Mini 14 chambering issue

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BigBlue 94

BigBlue 94

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So ive got a factory mini 14 from 20+ years ago. I can get the series if needed

The issue is when the bolt picks a round up out of the mag, or upon single loading, the round doesnt seat on the bolt face. It sits resting against the extractor instead. And thus it wont fire. If I manually insert the round behind the extractor, it does fire, but the next round from the mag has the same issue.

Any ideas on the issue? The gun has only had very light use through its life.

I have a firing pin (just in case) and an extractor spring coming today.
 
My first thought is a binding extractor plunger. Does the extractor move freely against the spring when you push on it?

If not, you may have rust buildup behind the plunger, or an out of round plunger hole, or a bent plunger. I would also remove the spring and plunger and make sure the extractor pivots smoothly back and forth on its shaft.

If it seems to move freely, I guess my next suspicion would be an out-of-spec extractor, and hopefully the problem goes away when its replaced.
 
The extractor seems to be hard to move, unless leveraged with a casing.

But I am on the right track it seems. Midway may have had a plunger, ill have to check. But i dont recall them having the extractor itself. Might have to check brownells or elsewhere.

Its kept in a safe with a dehumidifier and never been wet. But the humidity here in KS is a killer. Ill dig into it and report back
 
BigBlue 94 said:
The extractor seems to be hard to move, unless leveraged with a casing.

But I am on the right track it seems. Midway may have had a plunger, ill have to check. But i dont recall them having the extractor itself. Might have to check brownells or elsewhere.

Its kept in a safe with a dehumidifier and never been wet. But the humidity here in KS is a killer. Ill dig into it and report back
Click to expand...
Maybe call Ruger direct? Not sure about them, but some manufacturers will sell parts over the phone with a credit card.
 
@BigBlue 94 are you letting the bolt fly forward? If so, the extractor should snap over the rim, push-feed style. If it's not, it's probably an extractor issue, bound/jambed/misshapen.

Do you know if it's ever worked? That would help.

And ditto on Ruger support. . . I can't recall if I've ever paid for a part, of the dozen I've ordered.
 
Yes, I have successfully fired it many times over the years. Steel and brass cases. Both a ruger 5 rd factory mag and a couple 20rd mags that I am unsure of make at the moment. I just bought a couple metal promag mags for it so i had another semi auto with multiple mags, with this world we live in... So needless to say, I want to get it running again.

I need to pull the front sight off too and remove the stupid "barrel heat shroud" that you could buy from cabelas 15 years ago. I marred up the sight a good bit and the barrel a tad, being a teenager when I inherited it and installed the 'tacticool' heat shroud. Nothing a file and some touch up wont fix. Not sure when my grandpa bought it but I remember it from 20 years ago.

All I know is i just went to shoot it one day and it didnt work.
 
edwardware said:
@BigBlue 94 are you letting the bolt fly forward? If so, the extractor should snap over the rim, push-feed style. If it's not, it's probably an extractor issue, bound/jambed/misshapen.

Do you know if it's ever worked? That would help.

And ditto on Ruger support. . . I can't recall if I've ever paid for a part, of the dozen I've ordered.
Click to expand...

Oh and yeah i let it fling forward under full spring pressure. Even tried lightly pushing once the bolt had closed but no dice.
 
If worst comes to worst and you don't find an simple solution to this,call Ruger and they will send a shipping label. That is what they did for me when I had a problem with one of their rifles. The only problem for me was finding the right size box. .....The company has great CS and stands behind their products.
 
Scooter22 said:
If you fired steel case ammo some of it may have been corrosive primed. Your extractor may be froze up with corrosion stopping it from snapping over the rim. Try a good penatrant like Kroil or Liquid Wrench on it and see if it frees up.
Click to expand...

It was only black box Wolf brand steel case. But you cant always trust what them Ruskies write on a box!
 
Mini 14 extractors are stiff by nature. They are also a bugger to reassemble unless you have good dexterity, hand strength and determination......or the factory jig. You CAN squirt some brake cleaner in the plunger area and work the extractor with a fired case, or hold the bolt in a padded vice and work the extractor with a brass punch. I doubt the extractor is goobered, it only goes together one way and most folks cant get em back together. It may be gunked up tho.
Check recoil spring strength it should be fairly stout.
Make sure operating rod channel is lightly greased.
One or all should cure it.
 
Last edited:
I recently cleaned a newer Mini that had the bolt lock plunger frozen in place with old, varnished lubricant. I had to disassemble the section of the receiver and work the pieces free before I could get them out to clean them.

It sounds like the extractor may have the same issue. As was stated, if you don’t have the tools and knowledge to disassemble it spray cleaner and work it free, then lube with a quality gun oil.

If it still won’t work right, as was stated above, call Ruger and arrange to have the gun sent in.

Stay safe.
 
As others have said, I'd put Kroil liberally on the extractor, tap it with a brass hammer to let the Kroil work itself in, give it a day to work, and come back and tap on it progressively harder with the brass hammer until it moves.

Then pull it, clean the slot out well, and replace the spring, plunger and extractor.
 
Well I completely disassembled the bolt. Hit the parts with some hoppes no.9. There was a tiny bit of solidified oil in the springs for the extractor, empty mag catch, and the main recoil spring. Nothing broken or overly worn. Oiled it up and reassembled.

Loaded 5 rounds into a factory 20rd mag (more on that to come) and went out back. Upon first charging, I was too ginger with it. I recalled my cetme, and removed the mag and let the bolt fly home. Then reinserted the mag. 5 successful extractions and four successful reload cycles.

Woo hoo!

I then took the time to notice it is a Ranch Rifle. And an early 187 series dating to 1983! That's why i have a factory 20rd and factory 5rd mag. My grandpa would not have purchased an extended mag separately. He bought guns because they were pretty or smooth shooting. Not because they were tacticool
 
The only thing that I dislike about the Mini-14 is the price of the magazines, regardless of capacity. There's no valid reason for that. And there are no reliable aftermarket mags for it either. I will still keep the two that I have. Both are more accurate than Mini's are generally considered to be, particularly the stainless one.
 
Take a look at the U Tube videos on Mini 14 barrel whip, it does a lot to explain inaccuracy in these rifles. Apparently Ruger turned the barrel diameter too small so when the bolt cycles the barrel does a goofy version of a Hula dance. I fixed mine by attaching a steel 3/8 diameter rod under the barrel. It went from a shotgun type pattern at 50 yards to a 3 shot group the size of a dime.
 
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