Mini-14 problem

[Remdds]

I purchased a used ss Ruger Mini-14. I removed the wooden stock and installed a Tapco stock. The bolt cycles fine, however now the trigger will not function. It used to. What did I screw up?
Any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DGW1949]

I purchased a used ss Ruger Mini-14. I removed the wooden stock and installed a Tapco stock. The bolt cycles fine, however now the trigger will not function. It used to. What did I screw up?
Any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Reinstall the original stock and check to see if the trigger functions as it should.
If it does, your aftermarket stock is faulty.
If it don't, then yep, something else is amiss...and just in passing, you do know that the hammer is supposed to be cocked with the safety in the safe position before removing/installing the trigger group...right?

Hope this helps.

DGW

 

[Remdds]

It has worked on the tapco stock in the past, that is until I had gas block issues and had to disassemble it. Only had this issue since then.
Maybe ur right... I didn't cock, safe and remove the trigger group as u mention.

Thanks for ur VERY quick reply.

 

[Remdds]

I took some pics of the trigger group to post but can't figure out how to post them.
However the hammer is back/cocked. Safety is on but trigger will not pull. Looks like it is stuck to the rear.

 

[Captain America]

You'll need to put the pics of photobucket or something like it to post pics. What is stuck to the rear, the safety or the trigger?

 

[Remdds]

The trigger won't retract far enough to disengage from the sear. Felt gritty, so I knocked out the trigger pivot pin and cleaned everything. Pivot pin is not bent. No trash on it or the bushing. I reassembled and the problem remains. I can disengage the sear manually but not with the trigger.
The safety functions fine.

 

[DGW1949]

The trigger won't retract far enough to disengage from the sear. Felt gritty, so I knocked out the trigger pivot pin and cleaned everything. Pivot pin is not bent. No trash on it or the bushing. I reassembled and the problem remains. I can disengage the sear manually but not with the trigger.
The safety functions fine.

And this is while the trigger guard is latched but not installed in the gun?

DGW

 

[Captain America]

The trigger won't retract far enough to disengage from the sear. Felt gritty, so I knocked out the trigger pivot pin and cleaned everything. Pivot pin is not bent. No trash on it or the bushing. I reassembled and the problem remains. I can disengage the sear manually but not with the trigger. The safety functions fine.

The trigger is the sear, if you can move the sear forward off the hammer then the trigger will have to move, is it stuck on the secondary sear?

 

[Remdds]

I really have to pry the hammer off the sear notch. I can't retract the trigger back far enough to retract the sear off the hammer. And it is hard manually to get the sear off the hammer. Everything looks normal. No crud. No bent parts.
Yes, all this is out of the stock with safety off. Safety will engage and disengage normally.

 

[Remdds]

Well I got it to work but it has to be at least a 20lb. pull on the trigger.
Guess I will polish up the notches where sear engages hammer and lube a little. Yes, I know not to change the angle and depth of each notch.
Still don't know why the change since the last time I fired it.
Thanks everyone.

 

[Captain America]

When the hammer is off the sear does the trigger pull normally?

 

[DGW1949]

It don't matter whether the trigger guard is in the stock or not, the guard still has to be latched or the trigger assembly will not function properly...so again, are you trying this with the guard latched?....

DGW

 

[Remdds]

Trigger guard has been latched.

 

[DGW1949]

I can't see what you are seeing, but my guess is that the initial problem either began as a result of the trigger guard having been sprung, or possibly the housing itself getting pinched/distorted.
In other words, my experience say's that the hammer not moving freely was not the problem, it was the result of a problem.
And just in passing...I wouldn't continue forcing the hammer to release in hopes that it is going to magically fix itself, nor would I set about working on the trigger and/or sear notch as a means of fixing/masking whatever is actually wrong.

At this particular point, my suggestion would be to totally disassemble the trigger Ass'y so you can determine which part(s) is/are now out of whack and go from there. Or if you don't deem that to be practical, send the intact trigger Ass'y off to someone who knows exactly what they are doing AND has access to restricted factory parts...someone like ASI, or maybe Brimstone...or cut through the chase, call Ruger, and make arrangements to send them the gun.

Sorry that I'm not much help, but like I said...I can't see the problem from here.

DGW

 

[Captain America]

...At this particular point, my suggestion would be to totally disassemble the trigger Ass'y so you can determine which part(s) is/are now out of whack and go from there...

That's what I've been leading up to also. I would suggest trying the function of the hammer, trigger, and safety all by themselves. If each component functions properly then you can start reassembly and see which components are unhappy together, that should lead you to your problem.

 

[Remdds]

I could be wrong on this but since it wouldn't work and then it did, albeit with difficulty, I'm saying it was Ballistol that fixed things. Nothing else changed between no-work and work except that I let is soak overnight after spraying Ballistol on it. Soooo it probably had crud somewhere that I couldn't see. I hesitated breaking the trigger group down all the way (taking trigger pivot pin out was as far as I went).
Yesterday I brought it up to the office and polished sear/hammer contact points with some of my dental tools. Put it back in some Ballistol last night to soak. May take it apart later for further cleaning after a good long soak.