another mini 14 problem

[rick35ovi]

A friend of mine has a mini 14 with a unique problem, after he fires around 65 to 70 round the bolt locks up! it wont move forward or backwards and is about a half inch away from fully closing. Now here is the kicker, after the rifle sits for a while he is able to move the bolt by hand with no problem, it's like the rifle is overheating and locking up but at the range he is shooting at he is not allowed to fire as fast as he wants to, there has to be a noticeble pause between each round fired. That being the case, i wouldn't think the rifle would get too hot to fire, especially after only 60 or 70 rds, It acts like something is overheating and warping causing it to lock up but i just don't think thats tha problem, Any thoughts?

 

[Mac's!]

The first thing I would check is the gas syetm. The Mini-14 has an operating rod that slides over the gas tube as it's going into battery. Just before the bolt closes all of the way, the gas "plug" slides into the hole/port at the front of the rod. (Charging handle rod) I would check that for damage or crud buildup.

To eliminate any issues with the trigger unit, as soon as it locks up, remove the trigger unit. If that frees it up, look there for problems. You can also narrow down the problem by checking if the operating rod/charging handle has any forward and/or rearward play. In other words: If the bolt is locked up for some reason, you will be able to move the charging handle forward/rearward a small amount. If the charging handle is solid with no forward/rearward movement, see the first part of this post. Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
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