New Mini-14 Ranch Rifle, 5.56 ammo suggestions?

[DJM007]

Hey everyone, been a while since I last made a post. But I anticipate I'll be on here a lot more since I just made my second Ruger purchase (which also happens to be my first centerfire rifle purchase).

Just bought myself a 5.56mm Mini-14 Ranch Rifle NIB. Almost still dumbfounded that the very first gun shop I walked into, and I managed to snag the very last one they had (besides the one on the display rack).

Since this will be my first time owning (or even firing) a 5.56mm rifle, I was hoping I could get some suggestions on good reliable personal defense ammo, as well as good and economical target-shooting ammo for it.

I have read that the gun prefers nothing lighter than a 55gr. round in most cases (otherwise anything lighter and the rounds start to go in all directions when fired). But beyond that, haven't read any good cases for one particular brand and load over another.

I know the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation uses the Mini-14 as it's main rifle. Anyone know what brand/load their ammo is?

Any advice for a first-time Ruger rifle owner would be much appreciated. Apologies if this belongs in the Factory Ammunition and Reloading section, but am not planning on using reloaded ammo and figured I might reach a wider range of expertise here.

 

[south_ridge]

I think you will like the mini-I really like mine.

I typically shoot Hornady custom 55-grain v-maxes when I'm coyote hunting with mine. They run about $1/round most places.

A good practice round that shoots to approximately the same POI for me is the Hornady 55-grain FMJBT, or 55-grain SP rounds. They can typically be found in 50-round boxes for a shade over $25. They seem to be reliable and reasonably accurate for me.

SR

 

[south_ridge]

I think you will like the mini-I really like mine.

I typically shoot Hornady custom 55-grain v-maxes when I'm coyote hunting with mine. They run about $1/round most places.

A good practice round that shoots to approximately the same POI for me is the Hornady 55-grain FMJBT, or 55-grain SP rounds. They can typically be found in 50-round boxes for a shade over $25. They seem to be reliable and reasonably accurate for me.

SR

 

[96/44]

Mine shoots really well with the Winchester value pack 45gr hollow points. Not as cheap as mil surplus or steel cased, but reasonable for a quality factory load. PMC X-tac 62gr is pretty good also. You really won't know until you try some different loads, I would get a bunch of different 20rd boxes and see what she will do. As far as defensive ammo, you will get a lot of different opinions, but IMO anything with an expanding or fragmenting bullet is going to do what needs doing at defensive distances.

 

[DGW1949]

Aint no "good and economical target shooting ammo" these days.
About the best you're going to do is about .40 per round (shipped) for "good" ammo, and that's if you buy in bulk and shop carefully.
On the other side of that equasion though, that .40 per pop will buy some perty-dern good Federal/Lake City 5.56 NATO ammo. Presently both the 55Grn(M193) and the 62Grn(M855) can be had for the same price. Either will work quite nicely as SD ammo....the difference in the two primarily being that the M193 will tumble/fragment inside the bad guy more reliably than the M855....but...the M855 will shoot through more "stuff" while in-route to the intended target.
FWIW, the M855 seems to hold a slight accuracy edge over the M193 in my particular Mini-14.

Winchester markets simular loads, as-does PMC and IMI. There's also a few others. Be aware though, that without the NATO cross on the headstamp, there's no telling what the actual velocities and presures might be. In other words, all 5.56 aint created equal. Interestingly enough, some brands of lessor 5.56 actualy cost more than the "good stuff".

There's also a bunch of "good".223 available that will work perfectly fine in your Min too, but from what I've seen lately, it's running .15-.50 more per round than 5,56 ....unless you wana pay over a dollar a pop for the latest 'n greatest designer-ammo. :shock: .

http://www.gunbot.net is your friend.

DGW

 

[Buckeye Bill]

DJM007,

Congratulations on your new Ruger Mini. They are great rifles that will last a long time. I notice you said that it was NIB.

Can you share the serial number Prefix? The first three numbers of the serial number.

Did you get wood or synthetic stock?

The Mini's that I have been around like the 55 grain ammunition but do not limit your options. You will just have to get out there with a sand bag and bench and do some testing.

The new 580, 581 and 582 prefix number rifles that I have shot seem to need a little break in to start smoothing out. The trigger and action at first seems rough but after 300 to 500 rounds, you will see marked improvement.

Bill

 

[DJM007]

DJM007,

Congratulations on your new Ruger Mini. They are great rifles that will last a long time. I notice you said that it was NIB.

Can you share the serial number Prefix? The first three numbers of the serial number.

Did you get wood or synthetic stock?

The Mini's that I have been around like the 55 grain ammunition but do not limit your options. You will just have to get out there with a sand bag and bench and do some testing.

The new 580, 581 and 582 prefix number rifles that I have shot seem to need a little break in to start smoothing out. The trigger and action at first seems rough but after 300 to 500 rounds, you will see marked improvement.

Bill

Thanks Bill Yeah the prefix is 582 so it's fresh out of the factory. It's the blued version with synthetic stock so it's all-black, except for the trigger which is stainless. I never understood why Ruger doesn't offer a blued trigger to match the action and receiver like on the old pre-2005 GB blued models. I'd like to find an old Mini-14 trigger in blue to install in my Mini to make the color uniform.

I've been doing some research on ammo and it is sounding like the traditional M193 5.56mmx45 55gr. FMJ will work all-around for all-purposes. It's cheap for target practice, and has a reputation for yawing and tumbling once it hits soft tissue so it causes massive wound channels at close range (even more so than JHP 5.56mm rounds some sources say) and less potential for overpenetration through walls.

Any thoughts folks?

 

[Buckeye Bill]

DJM007,

Take some time to study the rear sight and how the adjustments work. It is not a precise method but understanding how it works will make getting it zeroed in much easier.

Might I suggest that you do some shooting and complete the break in and zero of the rifle before addressing the trigger color issue.

After you get some rounds down range, take it down and take a look at the trigger group.

I have been to the armor course twice over the years and breaking down the trigger group is not hard but it does require some instruction and attention to detail. Pins and springs that have got to be reassembled correctly or the rifle will not function.

Coating the trigger would be best IMHO because you will still be using the trigger that came with the rifle from the factory.

I currently do not own a mini but I get to perform services on them each week on the job.

I think that the rifles that are leaving Ruger now are the best ever. Not perfect but the best so far. 8)

Shoot it and clean it and repeat.

Keep us posted on how it is performing for you and post a picture or two of the rifle and targets.

Bill

 

[DGW1949]

........................I've been doing some research on ammo and it is sounding like the traditional M193 5.56mmx45 55gr. FMJ will work all-around for all-purposes. It's cheap for target practice, and has a reputation for yawing and tumbling once it hits soft tissue so it causes massive wound channels at close range (even more so than JHP 5.56mm rounds some sources say) and less potential for overpenetration through walls.

Any thoughts folks?

I think you're on the right track.
Lake City M193 is what I used to break-in (and learn) my own 582 series. It seems to shoot rather well out of Ruger's 1-9 twist barrel and I figure that it'll do about as good as any for most uses that I'd put a Mini-14 to.

DGW

 

[blume357]

If you can get Lake City ammo in bulk that is probably the best for 'stump thumping'.... I like Georgia Arms factory reloads if you can get it... packed loose in 500 round cans. My personal opinion is to stay away from foreign stuff... especially Russian.... no telling what the powder is made from in that stuff.

 

[DGW1949]

If you can get Lake City ammo in bulk that is probably the best for 'stump thumping'.... I like Georgia Arms factory reloads if you can get it... packed loose in 500 round cans. My personal opinion is to stay away from foreign stuff... especially Russian.... no telling what the powder is made from in that stuff.

I looked at the Georgia Arms website.
Presently, they're getting $430 per K plus shipping for reloaded .223, which when run through their calclator, came to $465 shipped to my door. As of this morning, Lake City 5.56 is still available for $399.99 per K, which includes the shipping.
To be fair, the GA Arms' reloads come packed inside two ammo cans, while the LC-stuff is packed inside a big cardboard box.
Assumeing that all else concerning the two rounds is equal, $65 still seems like a lot to pay for two ammo cans.

On the other hand, I've never used any GA Arms ammo, so it could be that I'm missing something here?

DGW

 

[DJM007]

If you can get Lake City ammo in bulk that is probably the best for 'stump thumping'.... I like Georgia Arms factory reloads if you can get it... packed loose in 500 round cans. My personal opinion is to stay away from foreign stuff... especially Russian.... no telling what the powder is made from in that stuff.

I looked at the Georgia Arms website.
Presently, they're getting $430 per K plus shipping for reloaded .223, which when run through their calclator, came to $465 shipped to my door. As of this morning, Lake City 5.56 is still available for $399.99 per K, which includes the shipping.
To be fair, the GA Arms' reloads come packed inside two ammo cans, while the LC-stuff is packed inside a big cardboard box.
Assumeing that all else concerning the two rounds is equal, $65 still seems like a lot to pay for two ammo cans.

On the other hand, I've never used any GA Arms ammo, so it could be that I'm missing something here?

DGW

Yeah I've read that if you're concerned about quality control of your ammo (which is why I'll never use Wolf or Brown/Silver/Gold Bear ammo or any of that former Eastern-Bloc ammo), reloaded ammo may not be the best choice since you never really know what you're getting (unless you reload it yourself by hand).

 

[mishtub]

A very long article about a torture test using different types of ammo that may help you. It does have some shortcuts in the article to some questions.
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/#bookmark5