22/45 Fan said:
Coyote Hunter said:
The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto. Some loads may not cycle the action as reliably as others.
Not really. The majority of the rifles chambered in 300 Blackout are AR-15 variants so the reloads are intended for a semi-auto. The only ones I've seen that are reported to be marginal are the sub-sonic, heavy bullet loads that may require a suppressor to function properly.
So on one hand you say "not really" to my statement that "The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto", then you admit you've "seen" some loads reported to be marginal and may "require a suppressor to function properly".
That is self contradictory.
A data sheet provided to me in an email from Scott at Ramshot, dated 8/2/2012, states "Only the loads with heavy >210 grain bullets will cycle semi-auto weapons at subsonic levels. However this threshold is extremely marginal and the weapon gas system must be configured for such an operation." The only powders listed in the data sheet for sub-sonic data loads are 5744 and 1680. In other words, NONE of the loads listed may be reliable in semi-auto weapons. The loads listed in that datasheet include 8 of the 11 subsonic .300BLK loads listed in Western Powder's current "Reloading and Load Data Guide 6.0", including all the 5744 and 1680 loads. All that is missing is the 3 loads currently listed for LT-30.
But it isn't just sub-sonics that can have problems. Western Powder's "Reloading and Load Data Guide 6.0" has nine super-sonic loads for A-4100. The same data sheet referenced above also states "A-4100 will not cycle semi auto weapons reliably with bullets heavier than 155 gr". The only difference between the two datasheets is the addition of Barnes 110g TAC-TC and 130g TTSX. I suspect these loads, which only go to 155g, may also be marginal with barrels under the specified 16" length.
Manufacturers of bolt or single-shot rifles in .300 BLK include Ruger, Remington, Kimber and H&R. Loads that work very well in these rifles may or may not work reliably or at all in semi-autos.
To your question " Why would there be anything special about loads for the Ruger Ranch that wouldn't work in any other 300 Blackout rifle?" it is as exactly as I said - "The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto."
Yes, "really".