired round & chamber another & it's good for another 10 rounds or so.

 

[LoonWulf]

factory or handloads? if factory, one specific brand or a mix?

 

[skeeterfogger]

I got a rem 742 at extremely good price. Took it out and was lucky to get 4 out 10 to fire.
Took the bolt out and submerged it in nitrosol overnight. Used compressed air to blow it out then a few drops of light oil and it fires every time now.

 

[1KPerDay]

Is the recoil spring fresh? Is the bolt clean? Is the rifle clean and lubed? Is the ammo domestic or foreign/steel? Are you using factory mags? If the bolt isn't closing completely it might cause this problem.

 

[#1buck]

I'd try a new hammer and recoil spring. Clean that bolt goid though.

 

[dh1633pm]

Non an uncommon problem with the Mini. Especially with military ammo. The primers sit a little lower and can be the cause of the light strike. Mine had a problem just like yours. I sent my bolt to Accuracy Systems and had another firing pin fitted. That resolved my problem. I could have sent to Ruger, but didn't want to send the whole rifle back and then have it modified back to factory stock. Not saying this is the issue, but it was mine. Perfect Union has a very active Mini forum. They helped me figure out mine.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

Is the recoil spring fresh? Is the bolt clean? Is the rifle clean and lubed? Is the ammo domestic or foreign/steel? Are you using factory mags? If the bolt isn't closing completely it might cause this problem.

Recoil spring is original, the bolt is not clean, the rifle is reasonably clean & well lubed, ammo does not matter as I have tried many types. I've been leaning towards the bolt not closing all the way. BTW I don't remember if the mag is factory or aftermarket. I sent an original 20 round to Ruger as it was jamming & they kept it & sent me a 10 round mag. instead. I called & I was told that was their policy under Bill Ruger. That was 30 years ago or more & have not bought another Ruger.

Is the recoil spring fresh? Is the bolt clean? Is the rifle clean and lubed? Is the ammo domestic or foreign/steel? Are you using factory mags? If the bolt isn't closing completely it might cause this problem.

All parts are original. The gun is clean with the exception of the bolt. Ammo was a mix, but most were US 5.56 NATO spec. I will have to check the mag. Back in the day I had a Ruger 20 round mag. that was "problematic" so I sent it back to Ruger & they sent me 2 10 round mags. When I called to complain I was told that was their policy. That was the last Ruger I ever bought.

 

[1KPerDay]

Try stripping the bolt or at least soaking in kerosene and blowing it out. Firing pin might be gunked up or broken. And a fresh recoil spring can't hurt. Factory 20 and 30 round mags are now readily available. Bill is dead and times have changed. Use good ammo with factory mags to eliminate that variable.

 

[Slamfire]

Recoil spring is original, the bolt is not clean, the rifle is reasonably clean & well lubed, ammo does not matter as I have tried many types. I've been leaning towards the bolt not closing all the way. BTW I don't remember if the mag is factory or aftermarket. I sent an original 20 round to Ruger as it was jamming & they kept it & sent me a 10 round mag. instead. I called & I was told that was their policy under Bill Ruger. That was 30 years ago or more & have not bought another Ruger.

All parts are original. The gun is clean with the exception of the bolt. Ammo was a mix, but most were US 5.56 NATO spec. I will have to check the mag. Back in the day I had a Ruger 20 round mag. that was "problematic" so I sent it back to Ruger & they sent me 2 10 round mags. When I called to complain I was told that was their policy. That was the last Ruger I ever bought.

Push the firing pin forward in the bolt and measure the firing pin protrusion. Tell us what it is.

I think you have the same problem dh1633ph had. His post might be very helpful.

 

[dh1633pm]

I think you will get a better idea if you do the measurement. Mine was funny because when I first got it and had the problem, I removed the trigger group and there was fuzz, lint or whatever under the hammer. Thought that was the problem, but turned out it wasn't. I have a Mini 30 and a Mini 6.8. I think they are a nice light handy carbine, especially for those that live in the land of goof balls who hate things with ergonomic grips. Mine misfired with a lot of types of ammo. But was repeated best with wolf.

 

[kwg020]

Push the firing pin forward in the bolt and measure the firing pin protrusion. Tell us what it is.

I think you have the same problem dh1633ph had. His post might be very helpful.

This. My bet is the firing pin protrusion is the problem. It's too short. As for the magazines, the 10 rounders are the hard ones to find and they are expensive. It appears Bill Ruger made a deal with the Clintoon administration to limit magazine capacity and they would keep the Mini 14 off of the Assault weapons banned list. You couldn't get factory 20 round magazines for years unless you were Law Enforcement. That is also why we saw no improvements or changes in the Mini for so many years. After the ban expired the Mini got the improved barrel and some other minor design changes.
kwg

 

[carbine85]

The recoil springs get weak and can cause this.
I've worn out 2 in the Mini 14. You would surprised at the difference between new and old.
One rifle is a 183 series and the other I can't remember. The old 183 series probably has over 10K rounds through it.
Old rifles and pistols need the springs replaced once in a while.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

It's time to send it back to Ruger & let them go thru the entire gun. Hopefully they will fix it on their dime, but time will tell.

 

[Speedo66]

If you’re shooting Russian steel I’ve read the firing pin on some guns will be short. An aftermarket pin designed for this will correct it.

 

[cheygriz]

I'll bet that if you measure the firing pin protrusion with a depth it will be short. .020 or so.

Ruger will not sell you a firing pin, but insists on factory fitting to keep it short. Get a custom pin that protrudes .030 and your problem will go away.

I had the same problem with two minis.

 

[Riomouse911]

I had light strikes on steel cased ammo in the mini 14 and mini 30 I own. A swap to the Wolff high power mainspring in each gun was all it took to fix them both, now they’re firing 100% ( so far).

Check the pin and cleanliness of the bolt first though, that sounds like it’s more your issue.

Stay safe.

 

[Alaskan Ironworker]

+1 for the wolff hammer spring, my mini-30 did the exact same thing, wolff spring completely fixed it. Theres a good you tube video on easy installation.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Might check the recesses in the receiver that the bolt locks into as well, if gooed up it could keep it from going into battery.