Mini-14 ammo

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stinger 327

stinger 327

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I see more Russian ammo now and it is reasonably priced. Are these steel cased bullets bad for the gun?
What's the difference between using brass and steel cased ammo?
I saw from MFS (Hungarian) that they had silver cased ammo steel? It looks exactly like the shells on the CCI .22 LR Stinger-silver in color. ARe these ok to use?:confused:
 
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yes, just always make sure they eject and dont reload them. if they dont eject they might get stuck in your breech, and since a mini 14 throws brass with force, you shouldnt have an issue.
 
First ever FTE in my AR...checked the lifetime warranty and was not pleased to discover that use of non-American brass cased ammo is not covered. Fortunately, my gun shop (where I purchased the rifle) owner was able to assist in returning my rifle to safe operating condition. Lesson learned: Feed Wolf only to my AK.
 
Some people have had firing pin issues with steel case ammo in Mini 14 rifles; I have run +-500 rounds of Tula/Wolf through my Mini 14 with no issues whatsoever.

IMO, one of the key strengths of the Mini 14 is its ability to handle any kind of ammo without issue.

I would suggest buying 20-40 rounds of steel case ammo and trying it in your rifle to see if you have any issues.
 
I bought 800 rnds of Czech ammo when I bought my first Mini pre Y2K. Shot through most of it with no FTF or FTE. Since then I've also stocked up on UMC brass rnds. My understanding is the bi-metallic case doesn't expand fully in the chamber when fired and is inherently less accurate. I haven't researched it beyond this, but brass ammo is all I buy now, especially the UMC. Got a lot of American Eagle, too. They all go bang.
 
I suppose that if saving a few bucks is a guy's priority, he may as well shoot the cheapest junk he can find, in which case Tula ammo is readily available. Ruger says don't use the steel-cased stuff. The post above identifies how it will affect the rifle's warranty. There are plenty of posts to be found that document steel casings stuck solidly in the chamber. I have to ask, is the savings worth it? Wal-Mart still sells the Federal 100-round 55-grain rounds for under $40. That's not a bad price (considering), and these rounds are not going to damage the rifle.
 
KMO said:
I suppose that if saving a few bucks is a guy's priority, he may as well shoot the cheapest junk he can find, in which case Tula ammo is readily available. Ruger says don't use the steel-cased stuff. The post above identifies how it will affect the rifle's warranty. There are plenty of posts to be found that document steel casings stuck solidly in the chamber. I have to ask, is the savings worth it? Wal-Mart still sells the Federal 100-round 55-grain rounds for under $40. That's not a bad price (considering), and these rounds are not going to damage the rifle.
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I did check in my instructions book which is for a 1998 model. I couldn't find anything that said not to use steel cases or anything about voiding the warranty though I have heard of this.
I haven't shot any steel cased so I'll stick to the brass American made ammo. Thanks for the info guys.
 
FWIW, I only send brass through my Mini-14. I would rather shoot a little less than risk it.

A side bonus is that you can keep the brass and reload it.
 
I stay away from any of that steel case foreign stuff...stick to American factory loads, cost more but dont have to clean my ARs, minis as much.
 
Now on an AK-47 would the same apply or will the steel cases ruin that eventually?
 
Some people have had firing pin issues with steel case ammo in Mini 14 rifles;
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What the heck does steel-case ammo have to do with broken firing pins?
The primers aren't steel.

You sure it wasn't broken extractors you are thinking of?

rc
 
the ak47 was i believe designed to shoot the steel ammo, and i wouldnt really worry about accuracy because it not like your planning on gettin .5 moa with your mini or your ak
 
Now on an AK-47 would the same apply or will the steel cases ruin that eventually?
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Well, if the steel cased ammo does ruin the AK, you're not really out much anyway. Same with an AR...dime-a-dozen... It's your Mini-14 that you want to protect, right? :cool:

(Now I'll catch it..)
 
FWIW, I only send brass through my Mini-14. I would rather shoot a little less than risk it.

A side bonus is that you can keep the brass and reload it.
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I bought a bunch of Tula for my Mini-14, specifically so I wouldn't have to worry about picking up my brass during 3-gun matches. I do try to police my empties but with steel cases I won't feel too bad if I miss some. I won't run it through my ARs but my hope is the Mini can handle it. I've run a couple of mags through with no trouble but that's hardly a thorough eval.

My initial impressions are the steel of the Tula appears to be pretty much uncoated, compared to the obvious laquer or shiny polymer of the Wolf stuff I've seen. Perhaps that's why some have been reporting stuck cases with the Tula, particularly in rapid fire/hot barrels. Plust the .223 isn't as tapered as the rooski rounds, which might add to the problem.

We'll see; hopefully it doesn't blow up my Mini. But I'm too cheap to pay $.40/rd for .223. I guess it's my Scottish blood.
 
i dont know why it does but their are several cases of this on the perfect union mini 14 forum. more so with the mini 30 though. since i cant just go out & buy one or order one(you have to send your rifle to ruger) i wont take the chance. but if you do send in your rifle to ruger for anything i would have them fit a couple while its there.
 
What the heck does steel-case ammo have to do with broken firing pins?
The primers aren't steel.

You sure it wasn't broken extractors you are thinking of?
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Very well documented issue with the Mini 30 ( 7.62 ) , not so much with the Mini 14 . Do a serch at Perfect Union if you would like to know more . I guess the Berden primers used in the steel cased Ruskie plinking ammo are a little harder than the Boxer primed .
 
Steel cases are often laquer-coated. Make sure you clean it out or the gun will stall at some point, possibly very inconvenient.

Berdan primers are said by Ruger to be hard on (as in: may break) firing pins.

Steel cases have been associated with accelerated extractor wear in ARs. No idea about Minis on that score.
 
What the heck does steel-case ammo have to do with broken firing pins?
The primers aren't steel.

You sure it wasn't broken extractors you are thinking of?

rc
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While my bad experience was with an SKS and Wolf 7.62x39, I had a couple pierced primers with the Wolf (Military Classic) that were so bad they bent the firing pin beyond use. The firing pin was charred and blackened and bent like a longbow.

Forever changed my opinion on cheap foreign ammo.
 
Waywatcher said:
While my bad experience was with an SKS and Wolf 7.62x39, I had a couple pierced primers with the Wolf (Military Classic) that were so bad they bent the firing pin beyond use. The firing pin was charred and blackened and bent like a longbow.

Forever changed my opinion on cheap foreign ammo.
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Could this very same thing affect the AK-47?
 
KMO said:
Well, if the steel cased ammo does ruin the AK, you're not really out much anyway. Same with an AR...dime-a-dozen... It's your Mini-14 that you want to protect, right? :cool:

(Now I'll catch it..)
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No want to protect AK-47 and Mini-14.
 
Quote:
Some people have had firing pin issues with steel case ammo in Mini 14 rifles;
What the heck does steel-case ammo have to do with broken firing pins?
The primers aren't steel.

You sure it wasn't broken extractors you are thinking of?

rc
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No relationship per se, but many (most?) of the steel-cased loads are Berdan-primed, which at least one manufacturer (Ruger) has said is tough on firing pins in the Mini-14. I didn't cross-examine them on this, but I am pretty sure the issue is that the firing pin is hitting a steel post in the center of the primer pocket, rather than that nice soft brass anvil in a Boxer primer.
 
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