Mini 14 Success

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mrcabinet

mrcabinet

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I've had a love/hate relationship with my Mini 14 580 series since getting it as a Christmas gift back in the early 2000s. I love the look and the way it handles. It's a decent shooter too - 2" groups at 100 yards is fine for me, with this rifle. My hate part is the trigger. Heavy, creepy and gritty. The little Mini was relegated to the back of the safe when I started in to AR's about ten years ago. I probably haven't shot it in eight or nine years.

Recently a coworker was asking about Mini 14s, which got me thinking about mine. In the past I had thought about working on the trigger but was put off by all the horror stories and lack of information on it. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. I did a bunch of research and Gundoc's video inspired me to take this one on. I even ordered the Mcarbo spring, despite my less than stellar results with other products from them. While waiting on the spring, I tore the trigger group down (really quite simple) and got to work with the diamond files and stones. Put it back together and was shocked to see the pull go from a gritty 8lb. down to a clean and crisp 4lb. 9oz. When the spring arrived I was excited to see what kind of magic it would perform. I should have known better. The pull actually increased to 5lb. 4oz. I yanked the Mcarbo spring, cut two coils off the stock spring (again, per Gundoc) and installed it. The pic is the 10 pull average with the modified stock spring. I've only had time to run one 20 round mag through it, but what a difference! I am quite happy with it now.

20220212_093524.jpg 20220212_093524.jpg
 
That's going to be the next thing I address on mine. I've only shot about 20 rounds total through it, and found exactly one piece of brass. I'd ordered the reduced diameter gas bushings a year or so ago but hadn't messed with it until today.

Ended up being a beautiful day, so I thought I'd drag it out, work on it and see how it does. The only outdoor range near enough to shoot 100 yards is closed though, so won't be today.
 
Best video for the Mini14 trigger job. I sent mine to this guy after seeing the video. Terry's work is top notch and worth every penny. Turn around time was a week. My Mini14 trigger is great now.

 
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I'm not going to mess with a trigger but I'm sure there are many here that can tune one up. I have a Mini-14 that I purchased new about 3 years ago. Sent it to Accuracy Systems in CO and it's now about 4lbs and very crisp. I also changed the piston bushing and it fixed the brass ejection problem. All in all about $100 and worth every dime.

https://www.mini14triggers.com/
 
I recommend M*Carbo's replacement sear/trigger spring......Works as stated in web description,takes 10 min to install.
 
I have a Mini family. Dad is a mini 30, mom is a Mini 6.8, and baby is a Mini 14. Mom needed help so off to ASI for the full treatment. New everything’s. It’s sweet. Dad couldn’t perform all the time like he should so new firing pin for him. Threw in a carbo kit and he’s good to go. The 14 was an outlaw, at least in NY, so I fixed his offensiveness. Removed the flash hider. Added a laminate stock. ASI work is top notch. Trigger work isn’t that bad. Got two of them under my belt. Not as good as ASI, but much better.
 
dh1633pm said:
I have a Mini family. Dad is a mini 30, mom is a Mini 6.8, and baby is a Mini 14. Mom needed help so off to ASI for the full treatment. New everything’s. It’s sweet. Dad couldn’t perform all the time like he should so new firing pin for him. Threw in a carbo kit and he’s good to go. The 14 was an outlaw, at least in NY, so I fixed his offensiveness. Removed the flash hider. Added a laminate stock. ASI work is top notch. Trigger work isn’t that bad. Got two of them under my belt. Not as good as ASI, but much better.
Click to expand...

And you live in a mini house? ;)
 
Nice work! The Mini is a whole different animal with a trigger job. I had one done on my Mini-30 almost 30 years ago before I really knew anything about trigger work. So my old Mini-30, which I've had since they were called "Mini Thirty" always shot really well for my purposes. When I first started participating in web groups I was surprised to see people complaining about Ruger Minis.

And just a few years ago I added a Lightening Secondary Sear Spring from Accuracy Systems. It did exactly what it said it would do... lighten the trigger pull by about a pound. If my trigger pull were any lighter than it is now I'd be afraid to breathe on it. It's about 3.5 lbs. I don't remember what it was from the factory, but Ruger's listed spec back then had it at 5+ lbs.

I wasn't familiar with the Mcarbo spring when I bought the spring from Accuracy systems. I can tell you the one from ASI in the link below works well.

https://www.accuracystore.com/index...Mini-14-30-&-6-8/p/78474249/category=19934057

I put an ASI reduced gas bushing in around the same time I bought the sear spring from ASI. My Mini Thirty came from the factory with a .100 bushing. I put the largest of the set of three which is .070.

It tamed things down quite a bit and I have confidence it will cycle the most anemic 7.62x39 should I have to use it. As it is now I prefer the generally Hotter x39 from C.I.P. regulated countries, and my handloads are on the hot side as well.
 
I used ASI to fit a new firing pin to my Mini 30 so I could fire steel case ammo properly instead of bang, click, click, bang.
 
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I have a 583 series Mini-14, and I enjoy everything about it except for the trigger. I did change to a smaller gas bushing, and evened up and set exact torque specs on the gas block, things Ruger should have done.

I've watched the Gun Doc video, pretty sure I can follow it, just have to get the nerve up to do it. lol

Sad, the trigger is the worst of any gun I've owned, and that included a BLR, an SKS, and an M-1 Carbine. For the prices Ruger charges, that trigger is an insult.

OP: Glad you were able to tame yours!
 
I paid about $700 for mine NIB about 3 years ago. I believe the street price is about 1K now. Things that don't work just right always increase in demand and the price goes up, or at least it would seem that way in this situation.
 
I like the way the mini looks. Like a shrunk down M14, which I also like. Never saw the point in owning one though. As much as I like gunsmith projects, they just cost too darned much. I am not an AR15 fan, but you can get a nice one that has a great trigger, shoots well, and costs less than a mini. That kind of takes away the point of having a mini unless it's a "must have" for you.

This thread showed me that with some money, time, and a little effort, you can fix a mini to be pretty good. There is still the accuracy issue, but I hear the new ones are better than the original ones in that regard. So, if I EVER run across a used one for a decent price, I just might pick it up. I won't hold my breath of course......
 
dh1633pm said:
I used ASI to fit a new firing pin to my Mini 30 so I could fire steel case ammo properly instead of bang, click, click, bang.
Click to expand...

I changed out the firing pin in my Mini-30 with the one from firingpins.com.

Before that I had only a handful of failure-to-fire in the 30+ years I've owned this Mini, even though I've used mostly steel case ammo. A couple of the FTFS were American brass case. It happens. I've had FTFs in other firearms. Not many, but dud primers can happen occasionally... once in a blue moon.

My factory pin was on the long side of Ruger's +/- tolerance. I changed the pin to the oversize pin anyway, so I have no worries.

The pin was about half the price it is now when I bought it, and at this writing it's out of stock. IMO it's worth saving the link, and people may find it from other sources as well.

https://www.firingpins.com/ruger-mini-14-firing-pin-2470

 
I took this ridge off my firing pin hole for my Mini 30. I read about it somewhere at the time. I simply used a countersink bit lightly by hand to do the job. Never have experienced a FTF since while using brass or steel ammo. Take a look at yours closely. Might find the same thing. The little ridge was keeping the head of the ammo from seating flush against the bolt.
Mini 14 FiringPinHole a.JPG
alfa-tools-countersink-bits-c3f50542-64_1000.jpg
 
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Milkmaster said:
I too this ridge off my firing pin hole for my Mini 30. I read about it somewhere at the time. I simply used a countersink bit lightly by hand to do the job. Never have experienced a FTF since while using brass or steel ammo. Take a look at yours closely. Might find the same thing. The little ridge was keeping the head of the ammo from seating flush against the bolt.
View attachment 1063357
View attachment 1063358
Click to expand...

A flat rotary stone does good too and doesn't leave a chamfer. Seems like a bit of poor quality control on ruger's part.
 
Milkmaster said:
I too this ridge off my firing pin hole for my Mini 30. I read about it somewhere at the time. I simply used a countersink bit lightly by hand to do the job. Never have experienced a FTF since while using brass or steel ammo. Take a look at yours closely. Might find the same thing. The little ridge was keeping the head of the ammo from seating flush against the bolt.
View attachment 1063357
View attachment 1063358
Click to expand...

My bolt face didn't have that problem, but I've seen others that do. I know of people solving issues by smoothing that area.

HowieG said:
A flat rotary stone does good too and doesn't leave a chamfer. Seems like a bit of poor quality control on ruger's part.
Click to expand...

That works too.

A word on Ruger quality control... it's actually very good. Ruger is perfectly capable of producing finely tuned firearms. Ruger's biggest flaw is they suffer from Litigationaphobia that goes back to Bill Ruger senior. The Minis had 6 to 8 pound gritty triggers from an over abundance of caution. Light triggers might go off all by themselves... so the thinking goes.

Most of the content in a typical Ruger operating manual is written by lawyers. They're full of warnings...

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

Ruger isn't the only firearm manufacture that's a little too obsessed with safety over function, but they are perhaps the worst. Other than that Ruger is a great company with customer service second to none.

That's all part of the draw of being part of the inner Mini-14/Mini-30 crowd. We know they can be finely tuned fairly easily, and we know how to do it. If you send you're firearm back to Ruger for any reason, they will undo your improvements because of real or imagined liability issues.
 
Beck said:
My bolt face didn't have that problem, but I've seen others that do. I know of people solving issues by smoothing that area.



That works too.

A word on Ruger quality control... it's actually very good. Ruger is perfectly capable of producing finely tuned firearms. Ruger's biggest flaw is they suffer from Litigationaphobia that goes back to Bill Ruger senior. The Minis had 6 to 8 pound gritty triggers from an over abundance of caution. Light triggers might go off all by themselves... so the thinking goes.

Most of the content in a typical Ruger operating manual is written by lawyers. They're full of warnings...

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

Ruger isn't the only firearm manufacture that's a little too obsessed with safety over function, but they are perhaps the worst. Other than that Ruger is a great company with customer service second to none.

That's all part of the draw of being part of the inner Mini-14/Mini-30 crowd. We know they can be finely tuned fairly easily, and we know how to do it. If you send you're firearm back to Ruger for any reason, they will undo your improvements because of real or imagined liability issues.
Click to expand...


I am a Ruger fan. I have stock in the company. I own an early M77 that I bought early on (1973). The trigger is adjustable and fine, but the company is kind of Schizo in that regard. I have six and have never sent one back, but I have heard they undo your mods and reset your trigger. My feeling on triggers is a manufacturer should make all of their triggers good, or poor, one or the other. At least you would know what to expect. And don't charge a thousand bucks for a rifle with a sucky trigger!
 
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