Mini 14 ammo questions

[Austin93906]

Im shooting a fresh mini 14, and have put many rounds through it. Anyone have any suggestions on what type of ammo will group best in my mini? New model with a 1 in 9 twist rate. Ive been shooting 55 grain ammo fairly accuratly, but anyone know how itd handle anything else?

[THT]

Only one way to find out...feed it different stuff and see how it does. You could try going as high as 75gr...my old RRA upper w/ a 1:9 barrel would stabilize 75gr TAP.

[Austin93906]

Thanks, that gives me a few more options away from the 55gr area. Im thinking ill try some 62gr russian stuff to just see how it handles it

[gregorylucas]

I've never had good luck with Wolf ammo in my Mini, seems to jam quite a bit. I think it's the laquered casings, anything brass seems to shoot fine. I shot a bunch of Winchester silver tips and I REALLY liked those. Kinda expensive tho.

[professionalcoyotehunter]

I like the Federal XM193.

[Austin93906]

My mini has no probs with jamming. For the first 200 rounds it did, every other round failed ejecy or so but now it eats it all. The only problems ive had with wolf are the hollow points group so horribly lol but thts the least of my worries because ill never use wolf for serious hunting. Ill try the federal or the winchester next tho, thanks for the tips!

[Jonathan Doe]

I have shot Remington and Winchester 55 grain SP ammo with a good result.

[Plisk]

I believe 55gr is what is reccomended for a 1/9 twist. Like others have said, try new ammo. See what works.

[tomd1584]

I wouldnt try russian 62 gr. if you're looking for better grouping.

[professionalcoyotehunter]

[Austin93906]

Alright, so ill test more 55gr loads thn

[coop44]

shilen has a good chart on .223 barrels showing which bullet weight ranges are best for the twist of your barrel, 1/9 i think will stabilize up to a 70 grain slug, for heavier go 1/7. personally I think length is also a factor.

also a factor is your rifle type, the mini is a fine rifle but if you are expecting moa accuracy out of it i wouldn't count on it.

[3GunFunShooter]

I used Federal American Eagle 55 gr.
Good Groups. Stay away from the Wolf.

[sholling]

I shoot 55gr bulk Remington 223 or bulk XM193 in mine, but as someone else said don't expect MOA accuracy from a Mini because they weren't designed for it. They were designed to be very reliable and have good enough accuracy for their purpose... home defense, plinking, and predator control. You should be able to get roughly 2-3" at 100yds for the first 3 shots but after that the barrel heats up and starts throwing off the point of impact. The other problem is barrel harmonics that cause that thin barrel to whip around. The final problem is the heavy trigger. Enjoy it for what it is - a solid reliable home defense rifle, back country plinker and predator control carbine. Note that this is where 1 or 2 members usually jump in and claim that their box stock mini holds dime sized groups all day at 500yds shooting Wolf over open sights. I've shot quite a few minis for a lot of years and I don't buy it and you shouldn't either. Feed it decent ammo and enjoy it for what it is.

FWIW there are ways to improve accuracy but the good ones aren't cheap. For example accuracy struts are a popular place to start with some of the folks over on perfect union (the home of Mini fanatics). Or if you want it done right without the expense and weight of a target barrel then John (aka GunDoc) up at Great Western Gunsmithing is one of the few recognized experts on the subject and usually has a long backlog of customers waiting for his services. I had him rework one that I've had for 20-some years and the difference is huge but it's still not a target rifle. Anyway start with decent ammo.

[rmcelroy]

i have a new one and have run 40grn through it and some 62 with no problem