Peculiar control lever on Mini-14

[natedog]

This is a pre-ban Mini-14, made in 1976. Can anyone tell me what the circled device is? Is it an older style bolt hold open, instead of the new "plunger" bolt hold open?

 

[natedog]

oops forgot the pic

 

[Triad]

Is that a machine gun?

Isn't that where the selector switch is on M-14's and Mini-14's?

 

[Jim K]

It is the bolt stop or holdopen.

Jim

 

[Badger Arms]

That's the bolt hold-open. You press down on that little thingy that goes into the receiver in the back there and it pushes the bolt hold-open up in front of the bolt. Ruger realized it was cheesy and replaced the whole system with a simpler bolt hold-open covered by that cool sheet-metal cover that is so familiar today. Your stock is also different. Modern stocks will not fit it. Ahhh, the pain of the 180 series Mini-14. Here's what my grafted mini looks like on the outside:

 

[Detritus]

Isn't that where the selector switch is on M-14's and Mini-14's?

No

don't know about the MINI but, on the M-14 the selector is on the right side at the rear of the receiver. look at a GI style stock (the one with the cutout for the selector) and that hole in the right side of the stock where you can see underneath the receiver of a civvy M-1A or Norinco/polytech M-14 is where the selector switch and other parts was supposed to go.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Psst!

Check out the parts diagram for the Ruger Mini-14. It still shows the older original bolt hold open.

BTW, on the selective fire, the selector switch is on the right side.

 

[SodaPop]

I thought that was where they use to put the Flux Capacitor?

 

[zahc]

Ahhh, the pain of the 180 series Mini-14. Here's what my grafted mini looks like on the outside:

That's one of the ugliest guns I've seen in a long time!

 

[Joe Demko]

thought that was where they use to put the Flux Capacitor?

Uh-uh. It's where you put the Illudium-Q36 Explosive Space Modulator.

 

[Badger Arms]

That's one of the ugliest guns I've seen in a long time!

My 180 mini started out at a Gun Auction with a layer of dust and rust and a stock that had been sawed off at the pistol grip. Bought it for $180 bucks which I thought was ironic. When I discovered that NO stocks existed for it, I improvised with a Choate folding stock intended for an Ithaca 37. Had to do some fitting to the stock and hacking on the folder to get everything to work. Finished the stock in Black to match and we're in business. Trust me, if I could have made it any LESS ugly, I would have been all over it. Nice thing was I got to fit it to me instead of compromising with too-short stocks with too-much or too-little drop. No compromises between scopes or irons either, this is intended solely for irons.

Ugly? Are you sure:

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

that is indeed the bolt hold open.

Badger, has yours started ripping caseheads off yet? my started doing it this last year and i've been going through hell trying to fix it.

 

[Badger Arms]

Andrew,

Not sure I've heard of that problem. This is the gun that ate through 240 rounds of Wolf steel cased without a hitch, though. Haven't shot an whole lot of brass cased rounds. Is it a sticky chamber or an extractor problem?