Well it's been a few weeks of fun but I finally got my new to me Mini-14 back from Ruger today and got her put into her new outfit.
With her Grandmother..
There is a little story behind this. I traded for this rifle a few weeks ago. I took it to the range the first weekend and shot a mag through it. On the second mag I noted the rear site had shaken loose so OK it works but no more shooting today. I've heard of this happening to others on the new generation of Ranch Rifles so I wasn't particularly concerned. I would just take it home and Loctite it.
Also being used I didn't get the rail or rings that it came with originally from the factory. This is the "Tactical" model and did in fact come drilled and tapped to accept a special rail only Ruger makes. It's a bit more solid than the aftermarket ones that go on the scope mounts. Problem is you can't buy them anywhere so I planned to call Ruger the next Monday and see if they'd sell me a rail. The rings are easy to find.
So then Sunday night I decide I want to check the trigger pull weight on my gauge. Three trigger pulls went fine but when I went to cycle it and do the 4th the bolt wouldn't open it was jammed and I could hear something rattling inside. After some fiddling I got the offending loose piece to shake out of the way enough to get the bolt to cylce and be able to open the action. When I pulled out the trigger pack out fell about 3/4 of the firing pin.
Now THAT isn't supposed to happen! So I called Ruger and they told me I had to send it in to them. They even paid the shipping. They sent it back fixed with, according to their repair report, a new firing pin, recoil spring, adjusted slide and new barrel. Now I didn't see anything wrong with the old barrel and trust me I looked before accepting the trade so I don't know if they do that as a matter of course or if it was needed but I am glad to have a new barrel.
They also sent me the rail, a set of 1" rings, and a spare fitted firing pin I asked if they could send in case this happens again. Go RUGER! Color me impressed. I won't have time to shoot it before the weekend but I am psyched.
This is what it looked like in it's original tacti-kewl adjusting fold-able stock if you're interested;
I think the new one is much more fitting of a Garand action rifle. It's also a little lighter.