Is this is good way to melt your face?

[SwordRapier]

What does this mean:

"The Mini-14 Ranch and Mini Thirty Rifles are designed to use either standardized
U.S. military, or factory loaded sporting cartridges manufactured in accordance
with U.S. industry practice. Always be careful to ensure you are using the correct
ammunition for your rifle. See “Ammunition Notice” & “Warning -
Ammunition,” below."

This is a quote from the Ruger Mini-14 owners manual pulled from the Ruger website.

Does this mean that the Mini-14 will safely fire the 5.56X45mm NATO and the .223 rem? I thought that firing 5.56X45mm NATO out of a .223 was an excellent way to melt your face off.

 

[NMGonzo]

my xm fires both

it is chambered for 5.56 thus making it capable of firing .223

The reverse situation is not going to work well.

Pressures.

 

[Z-Michigan]

You can use 5.56 NATO ammunition in most versions of the Mini-14, with I believe the exception of the special target model with the muzzle weight. In other words yes, most versions of the Mini/Ranch have a 5.56 chamber.

5.56 NATO in a .223 chamber is a risky combination but far from a guaranteed catastrophe.

 

[SwordRapier]

I'm still confused, if a Mini 14 is chambered for the 5.56 NATO why is it advertised as chambered for the .223?

 

[R.W.Dale]

It probly features a hybrid chamber such as the Wilde.


For the most part 5.56 not being safe in a 223 is a throwback to guns made over 10yrs ago.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I'm still confused, if a Mini 14 is chambered for the 5.56 NATO why is it advertised as chambered for the .223?

A depressingly large number of US manufacturers label everything as .223 even if they ream the chamber to 5.56 NATO size. Or Krochus could be right, but that wouldn't be my bet. In any event Ruger is pretty clear that military ammo is OK, and I'm unaware of any military (much less the US military) that has used .223 Rem chamber dimensions.

 

[nalioth]

A depressingly large number of US manufacturers label everything as .223 even if they ream the chamber to 5.56 NATO size.

Not only US manufacturers, but Russians, too.

It's because ".223 Remington" is a hunting cartridge and "5.56x45 NATO" is an evil man-shredding assault rifle cartridge.

As was noted, it's more of an issue in mass-produced guns from previous decades.

 

[ArmedBear]

False dichotomy.

The Mini-14 is chambered for 5.56 and will work with .223 Remington or 5.56 NATO.

AND... It's also a great way to melt your face off. Or at least fry your finger.

 

[ny32182]

Think about the number of .223 weapons out there, the volume of 5.56 ammo out there, the number of people that currently have, nor will ever have a clue there is any difference between the two, and the complete lack of "I blew up my rifle with 5.56 ammo" threads out there. What does that tell us?

 

[RobMoore]

This is what I thought of when I read the thread title.

 

[rugmar]

Actually, I can think of several more effective and satisfying ways to melt my face. Provided I was inclined to do so.

 

[toivo]

I just bought a brand-new Mini-14 Tactical. It is labeled on the box ".223 (5.56)". The manual says that all the Mini-14 models are the same except the target model, which is .223 only.

 

[RyanM]

IIRC, firing 5.56mm in a .223 chamber generates about as much pressure as a 5.56mm proof load. That's almost 30% more pressure than the SAAMI max for .223, but given that tons of mil-spec AR barrels and bolts don't give out when individually proofed, I'd say that a rifle would need some kind of "pre-existing condition" to catastrophically fail if 5.56mm is fired in a .223 chamber.

 

[WardenWolf]

IIRC, firing 5.56mm in a .223 chamber generates about as much pressure as a 5.56mm proof load. That's almost 30% more pressure than the SAAMI max for .223, but given that tons of mil-spec AR barrels and bolts don't give out when individually proofed, I'd say that a rifle would need some kind of "pre-existing condition" to catastrophically fail if 5.56mm is fired in a .223 chamber.

That's ONCE. If you fire it ONCE, it's unlikely to blow up. But it's still going to apply force that it's not designed to take repeatedly. It's like hitting a solid block of metal with a hammer. Once may not have a noticeable effect, but strike it repeatedly and you'll eventually get a dent. If you keep firing it, eventually it will fail.

 

[RyanM]

Even so, the damage isn't going to build up to the point where the gun will spontaneously combust. Most likely, the first thing to happen will be the operating rod will bend and the gun will stop working, since the Mini-14 is a piston gun. The gas system will definitely go before the barrel or bolt does, if you're not significantly exceeding a typical proof load.