- GENERAL INFORMATION AND MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The Mini-14 Rifle is a gas operated, box magazine fed, semi-automatic
firearm. The Mini- 14 mechanism is composed of relatively few, rugged
components. Its breech and firing mechanism are held to minimum size and
weight by the efficient use of hardened chrome molybdenum steel. Music wire
coil springs are used throughout the mechanism to ensure reliability.
The Mini-14 Rifle resembles the U. S. Military Garand-type rifles in
outward appearance and in all basic mechanical principles. It is much smaller
than the Garand-type rifles and incorporates a number of minor mechanical
differences.
The 181, 182 and 183 serial number prefix Mini-14 Rifle includes changes
from the earlier Mini-14 Rifle. Therefore, when ordering parts or requesting
information. it is essential to give the entire serialnumber of your rifle.
The changes in the 18 I, 182 and 183 prefix rifle have been made primarily to
simplify the mechanism and to provide better protection of the action from
external dirt.
SAFETY
MECHANISM
The manual safety mechanism is located forward of the trigger as illustrated
in Figure A. The safety can be moved to "ON" (extreme rearward
position) only when the hammer is cocked. When the safety is "ON" it
blocks both the hammer and sear. WARN I NG: The user should never depend on a
safety mechanism or any other mechanical device to justify careless handling
or pointing the rifle in an unsafe direction. 
BOLT
LOCK MECHANISM
The Mini- 14 Rifle is designed so that the bolt remains open after the last
shot has bccn fired, provided there is a magazine in the rifle. When the
magazine is empty. the magazine follower actuates the bolt lock which is
designed to retain the bolt and slide in their rearward position.
WARNING: The bolt lock is not a safety device. It should not be used to hold
the bolt back when there are cartridges in the magazine. A slight jar to the
butt end of the rifle will cause the bolt lock to disengage and to feed a
cartridge into the chamber.
The bolt lock should be relied on only to hold the bolt in its rearward
position when the chamber is empty and an empty magazine is in place in the
action. The onl> purpose of the bolt lock is for convenience in the rapid
changing of magazines and for holding the bolt in its rearward position when
the rifle is unloaded forthe purpose of cleaning or inspection.
To release the slide (which allows the bolt to go forward) either:
1. Remove the magazine, draw the slide handle to the rear and release, or:
2. With the magazine in place, draw the slide handle fully to the rear. l'hcn
depress the
magazine follower slightly with the thumb and allow the slide to go forward.
To manually engage the bolt lock to keep the bolt open: I. Pull the slide
handle all the way to the rear.
2. Depress the bolt lock plunger and allow the slide to move forward until it
stops.
Disassembly
1. Hammer must be cocked and safety must be ON to disassemble or reassemble
rifle.
2. Remove the magazine by pushing catch forward to release magazine, while
drawing magazine down and forward (Figure Below).
3.
Pull the slide handle all the way to the rear and release. Put safety
"ON" (Figure Below). NOTE: Hammer must be cocked and safety must be
"ON" to accomplish disassembly and reassembly. 
4.
Use a 1/4" diameter steel rod, punch, screwdriver shank, or other
suitable instrument to spring open the trigger guard from its latched position
(Figure Below). 
5. Remove
trigger group (Figure Below). 
6.
Remove barrel / receiver asssembly from stock(Figure Below). 
7.
Remove recoil spring guide and recoil spring (Figure Below). 
CAUTION: The recoil spring is heavily compressed--use care when
disassembling and reassembling to prevent the recoil spring guide and spring
assembly from escaping forcibly and possibly causing injury.
8. Pull slide handle to the rear. Align locking projections on slide with
disassembly notch on receiver. Remove slide (Figure Below).
9. Pull the bolt forward until it can be pivoted out of receiver. Align
firing pin projection with slot in lower receiver bridge and remove bolt from
receiver (Figure Below)
.Further
disassembly of the Mini-14 Rifle is not required for normal cleaning purposes
and should only be performed by a person who is experienced in firearms
repair. Reassembly is accomplished in the reverse order of the Disassembly
sequence.
