mini 14 cracked bolt

I

Izzi115

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Hey guys,

I need some advice here. I run a 581 series mini 14 and just past the 2000 round mark without cleaning when it started to hiccup on me. When I went to pull it all apart I noticed I could see the firing pin through what appears to be a 2mm long wear mark (like somethings been grinding the metal down) just before the bolt hold open latch. Needless to say it's a little concerning for such a rifle known for it's reliability.

When I reassembled the rifle there's also a grinding sound as the bolt locks up on it's way forward, though it doesn't happen when I dis-assemble it and run the bolt out of the stock. Something wrong with the trigger group perhaps?

Any advice is appreciated (including a store that sells replacement mini-14 parts) cause it looks like my favorite rifle has to go into the shop soon otherwise.


Izzi
 
Don't think you will find off the shelf parts for a Mini 14 .
I believe the bolts have to be fitted to the individual gun.
Real question is why 2000 rnds with out cleaning ? :confused:
I'll make a note not to purchase any used firearm from you should you post any in the EE :rolleyes:
 
Hmmm! Sounds like you need to look at how you breakin a new firearm. I can't comment on what may be wrong with it as I'm not familiar with the mini but I would have field stripped, cleaned and lubed it before first shooting and several more times during the first several hundred rounds at least. You can usually see any abnormal wear starting when you do this.

Hope you can get it working right!
 
Nearly all Ruger's have to go back to them for repairs. They do not sell most of the parts to any one.
Clean it before you do anything. No firearm is reliable if it's not kept clean. The grinding sounds are very likely to be the crud you didn't bother cleaning out. All new firearms come coated in preservatives. If you didn't clean 'em out before shooting that 2,000 rounds, normal dust and crud will be in there wearing out the parts.
What is your subject line about? If the bolt is cracked stop shooting the rifle immediately, it's unsafe. A cracked bolt, if there actually is one, will require a trip to Ruger to be replaced. Where you are makes a bit of a difference as there are 4 Ruger distributors in Canada.
Go here. http://ruger.com/service/international.html
 
#1bcshooter said:
Don't think you will find off the shelf parts for a Mini 14 .
I believe the bolts have to be fitted to the individual gun.
Real question is why 2000 rnds with out cleaning ? :confused:
I'll make a note not to purchase any used firearm from you should you post any in the EE :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I wanted to test the gun that's renowned for reliability, I am well aware that many shooters like to keep a tight cleaning schedule every 100 rounds of their favorite hand loads and to only use nice language around the gun so as to not hurt it's feelings. But reliability, durability and ruggedness are the features I like to see in my guns. I know full and well that running my rifle to it's limits will deteriorate the value. But if it isn't a workhorse it's simply not for me.

crashcollins said:
Hmmm! Sounds like you need to look at how you breakin a new firearm. I can't comment on what may be wrong with it as I'm not familiar with the mini but I would have field stripped, cleaned and lubed it before first shooting and several more times during the first several hundred rounds at least. You can usually see any abnormal wear starting when you do this.

Hope you can get it working right!
Click to expand...

Appreciated, I was the third owner and it had already had many rounds threw it when I bought it and I did a full tear down the first thing. Though I can see the advantage to seeing the abnormal wear before torture testing the rifle.
 
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sunray said:
Nearly all Ruger's have to go back to them for repairs. They do not sell most of the parts to any one.
Clean it before you do anything. No firearm is reliable if it's not kept clean. The grinding sounds are very likely to be the crud you didn't bother cleaning out. All new firearms come coated in preservatives. If you didn't clean 'em out before shooting that 2,000 rounds, normal dust and crud will be in there wearing out the parts.
What is your subject line about? If the bolt is cracked stop shooting the rifle immediately, it's unsafe. A cracked bolt, if there actually is one, will require a trip to Ruger to be replaced. Where you are makes a bit of a difference as there are 4 Ruger distributors in Canada.
Go here. http://ruger.com/service/international.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, that's probably better than having a non-ruger gunsmith look at it.
I did mention this in the post just before this cause someone else made the same comment but the gun was not new when I purchased it and I did do a full strip and clean the before shooting my 2k rounds. Oh, and I figured out the grinding, I simply hadn't lubed up the hammer spring in the trigger assembly enough. She's cycling the action fine now but I'm certainly hesistant to fire any ammuntion without getting that bolt looked at. Thanks for the help

TDC said:
What a solid design and craftsmanship. The mini series are clearly top shelf rifles. :rolleyes:

Tdc
Click to expand...

Agreed
 
Izzi115 said:
Appreciated, I was the third owner and it had already had many rounds threw it when I bought it and I did a full tear down the first thing. Though I can see the advantage to seeing the abnormal wear before torture testing the rifle.
Click to expand...


Ah OK! That is a little unexpected then. Any well broke in gun should do better then that. Do you think there might have been a problem with it when you first got it? I can't see a problem like that developing in a few thousand rounds in a reliable well built rifle platform.
 
There isn't a product on the market, gun or otherwise, that doesn't occasionally have a lemon slip through and end up in a consumer's hands. Compare the number of Minis that have been produced with the number of threads relating problems, and you have to come to the conclusion that they are extremely reliable. My own experience with several of them over the years reinforces that idea to me. Obviously, if you are one of the very few unlucky owners of a bad one, your ideas will be different.

You want problems? Go to any one of the countless threads listing the common ailments suffered by Norc 305/M14s rifles. They have so many different things wrong them that people sound surprised when they get one that has the sights lined up straight and that goes "bang" every time. "Don't buy one...BUY TWO...you'll need the parts!" And yet the owners apparently love them...or claim to...

TDC, you need to widen your horizons. A man of your talent should be able to find many worthwhile targets for your scorn...you shouldn't limit yourself to Minis, bullpups, and Bushnells.

By the way, I've had at least 6 Minis over the years, and have never experienced a single malfunction with any of them. At least two had 5000-8000 rounds through them with nothing other than the most basic maintenance and cleaning...no problems. I've also had three of the vaunted Swiss Arms rifles, one of which (from new) was very finicky about feeding and ejecting and took a long time to sort out. Based on that...they must be crap!
 
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crashcollins said:
Ah OK! That is a little unexpected then. Any well broke in gun should do better then that. Do you think there might have been a problem with it when you first got it? I can't see a problem like that developing in a few thousand rounds in a reliable well built rifle platform.
Click to expand...

It's possible, I honestly don't remember but I'll keep a sharper eye in the future.

jjohnwm said:
There isn't a product on the market, gun or otherwise, that doesn't occasionally have a lemon slip through and end up in a consumer's hands. Compare the number of Minis that have been produced with the number of threads relating problems, and you have to come to the conclusion that they are extremely reliable. My own experience with several of them over the years reinforces that idea to me. Obviously, if you are one of the very few unlucky owners of a bad one, your ideas will be different.
Click to expand...

I agree, just really took me off guard. So that everyone who owns or is considering purchasing a mini is aware, I've done a considerable amount of research on this particular issue and came up with some info that may be useful. I don't think "crack" was the right term to use now that I fully understand what happened; it is a wear mark due to friction within the receiver.

While this issue is uncommon it is by no means unknown to Ruger as they have been improving their design for years. This damage has been known to happen anywhere after 2000 rounds (though I would emphasize that this is a rare occurrence) and Ruger will replace the bolt providing the rifle is still in warranty. Now, while I wasn't able to find a written version of their warranty, a representative for the company that handles Ruger's service requests in Canada (contact information below) informed me that their primary concern is firearms that have been altered outside manufacturer specifications (i.e. heavy barrel installation or the angle grinder gunsmith trigger job) in which case they will still service your rifle but you will pay the bill. Secondly, you will as I understand host the cost of shipping your rifle to Quebec for the servicing, as they do require the whole rifle so they can fit the bolt properly. I'll keep this post active and report my service experience with the company I'm sending the rifle to.

All that said, the mini 14 is still my favorite semi-auto rifle. If I were to buy another mid/upper priced gun it would probably be another mini 14.
I hope this information helps anybody with the same problem.


-Izzi

CANADIAN REPAIR STATION
650 Rang Roy
Sainte Martine, Quebec J0S 1V0
CANADA
Email: snapshots@videotron.ca
Tel. # 450-427-0052
Fax # 450-427-0498
 
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