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Will This Bend Opr. Rod On Mini-14?

tr fox
I got 4 of the 10 round Pro-mag magazines for my Ruger Ranch mini-14 .223 caliber. It would be awhile before I could go to the range, but I was anxious to test the new mags for fit and function. So I loaded all four mags up with 10 rounds each of the cheap Greek 5.56 brass cased SS-109 green tip Olympic ammo and cycled the action by hand.

Several times the bolt would "lock" in battery and act like it was frozen there for good. Even with the mag removed the bolt stayed locked. Several strong attempts on the operating handle would finally unlock the bolt and eject the round. The ejected round and the mag showed no signs of being deformed or damaged.

I bought this rifle used a few years ago and have only fired a few hundred rounds through it using various mags and have had no problems. But if this problem happens at the range I am worried that it might cause unwanted damage to me or to the rifle, such as a bent operating rod. I guess I should strip the rifle down and inspect the moving parts, but in the meantime does anyone have any advice or comments?

Quote "Somehow government decided that the Constitutional Bill of Rights has become the Bill of "Suggested" Rights and are to be rationed to the citizens as the power elite sees fit"
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • Laredo Lefty
    From what you describe it sounds like it might have some dirt in the chamber or possibly some of the Greek ammo is a little bit long.

    You will not bend the operating rod on the rifle. It would take a lot more force than you have encountered to bend it.

    Give the chamber area a GOOD cleaning and see if that helps.

    Joe
    "Never let school interfere with your education"
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  • slugo
    I would like to echo the clean the chamber good. A friend brought an M1-A to me with the same problem, It would lock up so tight that we were afraid we would deform or break something trying to open the action. The culprit was some gunk that reminds me if the shelack you get in the botom of a carborator bowl that has been allowed to dry full. It took several brushes with solvent to fully remove the shellack, then some oil,then it cycled perfectly. Please let us know the outcome. Thanks
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  • tr fox
    thanks Lefty & Slugo. I'll give it a good cleaning.

    Quote "Somehow government decided that the Constitutional Bill of Rights has become the Bill of "Suggested" Rights and are to be rationed to the citizens as the power elite sees fit"
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  • Hangfire
    Hey Fox- I shoot the Mini all the time with no problems. I'm thinking the ammo is the problem. After cleaning the chamber try some Win white box or top-of-the-line .223.Cheap ammo can cause trouble in any firearm!!!

    Love them Pre-64's!!!!-Bob
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  • 39ford
    First of all has this gun fired alot of Wolf ammo? The Wolf ammo{I think}is coated in laqcor.Ihad a mini 14 with a firing problem and asked my local gun shop about it and he said that was the problem.to clean this you need to go to an automotive store or even wal-mart and buy a quart of laqcor thiner (this will probly be best if you remove the stock first)and wet a rag in it to clean the weapon you could buy a gallon of it or more to submerge the actoin but dont get it in the gas chamber I hope hope this helps[:)]
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  • tr fox
    39ford; You are correct in that I have shot the cheap Wolf Ammo in the mini 14. although only a couple of hundred rounds or so. but I will try your idea also.. Thanks.

    Quote "Somehow government decided that the Constitutional Bill of Rights has become the Bill of "Suggested" Rights and are to be rationed to the citizens as the power elite sees fit"
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  • Ramtinxxl
    From all I heard and read, I'll NEVER feed Wolf ammo to my Mini-14! It's just not worth the "savings."
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  • tr fox
    I'm starting to think I will only use Wolf for my SKS, my AK-47 and my Mosin Nangant.

    Quote "Somehow government decided that the Constitutional Bill of Rights has become the Bill of "Suggested" Rights and are to be rationed to the citizens as the power elite sees fit"
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  • gunnut505
    After contacting Wolf Inc. about their guarantee to replace any ammo that fails to fire or for any other reason, I found out that there has been only one return from the US, and it was from Krause Publications; they got the wrong caliber.
    Steel cases are as hard as your chamber, yet they haven't been heat treated to make them harder, like your chamber. The "lacquer" that's allegedly causing all kinds of trouble, gumming up actions, freezing bolts, etc., is usually turned to a fine (non-sticky) powder as soon as the round is fired, and ejected along with the spent case and burned powder granules.
    Load yer own, buy surplus, find it on the battlefield; ammo makers are not in the business of running off your business.

    "Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit" --OVID
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  • tr fox
    Gunnut505: that is a most interesting post. It all sound true, but I still wonder why the bolt on my mini is locking up. I might try loading 10 rounds of better ammo (not the cheap Greek stuff) and seeing if that will also lock up the bolt. And although I had to "abuse" more than one gun, I might try hand-cyclying the cheap Greek Olympic ammo in another mini-14 that has never had anything but quality brassed cased ammo fired through it. If I have the same problem with the bolt locking I will know to blame it on the Greek ammo and will know the Wolf ammo never did cause the problem since no Wolf ammo has ever been fired through the other mini-14. I'll let everyone here know the outcome if they are intersted

    Quote "Somehow government decided that the Constitutional Bill of Rights has become the Bill of "Suggested" Rights and are to be rationed to the citizens as the power elite sees fit"
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