Posted on 11/02/2001 7:08:49 PM PST by Don Myers
This is a pure vanity. We have been doing a lot of talking about terrorism and the "war." I have two Ruger Mini 14s. Well, one is a Ranch Rifle and one is a Mini 14. They are virtually the safe rifle with minor differences. I have not even been able to fire them yet. A local police agency turned them in to a local gun store. I think that I should have bought more of them. The Ranch rifle has a scope.
Anyway, I am sure there are many of you who have these guns. I am curious as to what you think about the suitability of the gun and the ammo in a self-defense role in which rifles may be used. There may be a time when a rifle may be necessary to repel multiple hostiles.
The 55 is better stabilized than the 62 in any barrel. If you want something marginally stabilized like the 55's were in the the 1-14 original M-16 you would need a slower twist or a heavier bullet.
Personally, having fired many, many rounds through a Mini-14, I think they are a great little gun, with lots of potential.
Then just use the old "brute force" thing, .50BMG
You may survive the bullet, but you won't survive the wallop.
Is that thing supposed to look life a "pulse rifle" from Aliens?
LOL!!
Reliable high-cap mags for Minis are hard to find and (very) expensive.
It's easy to get reliable 30-round AR-15 mags for $15 - but you can't get reliable high-cap ones for Minis under $50, usually a lot more. The only reliable high-caps for Minis are the Thermold 30-round and the factory Ruger; count on $70+ for factory Ruger.
Add to that general unreliability. The Mini that I eventually got rid of just sometimes failed to completely close its bolt - even though it appeared to have.
Yes, it is.
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A better effect is the Nosler Ballistic Tips or the Horandy TAP. They "explode" on impact and penetrate 1/4 steel, no problem. With their polymer tip, the bullets have a natural lubricant for steel and other hard targets.
Also, a grinder works perfectly on 55 gr ball for nipping the tips. The result is a very jagged wound channel.
Correctamundo. But, most ARs, especially from Colt and Bushmaster, are 5.56 NATO.
"Paramilitary 5.56mm ammunition should not be fired in commercial rifles with chambers reamed to SAAMI specifications. The SAAMI chamber used in sporting firearms has a smaller diameter bullet seat, a shorter throat and less free bore than military chambers. Chamber pressures can rise dramatically when military ammunition is fired in them. SAAMI specifications for commercial .223 ammunition specify an average chamber pressure of 52,000 CUP. When military ammunition is fired in the SAAMI chamber, pressures may rise to 55,000 or 60,000 CUP! U.S. manufactured paramilitary ammunition intended for civilian consumption is purposely loaded down to SAAMI pressure levels and bullets are often seated deeper to accommodate the SAAMI chamber. Ammunition certified to meet Mil-C-9963F (the military specification for M193 Ball) is only available to U.S. government agencies and private security firms under contract to provide security for U.S. government installations. Imported ammunition of that type is generally loaded to standard military levels and should be fired only in firearms with military dimensioned chambers. To the author's knowledge, the only U.S. manufactured commercial firearms with military chambers are the Colt AR-15 series, the Ruger Mini-14 and Ruger No. 1 rifles manufactured since 1986."
Better yet - get both - why get all worked up over such a quandry!
prambo
I had a stainless Mini-14 in the late 70s and it worked fine. Murdered many a poor defenseless swamp deer at relatively close range with iron sights. The large clips were a bitch though...jamming frequently....I believe they were Federal clips. Now I've got 2 Norinco SKS(s) for 135/each and for the money and short range accuracy...and very cheap ammo....no complaints.
Now for high end reach out and touch stuff....I think that relatively new Sako Lapua .338 mag would be a sweet ticket but once again back to reality.....didn't Hathcock score most of his hits with a 7.62 Rem BDL ???
As for hunting these days.....a .54 side hammer frontloader shooting a 545 grain maxi/minnie....."she loads a might slow" and the range is a wee short but God help anything it hits....a subsonic 545 grain projectile dispenses all it's energy in the target usually.....and minnies tend to flare after the powder hits 'em at the base....some are even designed to split.....nasty weapon. How those guys in the old days just stood there at 100 yards or so facing off and trading volleys is beyond me.
Regards
Yeah, I have those. I think the .223 round is sufficient for its intended purpose. What do you think of softpoints in this round?
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