New Mini-14 Troubles

[tcontic]

I purchased a brand new Ruger mini-14, in October 2014, the ranch model. Shot is a few times at the range, put about 200 rounds through it. Had a few jams and failure to load a round from a new mag, I attributed this to break in period.

Then something strange started to happen, every once in a while a single trigger pull would result in two rounds being fired! This happened a few more time so I decided to bring it into the store and have it checked out. Gunsmith couldn't see anything obviously wrong with my 1 1/2 month old rifle so Ruger asked that it be sent so the could check it out.

After the Ruger tech checked out my rifle they decided to replace it with a new one under warranty. In December I received a new rifle, new serial number in box with all accessories.

Since December I've only had a chance to shoot the rifle a few times and an old and new issue popped up. One in three time the first round from a new mag fails to load, and now the trigger guard is popping loose releasing the trigger mechanism every four or five round!

I've only used original Ruger mags and decent quality Federal 5.56 ammo.

This has become extremely frustrating!

I dropped the rifle off at the retailer today, they want their gun smith to look at it before sending it back to Ruger.

I'm not sure if I should let the local gun smith try to fix it or just send it back to Ruger

Any advice would be appreciated

Tom

 

[Jim Puke]

CALL RUGER.

 

[Voyager28]

The trigger guard coming loose is an easy fix. The FTF may also be an easy fix and is usually a mag problem. Still, this should not be happening with a brand new rifle.

Please keep us informed as things develope.

Bob

 

[tcontic]

The trigger guard coming loose is an easy fix. The FTF may also be an easy fix and is usually a mag problem. Still, this should not be happening with a brand new rifle.

Please keep us informed as things develope.

Bob

I've only used factory five and ten round mags and good quality ammo. Frustrating!

I would never expect two brand new rifles to have these issues...

 

[DGW1949]

CALL RUGER.

What Jim said.
There's only two other guys in the whole country besides Ruger that I'd let touch a Mini-14, and neither of them work at gun stores....so I know that your guy's "gunsmith" aint either one of them of those guys.
Besides that, Ruger not only needs to stay in the loop concerning your on-going problems with their so-called "new and improved" Ranch Rifle, they need to have their feet held to the fire untill they get you a gun that works.....dot period.

DGW

 

[gunman42782]

Very unusual, the Mini is usually about as trouble free as any gun I have ever had experience with. I have owned 7 or 8 of them over the years, currently own two, and have never had one jam, not ever. I, too, would send it back to Ruger.

 

[Voyager28]

Very unusual, the Mini is usually about as trouble free as any gun I have ever had experience with. I have owned 7 or 8 of them over the years, currently own two, and have never had one jam, not ever. I, too, would send it back to Ruger.

Same here, I've only owned 3 of them but never ever had a reliability problem with any one. The first one, a 180 Pencil Barrel wasn't very accurate but that was my only complaint ever. My current 581 SS Rancher is dependable as a hammer and, at least MOA accurate.

Like stated above, I'd stay all over Ruger until they got you the quality rifle you paid good money for.

Bob

 

[Kyhunt]

I'll look forward to hear how this turns out. Almost every time I decide on getting a mini, one of these threads pop up with someone having issues.

 

[DGW1949]

I'll look forward to hear how this turns out. Almost every time I decide on getting a mini, one of these threads pop up with someone having issues.

In all likelyhood, you'd get a good one....but as you have noted, it aint a big secret that Ruger is shipping more Mini's with QC issues than what we saw in the past. I can't help but believe that they are aware of it themselves....but....instead of figuring out a way to address it on the line, what we're seeing them do is continue to address it via their cutomer service dept.

From the FWIW Dept....
My personal experience with one of the newer "improved" mini's involved a NIB 582 series, blued 'n wood RR. Mine ran like a top right from the get-go and was the most accurate "out of the box" Mini-14 that I'd ever used....but....it had some rather glaring QC issues, so I sent it back to have it's badly-canted front sight fixed. After it returned, I took care of the cheezy rear sight and sloppy bedding myself.
It is now one heck of a nice rifle, but it was a joint effort....if ya get my drift.

DGW

 

[tcontic]

Rifle is being returned to Ruger this week, local gun smith didn't touch it.

Will keep this thread posted with results

 

[mrmike7189]

I had same issues with mine.( 581 series, dec. 2011 manufacture.)
sent it back to ruger. came back with a new bolt, new trigger group, new ejector. I think they just threw some new parts into it to cover all their bases and......they fixed it! (or got lucky).
The other problem i had was a rear sight that kept falling off. They retightened that but never used any Loctite(had to do that myself)

 

[tcontic]

Picked up the rifle last night, didn't have a chance to fire it. Maybe this weekend.

Here's what Ruger did according to the documentation received:

Installed new extractor
Polished Chamber
Repaired Bolt
Adjust Slide

Repair, safety function check and test firing completed


Sound like things they should have done before shipping the rifle in the first place! This was a brand new rifle, only a couple hundred rounds through it!

Hope it works now

 

[DGW1949]

Let us know how your testing goes.

DGW

 

[gunslinger67]

I shortly purchased an used Mini14 Ranch Rifle Series 187-*** the following problem occured :

Loading the weapon -no problem - but after firing each round I have to push my trigger in the forward position just to catch the sear and to be able to fire the next round. Did anybody know or experienced that problem with his Mini14 ???

Can it be that the trigger spring is to weak or maybe broken?

Any help is appreciated!

Greets,
Eric -Berlin/Germany

 

[PriseDeFer]

I don't have a mini 14 but I would look at the trigger spring first, make sure it's present and unmessed with. Download the manual with an exploded view on page 53 and a parts list on page 52 from here...http://www.ruger.com/products/_manuals/mini.pdf

Get familiar with your trigger group.

 

[dfletcher]

I shortly purchased an used Mini14 Ranch Rifle Series 187-*** the following problem occured :

Loading the weapon -no problem - but after firing each round I have to push my trigger in the forward position just to catch the sear and to be able to fire the next round. Did anybody know or experienced that problem with his Mini14 ???

Can it be that the trigger spring is to weak or maybe broken?

Any help is appreciated!

Greets,
Eric -Berlin/Germany

Sounds like a spring issue. Could have been reassembled incorrectly, the trigger return spring not put back in with both "legs" engaged. Also, some folks will leave one leg off to get a softer return and lower trigger pull.

 

[gunslinger67]

Hi Bearcat,

thanks , willcheck with my vendor first , just have to take out the trigger group so he can check and advice...

Grts.

 

[Bearcat]

I'm always amazed to read these stories, especially since reliable, affordable AR-15 variants are everywhere....Why would anyone buy a Mini-14? Don't mean to start a flame war, but they have always had design and QA/QC troubles. I have owned 4 and really tried to find a "good one", but ended up selling them all to folks with more patience...

 

[DGW1949]

I'm always amazed to read these stories, especially since reliable, affordable AR-15 variants are everywhere....Why would anyone buy a Mini-14? Don't mean to start a flame war, but they have always had design and QA/QC troubles. I have owned 4 and really tried to find a "good one", but ended up selling them all to folks with more patience...

I know that you mean well, but you're talking about two entirely different platforms....which to some of us, are not interchangable relative to our needs and intended uses. Besides that, when a guy is asking for help with a problem, telling him that he shouldn't have bought the gun really aint helping him much.

As far as design and QC problems go...untill somewhat recently, the Stoner platform hasn't been all that and a bag of chips neither. What did it take to go from being a despised POS which was getting good men killed to the (mostly) reliable rifle that we see today?...some 40-50 design changes?....over how many years?....?

On the other hand;
I do agree that Ruger coulda/shoulda done better with their Mini-14 than they've done over the years, but the thing is...Ruger knows that they've got that particular market cornered simply because no one else makes anything like it. I'd like to see that change one day because (just as has happened with the AR) a healthy dose of competition would eventualy make for a much better product.

Just sayin'.

DGW

 

[hickoryhillbill]

I must be the luckiest man in the gun world. I own 3 mini 14 and 1 mini 30. Never had the first problem with any of them. My 183 is 30 years old and has an untold number of rounds run through it by me and my 2 kids. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

 

[mrmike7189]

I'm always amazed to read these stories, especially since reliable, affordable AR-15 variants are everywhere....Why would anyone buy a Mini-14? Don't mean to start a flame war, but they have always had design and QA/QC troubles. I have owned 4 and really tried to find a "good one", but ended up selling them all to folks with more patience...

Not everyone wants a black rifle...i love the wood stock rifles. thinking of getting an M1 carbine too.
Plus AR15 variants have a lot of problems too....and the cheap ones.....well they they look kinda cheap.!