Mini 14 repair snapshot ind. reveiw

[Izzi115]

Hey guys,

So a little while ago my mini 14 started failing to feed and extract randomly which was very odd for such a rugged and reportedly reliable firearm. After a field strip I noticed the bottom of the bolt and ground away and was now exposing the firing pin threw the steel, a big problem. After a little bit of research i found out that Ruger is aware of this rare manufacturer defect and will repair them for free. With the help of another CGN'er I located Snapshot ind. in Quebec, which operates as Ruger's Canadian repair station and I shipped them the rifle for repair. I'll start with the positives and then go from there. positive #1 The rifle is back in my hands with a new bolt and appears (I haven't shot it yet) to have the head spacing problem fixed. #2 ... that's all I've got. Unfortunately I can't say I'm very impressed, I sent the rifle about six months ago and just received it now, and only because I called Ruger in the states and asked them to get on snapshot and expedite the process (which they did, thank you Ruger). I would also mention that communication was nill at best, I had to call for updates which were not really given ("we have no idea when it'll be ready"), and the representatives there spoke barely passable English (they spoke french).

I guess in the end it's fixed and it was free so that counts for something but I really did expect a more timely turn around or more information like a general timeline.

-Izzi

 

[Rugerman]

This is not unusual for Snapshot unfortunately. I sent a brand new Ruger Red Label to them because the top barrel wouldn't always eject a fired case. They had it for at least 6 months. They said that they had to send it to Ruger because they couldn't fix it. Contacted Ruger and they knew nothing about it. Finally after another letter to Ruger Snapshot repaired it and returned it to me. They weren't very nice about it. Acted like it was my fault the gun had issues. They didn't like the fact I had contacted Ruger.

I also sent them my Ruger MkII for repairs around the same time. The trigger wouldn't always reset. No alterations had been done to it. It was a stock setup and should be warranty. They said that the gun was dirty (cleaned it before I sent it in). They said it was very dirty nevertheless and that was the problem. Got it back and guess what? Trigger still doesn't reset every time. Not impressed.

 

[NoTarget]

I have a Ruger Mini-14 that been causing me problems. Failure to extract, failure to eject and so on. Sent it to them last fall and they claim they fixed it. Needless to say it still doesn't work properly. I took it to the range and I have failures on 1-in-4 rounds fired. I took pictures to document the issue and sent them to Ruger. I've been told that the problem I am having is related to the low quality ammunition I am using (Norinco, MFS) is not SAAMI certified. I responded that I didn't buy the Mini-14 to shoot match ammo , I bought it for its reputation as a rugged and reliable firearm.

I've now purchased a box of American Eagle, Hornady, Remington and Federal ammunition to fire in the rifle to see if they are correct of if my rifle is actually malfunctioning. Not too impressed with the rifle or Snapshots so far.

Other than that I've had no problems with communication as their English is pretty good IMO. Also, I had my rifle back in one month the first time I sent it to them so I was happy with the turnaround but they could have kept it longer if they would have actually fixed my problem.

 

[Sharps '63]

I bought an 'as new' series 187-###X Mini 14 from a CdnGunNut. It gave occasional failures to eject and re-chamber regardless of which Ruger magazine was used. This was with American Eagle ammo.
I bought some Chinese brass case ammo and had the same problem, along with a dud round. Back to the work bench .....

When I first got the rifle and stripped it, I noticed that the gas piston was corroded. I replaced it with a new SS piston from Brownells. It is .005" larger in diameter and has a gas escape hole that accepts a 1/8" drill bit. The old piston will not. The gas port in the barrel and the bushing were in great condition and not corroded.

In theory, this ought to deliver more gas to the op rod. I'll find out today with a function test with both ammo types.

According to the 'sperts on the net, the Mini 14 is "over gassed" if anything, famous for it's 'slam -dunk' action flinging brass violently, the solution being a custom piston with reduced diameter escape hole. You can't prove that by my rifle or anyone else's who's having this problem.

 

[Sharps '63]

Just got back from a test function of my Mini 14 after installing the new gas port .....

I used 6 Ruger mags - three 5 rd and three 20/5 mags, 5 rds per mag. Ammo was Chinese brass case. After the last rd from the first mag, the action failed to lock back. I immediately reloaded that mag and shot it to lock back just fine.
I fired 35 rds of Chinese ammo before function testing with 10 rds of American Eagle - again, no malfunctions or failures to lock back on the last rd.

Ejection with both was positive, indicating that the new gas piston was the cure for the problem. I recommend that anyone with an unreliable Mini 14 buy one of the Ruger SS gas pistons from Brownells for $6.90. If you can do your own machining, it doesn't look like it would be difficult to make. Note the dimensional differences I mentioned earlier.

Accuracy wise, the Chinese ammo gave me a 3 rd 1-1/2" group at 50 yds from the sitting position. At 100 yds, again sitting, it printed a 5 rd group in 2-3/4". The scope is a 1.75 - 5 X Bushnell, set on the lowest power.
I did not fire the AE ammo for accuracy as I didn't want to muck with the "0" of the rifle with the Chinese ammo. I know that it shoots 5" higher at 100yds than the Chinese ammo.

Those numbers don't sound impressive to anyone other than a Mini 14 shooter and represent a quantum improvement over the normal accuracy potential of the type with run-of-the-mill factory ammo. I attribute this to the new gas piston, the Choate flash hider and mostly to the SOCOM Accu-Strut barrel stabilizer.