tacotime said:
Just what I was thinking. Most sellers probably don't want anyone to do more than a simple checkout.
Assuming no breakdown, can you really check a mini very well?
Then again, if you can breakdown one, what are obvious signs of excessive wear or trouble?
RE:...
"Just what I was thinking. Most sellers probably don't want anyone to do more than a simple checkout."
If a potential seller squawked at my request to simply flip the TG latch and quickly separate the rifle into it's three basic groups (which takes about 15 seconds), and/or if he wouldn't allow me to work it's action, test the safety mechanism and afterwards dry fire it in order to ensure that some knucklehead hasn't performed a kitchen-table "breaks like a glass rod" "trigger job"...then like I said, I'd politely walk away. Dot period, end of discussion.
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"Assuming no breakdown, can you really check a mini very well?".
The simple (bottom line) answer is no you can't.
And furthermore, I'd expect a reputable seller to know that himself. Get's back to what I said earlier about treating others as you'd want to be treated. To me, that's a purty-good guide line in terms of WHO I'm willing to risk spending my money with, which (again) to me, is just as important as WHAT I'm buying.
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"Then again, if you can breakdown one, what are obvious signs of excessive wear or trouble?
Just off the top of my head:
The trigger group is too easy to latch/unlatch...could be a sprung TG latch, or could be due to the stock having been sanded by someone who does not know much about the Mini platform.
Undue effort required to work the action...a sign of "X-tra power" springs having been added to the hammer or op-rod, or both....or possibly something worse.
Stripped gas block screws...one of the more common symptoms of some knucklehead having tinkered with an aspect of the rifle which he was not qualified to tinker with.
Excessively shiny areas on the bottom of the bolt, it's lugs, and/or on it's raceways...and/or noticeably rounded lugs, obvious signs that the extractor has been hitting the barrel's chamber...and in general, groves and/or sharp edges anywhere in the action where there should be none.
An obvious grove worn onto the little op-rod "lip" which sit's within it's raceway and guides the rear of the op-rod.
An obviously "too light" of a trigger pull and/or a trigger pull which totally lacks free travel and/or any amount of creep once the sear is engaged.
Aftermarket buffers...another sure sign that the gun has been tinkered with by who knows who.
Unduly stiff or soft safety...a sign of wear, lack of maintenance, or worse...more tinkering.
Rust on the forearm liner...simple neglect.
With the trigger group removed, check for excessively-sloppy side to side and fore-aft movement of the barreled action within the stock...a common cause of poor grouping.
Any sort of obvious filing/grinding haven been done to the face of the op-rod, or anywhere on the receiver...not common, but you'd be surprised at how many guys are willing to grind on a part that's either expensive or (even worse) irreplaceable in order to make it (or something else) "work better".
Check for a chipped or broken FP tip and/or broken or missing FP tail...requires pushing the firing pin forward/backward, so not doable without removing the trigger group.
Make sure that a "known good" Ruger brand magazine latches in properly, and that the bolt-stop mechanism works when the op-rod is pulled back. And while you're at it, look down into the action while the bolt is locked back and visually check the edge of the latch/ejector for wear or chipping...and bear in mind too that the bolt has a grove which the ejector rides in, so if one is badly worn, the other may be too.
Like I said, some potential issues are obvious, while others are going to require experience to see. Regardless though, good old fashioned common sense will take you a long way. In other words, if your gut is trying to tell you something, listen...and when in doubt, don't.
Of course, there's another side to the coin too, meaning that it could be that the prior owner may have bought the gun in question, fired it a few times, cleaned it, and then just stuck it into the safe.
Thing is though, how are you to know for sure if your not allowed to look?
DGW
