Apparently, it IS possible to put a Mini-14 back together wrong...

...and still have it operate, somewhat, almost.

When I got my used-but-new-to-me Mini-14 Ranch home the other day, I decided it needed to be field stripped, cleaned & lubed before firing, like I do with all new-to-me guns, whether new or used. I had watched a few YouTube videos about disassembly, cleaning & lubrication, and reassembly. Really, it's a very simple weapon to maintain, even an idiot could do it.

Apparently, I'm not as smart as an idiot.

When I first got the thing back together I noticed the op rod wasn't operating very smoothly. It seemed loose on the bolt "roller" and would seem to stick a bit. Then after cycling it a few times, it became stuck forward. I didn't want to force it, so I decided to disassemble it again to see what I did wrong. Before I did that, however, I suddenly noticed the bolt was still open and to the rear; the op rod had become disengaged from the bolt! WTH? I asked myself. I was sure I had the rod engaged properly in the track, and I tested the operation, but apparently it became disengaged before I got everything back together.

So, I disassembled it, re-lubed, and reassembled, making sure the rod remained engaged and in the track properly. Now it's smooth as butter. But man, I was afraid I either broke it or bought a defective gun. I was quite relieved to learn it was just my own stupidity. Now I know to be more careful and check things.

Eager to bring this thing to the range and see if I can find the target.

flashhole said:

Good on you for getting it right. What flavor is your Mini? Mine is a 183 series Stainless with a Synthetic stock and I bought it over an AR-15 style rifle and have no remorse. Fun gun to shoot and it looks like a regular rifle, not an evil black thing that sends chills up the liberals spines.. My teenage daughter took to it like a duck takes to water. She hit the 8" gong set at 150 yards off hand, open sights 20 out of 20 shots. She immediately claimed the gun as hers. I put a scope on mine for load development. Then I went to a red dot. Now I'm back to the factory sights. I put a Harris mount on the forestock so I can use it with a bi-pod. That was a nice addition.

How did yours do at the range?

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Mine is a 584- series, blued with wood stock so the Lefties think it's a run-of-the-mill "hunting rifle." Haven't had the chance to bring it to the range yet, been working too hard. :/

I brought the Mini to the range with the teenager over Father's Day weekend and let him put the first few rounds of .223 through it. Shoots like a champ, our initial 50 yard groups were 2-3" without trying. Not bad for a couple of greenhorns and iron sights. We shot both Federal AE .223 and Hornady Frontier 5.56 and it functioned flawlessly. I'm glad we had the screen up though, it has a very strong ejection and would have send the cases two or three bays over.

Field stripping and cleaning is a breeze too. This is just a really fun rifle.