Mini 30 ejection

[xtratoy]

Do the MINI 30's share the same reputation as the MINI 14's for ejecting spent brass into the next county?

 

[WAYNO]

Mine all did.

 

[MikeJinVT]

My Mini-30 is about a year old and it does not eject empties as far as some Mini-14 rifles that I have seen. Some steel cased Russian ammo does eject farther, but the muzzle velocity is higher, hence higher pressure. I shot brass cased PPU, Fiocci and hand loads where the velocity was near 2350fps and these all landed within about 4 to 8 feet.

 

[xtratoy]

My Mini-30 is about a year old and it does not eject empties as far as some Mini-14 rifles that I have seen. Some steel cased Russian ammo does eject farther, but the muzzle velocity is higher, hence higher pressure. I shot brass cased PPU, Fiocci and hand loads where the velocity was near 2350fps and these all landed within about 4 to 8 feet.

Does you newer mini reliably ignite the steel case ammo? I have read where many have to buy an $70 aftermarket firing pin to get consistent ignition.

 

[WAYNO]

Does you newer mini reliably ignite the steel case ammo? I have read where many have to buy an $70 aftermarket firing pin to get consistent ignition.

Because of vastly different experiences and results, folks are pretty opinionated about their Mini 30's and their use with commie ammo.
First, my disclaimer...I don't prefer to use commie ammo, but for such a gun, it is a fair question to know if your gun will operate with steel cased ammo, especially if that's the only ammo you have available.
I have owned three different Mini 30's. Only one of them would operate reliably with steel case and Berdan primed ammo. Domestic 7.62x39 ammo is very expensive if you're not reloading, but there is another option. PPU ammo is half the price of domestic ammo, but twice the price of Wolf and similar ammo. So it's a compromise in price. If you're planning on blasting by the hundreds or thousands of rounds at the garbage dump, it's still expensive. But if you're gonna shoot it like a hunting rifle, occasionally at the range, and for a house or pickup gun, it is a great choice.
There is a feller locally that does a show on youtube with firearms.
He actually bought one of my Mini 30's that would not operate with steel cased ammo, and did some experiments to discover what would make the gun reliable with steel cased ammo. His conclusion? Other than lengthening the firing pin protrusion, there was no remedy. Heavier springs helped some, but still without 100% reliability. His results...


So why do some Mini 30's operate reliably and some not? Seems like stacked tolerances allow some firing pins to protrude more than others, from the factory. Those that protrude slightly more will ignite berdan primers, while those with less protrusion will not. And there's no way to know til you actually try a gun out with different ammo types.
If you're comfortable with PPU or domestic ammo only, the Mini 30 is a great choice.

 

[hittman]

The ammo sensitivity issue is why I've never seriously looked at buying a Mini 30.

Been an AK shooter for many years and stocked up on steel cased ammo way back when. You're right …. Around here brass cased 762x39 is hideously expensive …. And was even before "pandemic pricing".

Great videos BTW and love the Seahawks shirt! I'm a Seahawks fan stuck in the Midwest. LOL

 

[WAYNO]

The ammo sensitivity issue is why I've never seriously looked at buying a Mini 30.

Been an AK shooter for many years and stocked up on steel cased ammo way back when. You're right …. Around here brass cased 762x39 is hideously expensive …. And was even before "pandemic pricing".

Great videos BTW and love the Seahawks shirt! I'm a Seahawks fan stuck in the Midwest. LOL

And also the reason I don't own one now. I should'a kept the one I had that worked with Berdan primers. It gets expensive buying them just to test and see if you got one that's acceptable.

 

[hittman]

And I assume Ruger would fix that issue IF they thought there was a bigger market that would make the modification profitable.

 

[WAYNO]

I have researched this many times. There have been multiple suppliers of extended-length firing pins for the Mini's, with also multiple caveats... eg: Don't use them in a Mini 30, use them at your discretion, but the extended firing pin could pierce Boxer primers, some of these firing pins wedge themselves tightly in the firing pin hole of some bolts, etc.

Bottom line,.. As you, I wish Ruger would address this. I've owned both 7.62x39 and 5.56 chambered Ruger Americans, and they reliably ignite any and all primers, commie or domestic. If they can get it right with the American, and even with their AR, they oughta be able to figure it out with the Mini.

 

[MikeJinVT]

Does you newer mini reliably ignite the steel case ammo? I have read where many have to buy an $70 aftermarket firing pin to get consistent ignition.

My new Mini-30 does ignite Barnaul 125gr soft point steel cased ammo 100% of the time. I purchased the ammo to use in a CZ 527 but was pleasantly surprised to find that it functions in the Mini. Accuracy of that ammo leaves a bit to be desired though. Perhaps not all steel cased ammo would work as well.

 

[40nascar]

Do the MINI 30's share the same reputation as the MINI 14's for ejecting spent brass into the next county?

No, they are not as over-gassed as their .223/5.56 stable mate.

 

[40nascar]

Been an AK shooter for many years and stocked up on steel cased ammo way back when. You're right …. Around here brass cased 762x39 is hideously expensive …. And was even before "pandemic pricing".

I recently purchased some Belom Tactical 7.62 ammo from Target Sports USA. $9.00/20 and it's reloadable boxer/brass. That is cheaper than all .223/5.56 ammo I see around here. FYI, and the shipping is free with purchase of case quantities ( I believe a case of this is 480 rounds).