Mini-14 reliability with dirt

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IMHO your test was better than the other tests I've seen where they dumped dirt inside the action.

Was the Mini-14's big problem the external op rod and the big open hole behind the bolt where dirt can get into the receiver?
 
I'm pretty sure the failures to go into battery were caused by the dust jamming the op-rod track and maybe the bolt camming area. There was a considerable amount of grit in the trigger but the trigger never got stuck or refused to reset.

As far as the door on the AR: If you knew you were going to be in that dusty of an environment it seems that a prudent person would keep the door closed and a mag in the rifle to limit the amount of dust that gets inside.

I suspect the AR would have worked if I had tried it with the door open. But it was late in the day and I was getting tired of cleaning dust out of guns.

BSW
 
Well, i bet any Garand, M1A, M1 carbine, most bolt guns would stop working with that much dirt. An AR certainly would if it gut dirt inside. Yuck!
 
Well, i bet any Garand, M1A, M1 carbine, most bolt guns would stop working with that much dirt. An AR certainly would if it gut dirt inside. Yuck!
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Yes. But isn't that one of the points about having an enclosed action?

The Mini was much easier to run impaired than a AR in the same state of non-functionality would have been. I could pretty easily hammer the action open and shut by directly manipulating the CH. On a AR I would have had to use inertia to open the bolt and the FA to close it.

BSW
 
I love the Mini 14 but the test shows the short comings of any of the open action type rifles. One thing I notice is the action on your Mini 14 appears to cycle slowly. Normally your eye can't follow the ope rod as well as you can in your video. I'm curious as to how many rounds you have on your op rod spring? I've had to replace 2 springs in my Minis. The replacements are always at least 1"longer and make a notable difference.
 
I also note that it wasn't cycling/feeding/extracting properly even when greased and clean, before the second dirt test, halfway through the vid. Something's wrong with that rifle, IMO.

However it made me want to test mine and see if it would fare better. I'm not sure I'm that sadistic, though. :D
 
The video leaves me less impressed with the mini than I was before (never thought that would be possible) To bad because it could have been one of Rugers finest.
Some food for thought for some of the guys who swear about their dependability and its SHTF utility.
Next test I would think water as a useful medium to get the gun up and running quick.
Just a thought although a dip in a creek or tank might not be realistic in as dusty an environment as is simulated a splash from a canteen would be.
 
I also note that it wasn't cycling/feeding/extracting properly even when greased and clean, before the second dirt test, halfway through the vid. Something's wrong with that rifle, IMO.

However it made me want to test mine and see if it would fare better. I'm not sure I'm that sadistic, though.
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I don't know how many rounds the rifle has thru it. I borrowed it for the test (yes, the owner knew what I was going to do with it) and checked headspace.

I did recommend to the owner that he replace the extractor, extractor spring, recoil spring and that crap stock.

I totally agree that a Mini ought to work when lightly lubed with rifle grease. The rifle did work when oiled though.

BSW
 
it looks like to me that the op rod spring was weak being it did not go in battery AFTER it was cleaned. what kind of mag was being used
 
Mini's should cycle with no lube at all also.
Did the stock have the steel liner in it, and what is the operating rod rubbing on?!
In the video @10:16, 11:32, 12:05 12:25 ect you can see where the operating rod is very shiny, unlike the rest of it. Looks to be scraping against the hand guard.
Was the gas piston and tube in good shape? Usually these last two items are neglected, and the cause of failures to cycle.

The M1 Garand, M14, and M1 carbine are all battle tested, and won their respective wars........ on the other hand the M16 lost the vietnam war, and leaves us entrenched in the longest war in US history, Afaganistan. just saying..........

It would seem that the outcome was biased by a less than reliable Mini 14 having been used.
 
Final question.

Was the sifter from the kitchen and what outcome if the wife found out? (BTW, I learned in cooking school that sifters are never washed)
 
What war did the M-14 win?

The M-16 was probably one of the very least important factors in our Vietnam War performance. And it performs admirably in Afghanistan, and did in Iraq as well.
 
The op-rod moved easily when it was clean and didn't seem to be rubbing on anything. It wasn't particularly more worn than the rest of the rifle. The steel liner was in the stock and the gas tube and piston didn't have any visable damage.

Just to clarify, the Mini worked perfectly when oiled had FTEx when greased. The only failure to return to battery failures happened when the rifle was dirty.

BSW
 
The M1 Garand, M14, and M1 carbine are all battle tested, and won their respective wars........ on the other hand the M16 lost the vietnam war, and leaves us entrenched in the longest war in US history, Afaganistan. just saying.........
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That statement may well win the prize in all the years I have been reading unbelievable statements. The ultimate fanboy:rolleyes:
Guns don't win wars, people win wars and they must have the resolve of their country and proper political fortitude to accomplish it.
 
While I appreciate the effort, this test is heavily flawed. You took a gun that didnt work correctly, dumped dirt in it and was surprised it didnt work? Really?:banghead:
 
While I appreciate the effort, this test is heavily flawed. You took a gun that didnt work correctly, dumped dirt in it and was surprised it didnt work? Really?
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The first set of ten rounds, fired with the rifle clean and lightly oiled, were fired w/o any problems. Yes, the rifle had FTEx when greased and clean, which I didn't expect. But the reliability dirty was always worse than when clean.

A AR and AUG, when subjected to the same amount of dust loading, worked.

BSW
 
Why not do a test like that? The Army has done a couple dust tests on various rifles, except they used a dust filled indoor range and 10s of thousands of rounds. I wouldn't expect a private citizen to have access to those resources, so simply dumping dirt on them and shooting a few boxes of ammo doesn't seem like a bad test.

Would the test have been better if he'd had 12 samples of each rifle? Sure, but I'm guessing he didn't have 12 friends with Mini-14s, 12 with AUGs, and 12 with ARs all willing to let him subject their rifle to that, not to mention the amount of ammo to test that many rifles. The Army tested the M4, but they didn't test the Mini.
 
No AK? I'd be interested in how they'd do?

Btw, remind me to never buy a gun from that guy.
 
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