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Mini jams all the time.

3K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  Crkckr 
#1 ·
New Mini. Using Ruger 5 round mags and nato ammo. Jams every 3-5 rounds. Stovepipes every ten rounds. Double feeds every 4-5 rounds. What in blazes is wrong with this new gun? OK there's an archangel stock on it.
 
#3 ·
OK thx... Federal 5.56 x 45 ammunition. 62 grain FMJ BALL
Brand new mini, put a little oil on it, put an archangel stock on it... now it's a total piece of crap. Didn't really fire it before putting the new stock on so unclear if it was like this (bad) from the factory.
 
#9 ·
OK thx... Federal 5.56 x 45 ammunition. 62 grain FMJ BALL
Brand new mini, put a little oil on it, put an archangel stock on it... now it's a total piece of crap. Didn't really fire it before putting the new stock on so unclear if it was like this (bad) from the factory.

Get it out of the archangel stock and retry it. I have had good luck with that ammo. Folks buy that stock and shortly afterwords you see them for sale. There must be issues with the stock we are not hearing about. Make one change at a time. My bet is the rifle will function after a good cleaning to get the factory grease off of it and putting it into the factory stock.

kwg
 
#5 ·
Clean and lubricate it thoroughly. Inspect it. Undo any modifications. Get other ammunition to sample (quality ammo).

Try these steps and see if you can diagnose your problem.
Thx Ok By undo modifications, meaning remove the Archangel stock? Ouch.
Also, of those shells that do eject, they have dented sides... and launch 30' at about 2:00. Seems unusual or noteworthy.
 
#6 ·
Yea, any modifications even if it's just the stock.

The dented cases and mile-long ejection isn't abnormal, Minis often come over-gassed from the factory. You can remedy this with a new gas port bushing. There are threads on how to do this (Google it).

But first, I would try cleaning, lubing, inspecting, and alternative ammunition to see if that clears anything up
 
#8 ·
Mine, purchased last September, had very similar issues. I wound up sending it to Ruger and they replaced the bolt assembly and bolt lock, and also adjusted the slide. It has been functioning nearly flawlessly since.

I'd suggest contacting Ruger if putting it back to stock doesn't make it behave. Very frustrating to have a new, expensive rifle not working properly....

Good Luck!
Lee
 
#10 ·
It terms of function, it is very important there is a thorough cleaning of the shipping gunk before first firing. That gunk gets baked-in with the first firing and can cause problems, as well as making it more difficult to clean out.

If available, use pressurized carb-cleaner (wear goggles, and do it outside!), let it soak for a bit, do it again, and then (if available) pressurized air from a compressor (still outside and wearing goggles).

Go back to the factory stock.

Would also be prudent to do a similar cleaning of the mags, although a little less critical.

Ammo selection is okay, IMHO.

Light grease on sliding parts (apply with a Q-tip is the easiest way, also with a pipe-cleaner), light oil (such as Mobil-1 30-weight Synthetic) on the rotating parts. No oil in the firing pin.

Also make sure the rear buffer is properly installed if you disassembled it prior to your first firing. Upside-down installation can really screw up things until rectified.

Good luck! Sorry you're having challenges. Your Mini should be 100% reliable.
 
#11 ·
Always clean degrease and properly lube any new gun before you do anything.
 
#12 ·
Let’s break it down:

Jams: kinda non-specific

Stovepipe: this happens when the bolt is moving forward before the case is fully ejected. Possible causes include -
1. Low-power round - not enough gas produced to drive the bolt all the way back
2. Obstructed gas system - this probably wouldn’t be an intermittent problem
3. Bolt binding - friction slows the bolt, so it doesn’t go fully to the rear; also not likely to be intermittent, unless the binding is from a round sticking up too high out of the magazine.
4. Weak or gummy ejector - but you later mention that the rifle throws brass hard and far, so that doesn’t seem like the problem. Plus, does the Mini 14 have a plunger-style ejector or a blade style? I seem to remember that it has a blade that is fixed to the receiver - not much to get weak or gum up there.
5. Weak or worn extractor - if the extractor lets go before the fired case is fully out of the chamber, the case will often still continue rearward because of momentum, but it won’t be ejected, so it will still be in the path of the bolt when it returns. This could also cause what looks like a double feed, but with one fired case and one live round.

Double feed: usually a magazine problem, with the magazine spring and feed lips not preventing the top cartridge from peeling off the one below it. Sometimes caused by the magazine follower canting or jamming, leaving the rounds at least temporarily without any spring tension holding them against the feed lips and the cartridge above. Could also be the magazine inserting too far into the magazine well, which would ALSO potentially cause drag on the bolt.

If the aftermarket stock is binding against the operating rod, that could be causing the stovepipes and also could cause short cycling and failure to extract or failure to feed.

I think you’ve gotten a lot of good advice - first clean the rifle thoroughly and replace the aftermarket stock (temporarily) and see if that solves the problem. If not, then go through the problem list above.

Good luck!
 
#13 ·
I bought a mini used about 10 years ago. First trip to the range was a disaster. Stove pipe double feeds, Etc. Take the gun to my local gunsmith oh, and he said invest in a couple of new magazines and see if that will help. I did and that ended my problems, minis seem very sensitive to magazine problems.
Depending on how old your magazines are you might want to invest in a couple of new magazines and give it a try
 
#15 ·
Archangel stock on a Mini and very butt ugly and not something I would do. So it will stove pipe every 10 rounds in a 5 rd mag? Not getting it and I have never came across an i'll shooting Mini yet that was'n't user fault. Put it all back to stock original and make sure you're loading the mags properly. That first 2 rounds need to be over the follower otherwise it will cause jamming problems. I found that if it's not directly on top the follower on the left side mag it can jam.
 
#18 ·
This looks like it is magazine driven more than anything else. Get some FACTORY 20 rounders and see if the problems go away. If you live where "normal capacity" mags are unavailable, get a fresh Ruger 5 rounder and try it out.
If the mags don't cure the problem, a trip to Ruger is in order...
 
#19 ·
I had a similar problem of jamming of the fired round end on (rather than vertically as in a true stovepipe jam) against the edge of the chamber. It was failing to eject one every several rounds. Turned out that it had a short ejector (they are not fixed but are part of the hold open mechanism and easily swapped out). I cajoled Ruger into sending me a replacement ejector and problem solved. I've also had failures to feed from mag lips being a hair too narrow. A little tweaking of the mag lips to open them up allowed the cartridges to ride a smidge higher for flawless feeding.
 
#20 ·
Whatever you do, only change one thing at a time! If you change more than one you can never be sure what fixed it.

First thing is try some different ammo (only because it's the easiest), then try different mags. I have yet to have much luck with any 5 round mags on any platform. Jams, double feeds, ejecting the last round before it's even fed into the chamber... all manner of weird stuff. Also, I'm not sure if Ruger puts .223 barrels on any of the Mini-14's (I'm sure someone here will know for certain) but if they do, and if you have a .223 barrel as opposed to a NATO barrel, you're simply shooting the wrong ammo!

I would not think the stock would contribute to such problems unless it's pressing against the mag some where, but check it over closely. You should be able to feed empty cases from the mag into the chamber and eject same without any major hang ups. There are a number of things that could be causing the problems, from incorrectly angled feed lips or follower to... well, sometimes the moon is just in the wrong phase or maybe you're not holding your tongue the right way! Thing is, there is a fix, it's just a matter of finding it!
Good luck!
Cheers,
crkckr
 
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