Mini 14, .223 or 5.56?

[Captain America]

My Mini 14 is on the way and I am an absolute newbie to the .223 and 5.56 cartridges. My plan is to get several types of ammo and see what my results are but I would like to hear what you guys are using. My shooting will be at the range for fun, no varmint hunting, also, what are your thoughts on the cheap steel cased ammo. Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[DGW1949]

Mine has seen nothing but (Federal) LC XM193 and LC XM-855 NATO-spec ammo, both of which is bought in case lots.
Of the two, XM-855 can usually be counted on to be the most accurate in my particular Mini-14. "Usually" meaning that the difference in the two aint all that great to start with, so variances between a specific lot of one and a specific lot of the other has sometimes flipped my test results.
So how accurate is "accurate"?....My particular Mini can be counted on to place 5-shot groups of either some where between 2-3 MOA, (again) depending. Yeah, I know that that don't sound like much. On the other hand (and all the wild claims from the AR crowd not withstanding), that is about all that can one can expect from NATO-spec ammo because that's about all it's capable of.

As for your "steel ammo" question.....FWIW I don't use it, aint going to use it, and Ruger says not to use it. But hey, I aint you. If you've got a use for it, give it a whirl.

Hope this helped.

DGW

 

[hittman]

Steel cased ammo is for AK's.

Personally, I would not use steel cased ammo in any Mini 14 or AR platform. Never seen or heard anything good to come from it.

Others may disagree .........

 

[pisgah]

According to the manual, the Mini-14 is designed to use either military (5.56) or civilian (.223) ammo. Please avoid the all-too-common newbie habit of not reading the manual cover to cover before disassembling or shooting, and enjoy your new rifle.

 

[Captain America]

Ironically I got an email from Dick's last night and the LC XM193 is on sale($44 for 120 rounds) and I have a $10 off coupon so I picked up 240 rounds last night...thanks guys!

 

[blume357]

As far as I can tell the steel cased stuff is cheap commie stuff that they like to pawn off on us. I'd stick with made in America brass....

 

[TomV]

Although I like the (Federal) LC XM193 best, Walmart sells Federal 223 boxes of 100 rounds for $37. It is good shooting ammo for general target and field shooting.

 

[amishjeff]

Just a curiosity... Are all Mini-14s 5.56?. I ask because I am looking at some that state .223 on rear receiver . Therefore, 5.56 not recommended.. Am I missing something or is the .223 just for the pre 2005 models?

 

[hittman]

Some answers here …..

https://www.rugerforum.com/threads/mini-14.307102/
Yes, made marked both ways. Check your owners manual too.

 

[Mobuck]

In my experience, there's no commonality as to 'accuracy' levels between 5.56 and .223. In my tests, SOME 5.56 showed velocities around 100 fps over .223 in the same rifle(same brand and type of ammo just different lettering on box). Individual rifles were more accurate with one or the other but this wasn't across the board. My primary test base for these comments is Hornady 55 grain HP match which is sold in both .223 and 5.56 options of the same ammo. When 55 grain FMJ Federal and PMC 5.56 vs .223 was tested, neither was consistently accurate enough to prove any difference.
Steel case ammo? One brand/type I can say is worthwhile is Hornady 'STEEL MATCH' 55 grain HP. I've used this for years in my EDC AR w/o a single problem. Topnotch accuracy, 100% functionality, and OK(ish) performance on varmints. I've even killed a few deer with it using neck shots.
I'm just not a fan of FMJ ammo. It beats up steel targets, has an increased potential for ricochets, and often is bottom of the heap accuracy wise. Just my opinions.