Not as easy as it looks

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  • willtill

    The Dude Abides
    MDS Supporter
    May 15, 2007
    24,312
    I had recently acquired a Ruger Mini 14 as some of you know... and have no issues taking it apart... except for dissembling the bolt itself. Ruger recommends that you do not disassemble the bolt unless you're a qualified gunsmith... well since there are no qualified gunsmiths near me in central Maryland.. I decide to do it myself.

    I've been wanting to dissemble that bolt only because I wanted to give it a thorough cleaning... seeing how the rest of the gun was filthy when I bought it... even brand new :sad20:

    There is a helpful Youtube video showing how to do this... simple enough you would think:



    1. It is a pure exercise in futility to get a screwdriver in; to depress that detent enough to slide the extractor out. But I finally got it done.

    2. It is ANOTHER pure exercise in futility to get that detent to seat back into the extractor notch when reassembling it. It just would not seat; seemed to be hung up at the very point where it would just pop in. I ended up filing a very small amount on the sides of the extractor notch and in finally was able to "pop in".

    I am sure that as the spring wears, it will be a little easier in the future to disassemble this Mini 14 bolt if needed. At least I got it cleaned, it was as I expected.. very filthy in the firing pin channel. :rolleyes:

    I slept better last night... knowing that I finally was able to completely clean my newest firearm acquisition. :thumbsup:


    .
     

    engineerbrian

    JMB fan club
    Sep 3, 2010
    10,148
    Fredneck
    I had recently acquired a Ruger Mini 14 as some of you know... and have no issues taking it apart... except for dissembling the bolt itself. Ruger recommends that you do not disassemble the bolt unless you're a qualified gunsmith... well since there are no qualified gunsmiths near me in central Maryland.. I decide to do it myself.

    I've been wanting to dissemble that bolt only because I wanted to give it a thorough cleaning... seeing how the rest of the gun was filthy when I bought it... even brand new :sad20:

    There is a helpful Youtube video showing how to do this... simple enough you would think:

    1. It is a pure exercise in futility to get a screwdriver in; to depress that detent enough to slide the extractor out. But I finally got it done.

    2. It is ANOTHER pure exercise in futility to get that detent to seat back into the extractor notch when reassembling it. It just would not seat; seemed to be hung up at the very point where it would just pop in. I ended up filing a very small amount on the sides of the extractor notch and in finally was able to "pop in".

    I am sure that as the spring wears, it will be a little easier in the future to disassemble this Mini 14 bolt if needed. At least I got it cleaned, it was as I expected.. very filthy in the firing pin channel. :rolleyes:

    I slept better last night... knowing that I finally was able to completely clean my newest firearm acquisition. :thumbsup:


    .


    Looks like that project shouldn't have taken you longer than 2 minutes and 11 seconds. How many hours did you have in it? :lol2:
     

    willtill

    The Dude Abides
    MDS Supporter
    May 15, 2007
    24,312
    Looks like that project shouldn't have taken you longer than 2 minutes and 11 seconds. How many hours did you have in it? :lol2:

    :sad20: I probably screwed with it for a little over two hours. Seriously... this has been the most challenging disassembly that I've ever encountered. Even with all of the weaponry I worked on when when I was an armorer in the military... I never had such a stubborn part as this frikken Mini 14 bolt.

    Maybe it was just a one off... but I did conquer it in the end. :)



    .
     

    willtill

    The Dude Abides
    MDS Supporter
    May 15, 2007
    24,312
    Just let us know how it works when you take it back to the range!


    The extractor appears to articulate correctly. Most surely I will post later if it has an issue. I don't think any adverse issues will be encountered though. She's back together properly.



    .
     

    Ranchero50

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 15, 2012
    5,411
    Hagerstown MD
    So this is a dip in cleaning solution and blow out with compressed air piece? That's how I do most bolts and it seems to work well.
     

    DutchV

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2012
    4,702
    I'd have tried a trip through the ultrasonic cleaner. The one from Harbor Freight does okay.
     

    willtill

    The Dude Abides
    MDS Supporter
    May 15, 2007
    24,312
    So this is a dip in cleaning solution and blow out with compressed air piece? That's how I do most bolts and it seems to work well.

    I think I will adopt that procedure next time. I did want to get it disassembled at least once though, so I could eyeball everything.

    At least extractors, detents and springs are cheap, and can be found easily and replaced (if damaged or lost) for the Mini 14.


    .
     

    dist1646

    Ultimate Member
    May 1, 2012
    8,758
    Eldersburg
    This is why the M1/M1A bolt tool was invented. I don't know if it would work on a mini 14 though.

    I don't think the M1/M1A tool will work with a Mini14 bolt, due to differences in dimensions. At any rate, all the M1A tool has to remove the extractor is essentially a punch.
    Yes, I had to go and dig mine out to be sure my memory was correct on how the extractor is removed when using it.:D
     

    Pale Ryder

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 12, 2009
    6,232
    Millersville
    Gun Scrubber followed by Rem Oil.
     

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    willtill

    The Dude Abides
    MDS Supporter
    May 15, 2007
    24,312
    Now...

    I do remember another bolt that I had huge issues with in the past. That frikken SKS firing pin retaining pin in the bolt itself. Wholly Keerist on a crutch... I bent TWO punches trying to drive that damned thing out. :sad20:


    I have another SKS still slathered in cosmo in the safe... it will just stay that way until one day I get up the gumption to take it out of it's long. long, long sleep and turn attention to it's bolt.

    .
     

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