Some folks seem to be convinced that the real problem with the Mini-30 igniting Berdan primed ammo reliably, isn't that the firing pin doesn't strike hard enough, but that it doesn't protrude far enough when struck by the hammer to make a deep enough indention to reliably ignite a Berdan primer. If that is the case, wouldn't a gunsmith be able to adjust this by taking a little metal off the surface of the firing pin which stops its forward movement? According to one of the threads I saw, supposedly the firing pins on AKs protrude further upon being struck by the hammer, than the ones on Mini-30s do. And since AKs reliably shoot Boxer primed 7.62x39 without puncturing the primers, maybe some Mini-30 firing pin "fitting" would solve this whole ammo issue. Seems like if adjusting the depth of the firing pin impression would do the trick there wouldn't be any downsides, except that Ruger would put it back to stock if one had to send the gun in for factory work. Any gunsmiths want to comment? GunDoc?

BTW, I feel a little foolish that I hadn't read back to the start of this thread till now and realized Adjuster had brought this up already.

not a 'smith and don't pertain to be one or a ruger rep but you may be on to something
a stick-out of a few thou more may make lot of difference. say .010 or so?

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As a Mini-14 owner I who doesn't have a Mini-30 (yet), I can't spend the time right now looking into this. However, it shouldn't be that hard to find the AK-47 spec for how far the firing pin protrudes from the bolt face when it is struck by its hammer. Any good Mini gunsmith, - GunDoc, the ASI guy Carl?, no doubt there are others, ought to know if it is safe from the stand point of avoiding slam fires, to grind the shoulder of the firing pin on a Mini-30 to make it punch primers to the same depth as the one on an AK does. The AK has a firing pin spring and the Mini does not. It may not be safe to allow the Mini firing pin which doesn't have a return spring, to have more travel. I sure don't know that answer. Ultimately that may be why Ruger has never set up the Mini-30 to fire the hard primed Berdan machine gun ammo.

The way it looks to me is that the Mini firing pins forward travel is blocked by the tail of the pin until the bolt rotates into the locked position. That would probably slow or stop any forward momentum of the pin so it would not likely slam fire. I also believe firing pin protrusion is set by that tail on the firing pin.

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I am no expert but when I was looking at the bolt recently, it seemed that what you are saying about the 90 degree tail on the bolt restraining forward motion is true until the bolt goes into battery. At that point, I believe that tail on the firing pin, lines up with a slot that lets the firing pin travel forward when struck. I thought what stops the forward motion are the shoulders of the firing pin coming into contact with the front of the bolt?

you're right myname - that's why it's important to clean the bolt innerds some debris may lodge there to restrict pin travel.
I drop mine into a small plastic bottle with kero inside and shake it arouind well. seems to work ok.

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Thanks for sharing Mtn William!Now I can dig my Mini 30 out of the safe and change out the springs and have a go at shooting ComBloc ammo.I have seen with my own eyes,a member at our shooting range firing ComBloc ammo out of his Mini 30 with no problems.Please dont take a file to your firing pin folks!As it has already been stated firing pins are heat treated.It is the bolt not the firing pin that gets fitted to set the proper firing pin depth.A while back someone posted here about trimming the bolt down a few thousandths to get a bit more depth from the firing pin.Seems to have worked for him.

BTW, I haven't gotten around to shooting my Mini yet. I missed the opportunity to shoot at my local range's 'rifle night' so I'll have to wait another week or so. Anyway, I'll update you guys when I finally get around to shooting it.

1) My Mini 30 has yet to have any problems shooting military surplus/berdan primed 7.62x39.
2) The hammer has plenty of inertia to drive the pin. A heavy spring only bangs things around more than they need to be in my view.
3) Buffers have caused me no issues. I use home made ones, cut from "Earls" blue automotive hose, and they work excellent. A foot of hose makes more buffers than you will ever need. I cut mine with a sharp wide razor, just eyeball it for how thick, and they work excellent. The high temp silicone reinforced hose holds up well too.
4) The SKS and AK's don't puncture primers, yet from what I've seen, the Mini's tend to have a short pin depth from Ruger in many cases. (Again, mine is fine so far, but if I have problems, I will check for debris build up, or pin depth first, before any spring changes to a weapon that does not need more spring in my opinion.)

I must point out that my Mini 30 never was shot by me until after the action was tuned, polished and cleaned up from what the factory put out. The prior owner had only shot this rifle a few times, if that, there was zero signs of any wear at any of the normal spots on this design. The trigger is smooth, breaks clean, and has little over travel and pre-travel. (Few seconds with a grinder in the right place, make sure it still works as a catch and re-set for the hammer, no auto fire, no slam fire etc.) Few moments with the right diamond files and India stones, and it was good to go.

I doubt that cured any pin issues, but my Mini 30 is so far, zero problems shooting hard primer military surplus. (And that's what I bought it for, a stainless steel, corrosion resistant auto matic rifle for shooting Russian/Com Bloc cheap ammo.)