June 27, 2007, 12:36 PM | #1 |
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Mini 14 failure to feed
I bought a used Mini 14 and, with the first trip to the range, I was experiencing failures to feed on about every third round. The round would jam at an angle on its way into the chamber denting the shoulder of the cartridge case. The rifle came with a Ruger 5 round magazine and a 30 round aftermarket magazine that I can't identify. My first thought was bad magazines (it happened with both of them) but thought I'd throw it out here to see if anyone had experienced the same problem and if anybody knows a fix. Also, are Mini 14's "ammo specific"? I was using Wolf and Remington UMC rounds and they both jammed.
Thanks for any help that's available. |
June 27, 2007, 12:45 PM | #2 |
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Clean and Lube the rifle and buy a new Ruger mag load it with good ammo and try again . if that fails you can send it back to ruger and they will fix it for free or very little money. while I a'm no fan of Ruger or the mini they do have good customer service and will fix your problem . I have had 3 mini's over the years and never had a jam problem with any of them ,but the accuracy was an issue with all of them ,the first 3 shots were not too bad but after that when the rifle heated up the groups opened way up and were all over the place .
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June 27, 2007, 02:07 PM | #3 |
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Buster51, thanks for the reply. I had an idea it might be a magazine issue. I also wondered if the chamber might be full of crud. I did clean and lube the rifle prior to that trip to the range. I've not found a good way to really scrub out the chamber. I've got a Remington 742 that came with an offset chamber brush but haven't seen anything like that for a .223 aside from the chamber/bore brush combo. Hard to get to from the chamber side.
Appreciate your response! |
June 27, 2007, 03:57 PM | #4 | |
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Quote:
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June 27, 2007, 10:50 PM | #5 |
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I would agree with the posts, I have had 3 Mini 14's and I never had a problem with failure to feed or fire. Cheap Mags sometimes are the culprit too. The mini is basically a bulletproof gun. It will work under some nasty conditions, the only problem I ever had was its incredably lousy accuracy. I have 22 rim fires more accurate which is a shame considering the price of a mini.
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June 28, 2007, 10:43 AM | #6 |
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Okay, thanks to all for the input. I'm off to find a new Ruger magazine. They don't offer the hi cap mags anymore, do they?
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June 28, 2007, 11:10 AM | #7 |
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If the round is coming from the magazine at too much of an upward angle, the feed lips are spread. Needle-nose pliers are your friend. Bend the lips in a little bit and try; if need be, just keep on messing with the lips...
Works on pistol magazines, also. Art |
June 28, 2007, 11:44 AM | #8 |
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Art, thanks for the tip. I'll give the lip bending a try. Just joined yesterday and already I've got a ton of info. Shoulda done this years ago.
Thanks to all!! |
June 28, 2007, 05:15 PM | #9 |
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Luckly I found a pawn shop that didn't know the mag they had was a Ruger 20 rounder. $10 bucks. Yep I snaped that one up. Another one later had one for $19.95 and it's mine to now!
I can say the only after market one's I've found that work real well are Madson 10 rounders. They do work and work fine. The Ruger factories work perfect to. My older (mint condition) Thermold 30s sleep now. I really don't even use them as they kind of stick out to far for my liking. They work do but Thermold is out of business.
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January 27, 2016, 03:00 PM | #10 |
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New question
Hi everyone, I know this is an old thread but I have essentially the same problem. I'm new to the forum world. I have an older mini 14 (185 series) that consistently fails to feed. I have tried different magazines, all Ruger, different ammunition, and a full factory recommended cleaning. None of these efforts have made any noticeable difference. Any suggestions?
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January 27, 2016, 04:41 PM | #11 |
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My Mini-14's biggest asset has been stone-cold reliability. It seems as though you've tried about everything practical, nicksteel, so I think you're at the point where you need to send your rifle back to Ruger for a factory assessment/fix. I think they'll treat you right.
And welcome to The Firing Line!
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January 27, 2016, 08:39 PM | #12 |
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I bet its a Mag issue
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January 27, 2016, 08:44 PM | #13 |
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I did the same thing!
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January 28, 2016, 10:57 AM | #14 |
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Ah, necro-threads!
nicksteel, if the bolt is skating above the round in the mag, that could be a screwup in the build of the rifle, with the mag latch not high enough for the mag to be fully inserted so that the bolt can engage the base of the cartridge. Does the problem exist when you cycle slowly by hand? |
January 30, 2016, 04:25 PM | #15 |
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I have never seen a feed problem with a Mini, that was not magazine related.
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January 30, 2016, 07:15 PM | #16 |
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Get a Ruger factory new magazine. Take yours down to a store or see if someone has a reliable magazine you can compare with yours. Check the lips against your older magazines.
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January 31, 2016, 06:49 PM | #17 |
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No one has mentioned ammo...Improperly resized cases can cause this type of chambering issue. also bullets with lead soft points can slow the function down enough to cause chambering issues, or jams.
If you are shooting factory ammo, It`s probably just as everyone else has said...the magazine. |
February 1, 2016, 09:36 AM | #18 |
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The mini-14 is generally very reliable with Ruger magazines. The Ruger magazines use a harder steel than just about all of the aftermarket magazines I've ever used.
If you are using used magazines, there are several things that could have happened to cause them not to lock-up properly. The metal where the hole is on the front of the mag could be bent or distorted causing the magazine not to be in the proper position. The feed lips on after-market magazines tend to bend/bow outward which also causes problems. I would also check your bolt-face to make sure there are no burrs or rough spots that could be causing problems. |
February 1, 2016, 03:05 PM | #19 |
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nick steel said that he has already tried using "...different magazines, all Ruger, different ammunition and a full factory recommended cleaning..."; which is why I suggested it might be time for him to return the rifle to the factory for an evaluation and adjustment. What with Ruger's superb reputation for good customer service, sometimes it's just not worth the time and effort to fix a problem that can be easily rectified by the factory at no or minimum cost.
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