quote:

https://www.luckygunner.com/la...vs-steel-cased-ammo/

^^Hmmm, interesting article...

*Polymer coatings cause more jams than lacquer. (Surprising)

*Bimetal jackets cause more bore wear than copper (Not surprising)

*If you want accurate, reliable ammo, buy Federal (Not surprising)

*You will probably save money in the long run by shooting steel-case ammo over brass, even factoring in barrel replacements. (Not really surprising)

Love me a Mini! Got this one at the PX in 29 back in '96 or so. Never put it on a bench but just did some 'pie plate' plinking with it. Totally reliable. In 2010 I added a SOCOM Accu-Strut. Half for the look and half for the accuracy factor. Still haven't benched it but It will hit a 10" paper plate all day at 100yds. That's really all I have asked of it so I'm happy. I think the SOCOM strut got shorter since I bought this one but I'm glad I got the longer one. Mates with the 18" barrel nicely.

The seller has another wood stock mini also for $600. I’m gonna buy that also and resell to cut my costs down. The good part is he said he wants me to buy all his 223 ammo if he sells both to me since he won’t have use for it. No idea how many rounds of price yet. But looking forward to it. Maybe if he has a lot of brass case the. I’ll sell my Wolf.

quote:

But anyone know if it's lacquer coated?

Not without more information or maybe a picture. The polymer coated I’ve had is matte medium gray while the lacquer coated is a shiny greenish/yellowish mud brown. There are pictures on the internet.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
*If you want accurate, reliable ammo, buy Federal (Not surprising)

Compared to the other types tested, Federal was both more accurate and more reliable. Federal's reliability over Wolf and Brown Bear is expected, for those who have seen a lot of rounds put down range. But it's a real stretch to use the word "accurate" to describe Federal's performance of 3-4 MOA. This is 55-graim FMJ ammo, and fairly inexpensive ammo to boot. Until the barrels began to show some wear, all the ammo showed similarly unspectacular accuracy.

I've found that many brands of brass-cased copper/lead bullet factory 55-grain ball shoot similarly. Some brands may do a little better in some barrels, but all suck for precision shooting. If a person wants accurate ammo, then he must go beyond 55-grain FMJ. This means quality ammo using HPBT and plastic-tipped bullets. Bullet weights can still be 55 grains or so, but generally the better bullets will be in the 69 to 77-grain ballpark. As for brand names of accurate and reliable ammo, Federal is just one -- there are definitely others.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
*You will probably save money in the long run by shooting steel-case ammo over brass, even factoring in barrel replacements. (Not really surprising)

If cost is one's only concern, then this is true. If accuracy is a primary concern, then a different evaluation method is required. The Lucky Gunner folks shot ammo rapidly -- fast enough to get the barrels extremely hot. There was no criteria for accuracy during these extended strings. No precision shooter would do this repeatedly.

The Lucky Gunner folks tested ammo for accuracy only every 2,000 rounds. A gun owner who is concerned about accuracy will continuously evaluate down-range performance. And if the shooter is really concerned with accuracy, he will probably pull .223 barrels at no more than 5,000 or 6,000 rounds. For a shooter focusing on accuracy, it doesn't matter if the steel-cased bi-metal ammo and a shot-to-shit barrel is cheaper. If the rifle/ammo/shooter cannot reliably hit the target with one round, then the system's utility is minimal.

Here's a chart showing twist rates vs. bullet weights for the .223/5.56

The comment about Federal reflects my personal satisfaction with their products, a viewpoint that was supported by the results of the study. However, I agree that 3-4 MOA is not especially accurate from an overall standpoint, and should have said something like, "the Federal cartridge lived up to its reputation for accuracy and reliability".

In fact, for accuracy I generally shoot Federal's 50-grain open-tip round (AE223G). It is twice as accurate as their 55-grain FMJ, but not that much more expensive.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kkina,

I had a couple Mini-14's back in the 80's but the accuracy was disappointing ... when compared to an AR, so they never hung around long and after a couple of them I just gave up.

Fast Forward about 30 years ...

I saw this stainless at a local show and kept trying to walk away but it kept calling me back. Since those early days, I've gotten more tolerant about accuracy and while its still not AR accurate, it's easily a 4moa gun ... with Russian ammo.

By the way, all I shoot in it is 62 grain Silver Bear which is Russian and while I've only put a couple hundred rounds through it in the Mini, I've put many thousands in other rifles with zero issues.

Besides, I my 10-22TD needed company

I've got a bunch...went from none to more than I recall very quickly lol. These are all pre-ban side-folders (not Samson repro stocks)

For those who never heard what Bill Ruger himself said about the Mini 14, or for those who heard but forgot, I'll repeat it.

He said "It's the world's most expensive plinker."

He also said civvies didn't need standard capacity magazines (i.e. over 10rds)

This thread reminded me that I haven't shot mine in a minute, so I took it out yesterday, along with a Garand. I shot them prone at 100...grouped 3-4" with the Garand. The first target with the mini was about 4.5", after that it grouped consistently around 6". A tack driver it's not, but I still like it.

Both guns were also certainly limited somewhat by the shooter, and the mini could also benefit from more precise sights.

Shot my 196-series today. Did OK. The upper group was with a 75 yard zero (which places about an inch or so high at 50 yards). The lower group was with a 50 yard zero.

Not the best I've ever shot, but my eyes aren't what they used to be. The lower 5-shot group was 7/8", with a 3-shot sub-group at 1/4" (love it when the holes touch).

RIFLE: Mini-14
SIGHT: Eotech 552
RANGE: 50 yards
AMMO: Federal AE 50-grain JHP


06-24-2021 Target - 1 by kpkina, on Flickr


196 Mini Eotech - 1 by kpkina, on Flickr