New Mini-14 FTEject

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Like the total says, I got a new Mini-14 (582 series, new in out of the box) that I'm having failures to eject with.

Fired 140 rounds today, using Ruger OEM mags, mix of PMC .223 and IMI 556 NATO ammo, and I had 8 FTEj.

Bolt is locking back on the empty mag, extraction is fine, each stoppage had the fired brass fail to clear the bolt face, causing the bolt to stop short on the return stroke when the case mouth hit the receiver. I was able to clear the stoppage by pulling the CH back and removing the fired case. When I tried to clear the case by just pulling the CH back the fired brass remained on the bolt face.

The ejector looks normal, as does the bolt.

Anything I'm missing, or just call Ruger Monday and arrange a trip to the factory?

BSW
 
That's very interesting... I have a fairly new Mini-14 that was having very similar issues. Right out of the box, with Ruger mags and good ammo, a whole slew of FTE's. I had to send mine back to Ruger, and they replaced the extractor. Now it's 100% better, but still not perfect.

If you're having the same issues I had, bad news is that it's probably the extractor, which means a trip to the factory. Good news is that Ruger service is pretty quick and painless.
 
I have heard of issues in the past with the Mini 14 and the PMC ammo seems to be a common denominator. I'm wondering if there are some QC issues with loading the PMC ammo with different powder and different amounts of powder. Both would create dependability issues with any semi auto. kwg
 
Hmmm. A common complaint with the Mini is thowing brass into the next county and folks go with a smaller gas port. I too have heard of some problems with PMC. Will it eject reliably using just NATO pressure ammo?

M
 
Have you lubricated the rifle generously?

Rifle had a visible quantity of rifle grease in the cam track, the op rod contact areas, on the contact points of the bolt, and on the hammer wear areas.

Will it eject reliably using just NATO pressure ammo?

Nope. FTEj with both the PMC .223 and IMI 556 NATO. The IMI is definitely hotter than the PMC.

I didn't count rounds between failures but the 8 stoppages happened during the whole shooting session. I had FTEj on the last 20 rounds I shot of the 140 as well as during the first mag.

BSW
 
Looks a call/trip to Ruger might be in order. They do have good customer service.

M
 
I'd just let Ruger deal with it. One of the downfalls of the Mini - sometimes only Ruger can deal with it.
 
Had this same issue with Mini few yrs back, random failures using my reloads and various commercial loads.
One day I had some of the Russian steel cased ammo and had failure every 2nd or 3rd round.
I thought there's got to be a hint here somewhere and its not lacquer or steel case mechanical properties.
After playing around with this for a while I found the culprit.
A portion of the extractor protrudes from the bottom of the bolt, and has a very sharp edge.
This edge digs right into the case shoulder of the next round in the magazine. Not as noticeable on brass
but on steel big time. It took a little filing and polishing to correct. Have not had any problems since
with brass or steel.
 
Rifle had a visible quantity of rifle grease in the cam track, the op rod contact areas, on the contact points of the bolt, and on the hammer wear areas.

Make sure your op rod channel has some lube and make sure your spring is lubed as well. I use oil and not grease. In cold conditions I think grease slows the function down. kwg
 
Sounds like the ejector tang of the bolt hold open is occationally not contacting the base of the brass to kick it off the bolt face.

Small parts are available for the mini, but since it's new in box probably best to let Ruger mess with it first. I've got a 580 series mini with extraction issues that I've been needing to send in for a year now.
 
Make sure your op rod channel has some lube and make sure your spring is lubed as well. I use oil and not grease. In cold conditions I think grease slows the function down. kwg

Op rod and channel were greased, as was the spring and guide rod. Weather was wet but in the 50s.

I was going to call Ruger yesterday but forget to write down the serial number.

BSW
 
I too had problems with PMC brass and I was shooting a Savage bolt gun in .243W. Even after running it through a full length resizer die I had trouble with that stuff. I got rid of PMC brass.
 
Called Ruger Tuesday and spent about 10 minutes on the phone (including wait time) with CS. No problems or hassles, just gave me a RMA number.

UPS is coming by today to pick it up. We'll have to see about turnaround time.

BSW
 
My mini is three months old, it is the standard wood stock ranch gun, with the new style ejector, no plunger in the bolt. I have put about 400 rounds through it with flawless performance. I am shooting Federal 55 gr ball and green tipped NATO ammo.
Maybe I am just lucky....
 
My mini is three months old, it is the standard wood stock ranch gun, with the new style ejector, no plunger in the bolt. I have put about 400 rounds through it with flawless performance. I am shooting Federal 55 gr ball and green tipped NATO ammo.
Maybe I am just lucky....

Or I'm just unlucky. What I suspect is going on is that my bolt and/or ejector is slightly smaller than average and the receiver and/or op rod slot is slightly larger than average, allowing the ejector to miss the fired case.

You can assemble things that won't work because of tolerance stacking even if all the component parts are in spec.

BSW
 
briansmithwins,

Last month, I stumbled into a great deal on a used Ranch Rifle, cal . 223, with a 2009 born on date. I took it to the range and soon discovered why it was so cheap. Using factory 20 rounds mags and factory ammo, I was experiencing FTE 5 - 7 times per magazine.

I talked with Ruger and returned it at their request. They had it less than five days and it's now in transit back to me. I'll let you know how it runs when I get my rifle to the range (probably next weekend).

I knew of the Mini's shortcomings before buying into one but the one thing I never expected was unreliability. I share your unlucky feeling and wish you a good outcome.
 
Rifle had a visible quantity of rifle grease in the cam track, the op rod contact areas, on the contact points of the bolt, and on the hammer wear areas.

Did you break it down and clean that factory grease off? That stuff is like glue and should be removed and replaced with oil. I only lightly grease area's of the bolt and inside slide assembly.
 
Did you break it down and clean that factory grease off? That stuff is like glue and should be removed and replaced with oil. I only lightly grease area's of the bolt and inside slide assembly.

The factory preservative oil was removed before I shot it.

It's in Ruger's hands now.

BSW
 
briansmithwins, Im curious. When your mini DOES work properly, how far does it toss the empties? Mine throws them a good twenty feet and to the two o'clock position. It also dings the mouth of the case where it whacks the op-rod upon ejection.
 
Im curious. When your mini DOES work properly, how far does it toss the empties?

Ejection was very erratic. Some shells were tossed to the right rear about 15-20' but some barely cleared the receiver and fell on the bench. That pattern stayed the same with both PMC and IMI ammo. Which was another reason for sending it back.

BSW
 
Ruger will take good care of you. While I have personally never had a Ruger that didnt function 100% (rifle or handgun), they are one of the best companies in the business for taking care of the occasional lemon.
 
I had chimed in earlier to report a similar FTE problem. At Ruger's request, I returned my 580-series Ranch Rifle. They had it for just five working days before turning it around. The whole process including transit time took 12 working days. Not bad.

Ruger didn't go into great detail but an invoice indicates they replaced the bolt lock and extractor and repaired the bolt and slide.

So far I'm happy with Ruger's prompt turn-around time but a range test will be telling. I should be able to get out tomorrow to see if they resolved my FTE issue.

Good luck to the OP.
 
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