Mini 14 ammo question

[Muddauber]

I have owned several Rugers for years but this is my first mini 14. It is a 195 series Ranch. Can anyone tell me if it will shoot 223 and 5.56 safely? Thanks


Muddauber

 

[blume357]

Yes, it will. Nothing to worry about..... Ruger even says so. It is actually a 5.56 rifle and they just label it as .223.

the concern in some rifles is if your chamber is actually cut for .223 then when shooting 5.56 there is a gap of some sort that creates 'unnatural' pressure and can rupture the bolt face, I think.

 

[Muddauber]

Thanks for the help. I have been trying to read up on the mini 14s and could not find clear information on the ammo. You have relieved my concerns. I feel the Ranch will fit in well with my Ruger Family of handguns.

Muddauber

 

[G2]

I have been trying to read up on the mini 14s and could not find clear information on the ammo.
Muddauber

Aaaaaa, Try page 11 of the instruction manual, It's FREE from Strum Ruger, , , , , and your gun says so. :roll:

OK. . . . Here's a little help. :wink:

http://ruger.com/products/_manuals/mini14-580.pdf

 

[Muddauber]

Thanks for the link to the manual. I will save it for when I can read it. I live in the prehistoric times of the internet. My dial up service is so slow I cannot read a pdf file. The only other option here is to use a sat. dish service that is way over priced. As long as I have my Rugers I am happy here.

 

[G2]

OK a little more help,

Give Ruger a call or drop them a note, they will mail you one. Have your SN# ready as your manual is somewhat sn# specific.

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
Customer Service Department
411 Sunapee Street
Newport, NH 03773

Telephone: 603-865-2442

 

[Muddauber]

Great idea. I will call Ruger and ask for a manual to be mailed to me. Thanks again for the help.

 

[maxpress]

They can also tell you what bullet weight will do best with your twist.

 

[Spike]

From my Mini-14 Instruction Manual:

"The RUGER® MINI-14® RIFLES are chambered for the .223 Remington
(5.56mm) cartridge. The Mini-14 Rifle is designed to use either standardized U.S.
military, or factory loaded sporting .223 (5.56mm) cartridges manufactured in
accordance with U.S. industry practice."

------------------------------------

The 5.56 mm NATO and .223 Remington cartridges and chamberings are similar but not identical. Military cases are generally made from thicker brass than commercial cases; this reduces the powder capacity (an important consideration for handloaders), and the NATO specification allows a higher chamber pressure. NATO EPVAT test barrels made for 5.56 mm NATO measure chamber pressure at the case mouth, as opposed to the location used by the United States civil standards organization SAAMI. The piezoelectric sensors or transducers NATO and SAAMI use to conduct the actual pressure measurements also differ. This difference in measurement method accounts for upwards of 137.9 MPa (20,000 psi) difference in pressure measurements. This means the NATO EPVAT maximum service pressure of 430 MPa (62,366 psi) for 5.56 mm NATO, is reduced by SAAMI to 379.21 MPa (55,000 psi) for .223 Remington. In contrast to SAAMI, the other main civil standards organization C.I.P. defines the maximum service and proof test pressures of the .223 Remington cartridge equal to the 5.56 mm NATO.

The 5.56 mm NATO chambering, known as a NATO or mil-spec chamber, has a longer leade, which is the distance between the mouth of the cartridge and the point at which the rifling engages the bullet. The .223 Remington chambering, known as SAAMI chamber, is allowed to have a shorter leade, and is only required to be proof tested to the lower SAAMI chamber pressure. To address these issues, various proprietary chambers exist, such as the Wylde chamber (Rock River Arms) or the ArmaLite chamber, which are designed to handle both 5.56 mm NATO and .223 Remington equally well. The dimensions and leade of the .223 Remington minimum C.I.P. chamber also differ from the 5.56 mm NATO chamber specification.

Using commercial .223 Remington cartridges in a 5.56 mm NATO chambered rifle should work reliably, but generally will not be as accurate as when fired from a .223 Remington chambered gun due to the longer leade. Using 5.56 mm NATO mil-spec cartridges (such as the M855) in a .223 Remington chambered rifle can lead to excessive wear and stress on the rifle and even be unsafe, and SAAMI recommends against the practice. Some commercial rifles marked as ".223 Remington" are in fact suited for 5.56 mm NATO, such as many commercial AR-15 variants and the Ruger Mini-14 (marked ".223 cal"), but the manufacturer should always be consulted to verify that this is acceptable before attempting it, and signs of excessive pressure (such as flattening or gas staining of the primers) should be looked for in the initial testing with 5.56 mm NATO ammunition[...]

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5.56x45mm_NATO#5.56mm_NATO_versus_.223_Remington)

Hope this is helpful.

-S