My New Mini 14 and Tula

[Jibs]

I know this has been covered and covered. But I still don't have the info I need. Can anyone answer me this question(s) and tell me if my logic is flawed?:

Will Tula .223 steel cased, BOXER primed, non-corrosive ammo hurt my mini? It is polymer coated. Here are the details from CheaperThanDirt.com:

Polymer coated steel case.
Boxer-primed.
Bimetal jacket will attract a magnet.
Non corrosive.
Non reloadable.

My justification is that although the ammo is steel-cased, the ammo is boxer-primed. So I do not believe my firing pin is at risk. That said, what is the foreseeable problem due to the steel-casing itself and why? If the primer wont hurt my pin, then what problem is the steel case going to pose for my mini-14??

Sorry, I know this has been covered over and over, but I have not found a proven problem due to the steel case. I will keep my mini clean, boresnaking it at the range every 50 rounds or so. Do I need to be worried???

 

[Quoheleth]

Tula, Wolf and Privi steel is all a friend runs through his recent model Mini. No problems.

Folks say the issue is with the steel in the chamber. Boresnaking won't help that issue. That will take a chamber brush or, at least, deliberate scrubbing in the chamber.

Q

 

[tundraotto]

fire away...

 

[Jibs]

So Quo, what you mean is that steel bits from the casing may foul up the chamber? So, If I diligently clean the chamber, trigger assembly, bolt, etc. after shooting the Tula I am good to go?

Thanks

 

[Quoheleth]

If you look on the AR threads, people say don't mix steel and brass when shooting. I guess the theory is the stuff used to coat the steel cases will stick to the chamber walls. Brass swells more than steel, and with the gunk in the chamber from the steel cases, the brass can swell and stick.

It's not bits of steel - it's the coating on the cases.

That's the theory.

I don't know if the deliberate cleaning is as critical in the Mini. My point was that a friend runs steel stuff almost exclusively without a problem. Another friend has an older 158-series Mini and that is ALL he has ever run. Again, no problems.

I suspect that basic cleaning will be sufficient.

Q

 

[mastiffhound]

Mini-14's are almost unbreakable. You can shoot anything out of a mini, I have. Accuracy is another issue. Mine shoots best with federal 5.56 nato 55 grain, the worst it does when accuracy is involved is PMC .223 and herter's .223. One of those weird but true situations? Wolf, tula, brown bear are in between.

 

[SGW42]

Mine runs it great. It's just the least accurate ammo I've shot out of it.

 

[Jibs]

thanks alot guys. I will move forward worry-free

 

[timfromohio]

One issue not mentioned is that of broken firing pins. The folks over at Perfect Union would probably advise against steel cased ammo (b/c of the berdain primer) due to this issue.

 

[Jibs]

I mentioned the firing pin issue in my original post. The ammo I am talking about is boxer primed

 

[1KPerDay]

You should be fine. Just clean the chamber well before shooting brass ammo again.

 

[timfromohio]

Opps - apparently my coffee had not yet kicked in and I read right past the boxer-primed part ...

 

[Jibs]

Hey 1k- I have a box of 20 remington brass cased cartridges, should I shoot those first and then it will be ok to continue into my Tula steel cased without cleaning?

 

[1KPerDay]

Yes... just don't go the other way around.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I dont shoot cheap ammo in any of my firearms. I paid good money for them and will pay good money for the ammo. your weapon, you decide.