Reloading for the Mini 14, tips and tricks

[SARuger]

Right now I reload .223 for a Ruger American bolt gun and I have it about as dialed as a cheap rifle can get. Its silly accurate and always impresses those that see me shoot it.

Now its time for more capacity! I have a wood/blued Ranch Rifle on layaway and hope to get it out in a month.

I will have to do the usual load work ups and I plan on full length sizing and trimming my brass.

My 1st question is; crimp or no crimp? I currently do not crimp for the bolt gun. Its never been an issue. Not sure about a semi auto though.

Any other tips or advice, fire away!

 

[washambala]

I cant offer any advice on loads or techniques for loading for a mini, but I would reload for it if I could. Something I have found is that my mini likes to smash the case mouths about 1/3 of the way closed. I suspect that the operating handle is hitting them in mid air on the way forward. It also puts a small dent in the middle of the case body. Not sure if the brass can be re formed or not, But its just something you should be ready for. Maybe 10% of my brass looks usable after shooting.

 

[Blue68f100]

The only rifle rounds that need crimp are those that are tube magazine feed, as long as your have proper neck tension. I do not crimp rifle rounds and never had a problem.

 

[243winxb]

loading for a service rifle or Mini14

I didnt crimp, but do the test. Measure OAL before and after chambering a round. http://www.exteriorballistics.com/reloadbasics/gasgunreload.cfm see " neck tension"

 

[cdb.308]

My mini has a very loose chamber, causing brass to stretch as much as .012", resulting in occasional pieces of brass to separate at the midway point. I was full length sizing with the die adjusted so the press cams over. Consider buying a case gauge and setting up your die so that you're only bumping the shoulder back about .005". I've done this with no reliability issues and no more broken brass. For this reason, you might keep your mini brass separate from you bolt gun brass

 

[hdwhit]

My 1st question is; crimp or no crimp?

I have never found it necessary to crimp .223 Remington going into my (or my father's, I load for both of us) Mini-14.

Also, as with a couple of others who have already posted, I use a set of RCBS full-length dies, not small base, and have never had a problem with fit or feeding. As others have said, the Mini-14 chamber seems to be rather "loose".

 

[steve4102]

I crimp all my semi-auto handloads with the Lee Factory Crimp die, it not only helps secure the bullet, it improves accuracy.

Some handloaders will tell you that crimping with the LFCD is bad and degrades accuracy. Many of these naysayers have actually never even tried the LFCD, so take their advice with a grain of salt.

Here is an actual test, not just an opinion. Note the increase in accuracy in all three rifles.

http://www.accuratereloading.com/crimping.html

 

[highlander 5]

As far as the case mouths being dented a nail set can be used to reform the mouths enough where the expander will clean them up. The only other thing with the mini 14 is it throws brass a long ways.

 

[GBExpat]

... The only other thing with the mini 14 is it throws brass a long ways.

Mini-14s are overgassed, but this can be remedied with a smaller gas bushing.

http://www.accuracystore.com/

 

[jmorris]

The first thing I would suggest is a brass catcher, my mini throws brass into the next zip code.

 

[mdi]

I crimp all my semi-auto handloads with the Lee Factory Crimp die, it not only helps secure the bullet, it improves accuracy.

Some handloaders will tell you that crimping with the LFCD is bad and degrades accuracy. Many of these naysayers have actually never even tried the LFCD, so take their advice with a grain of salt.

Here is an actual test, not just an opinion. Note the increase in accuracy in all three rifles.

http://www.accuratereloading.com/crimping.html

I use the Lee FCD for rifles, .223 and 30-06. A lot of folks get confused when the difference between Lee's two "factory crimp" dies is not mentioned. FCD for handgun cartridges, worthless. FCD for rifles, good tool worth using...

 

[Dudedog]

The first thing I would suggest is a brass catcher, my mini throws brass into the next zip code.

Yep, mine does as well.....Positive ejection
Honest probably 25' or more, (30+, need to measure, a long ways compared to my AR with the same load)

Minis are loads of fun but not super accurate.
Mine seems to prefer BLC(2) or TAC over H335. (close however) All three meter well using my Lee Pro Disk with the double disk kit.

 

[SARuger]

Dudedog, It figures! My bolt gun likes H335, but it shoots BLC-2 pretty good too. The difference is the bolt gun is a 1-8 twist and likes heavier projectiles in the 65g-77g

 

[washambala]

Yea, watch where your brass is going. I shot it once at the range without a catcher. It was bouncing them off of the shooting bench ramada and into a guys face7-8 tables down. Now when I shoot, I watch where the brass goes on the first few shots. Dont want to decapitate anyone accidentally.

 

[Dudedog]

I dropped 2 empties one time on somebodies car behind me.
I moved to the far right shooting lane where there was no one to my right and nothing behind me but dirt.

On thread,
was pretty close between BLC(2) and H335. Shooting without a rest probably not enough to notice. 8208XBR also worked for me.
BLC(2) and TAC were to close to call.

 

[FROGO207]

All of mine like TAC the best and quality 55-63 grain bullets are most accurate. I did try the Lee FCD and found no measurable increase in accuracy--unless I had really low pressure loads that were not that accurate anyway until I crimped them. So now I load my accurate recipe and skip the FCD altogether. As stated the MINI 14 is not a match accurate rifle but handloading for it can improve the picture a great deal. Mine do wander a little bit as the barrel warms up but are late series SS rifles and are MUCH better than the older 1970's series pencil barrels ever thought of being. Have fun with your new rifle.

 

[Bart B.]

Ask the folks getting best results in centerfire rifle matches if they crimp case mouths into their bullets.

I don't know of any top quality commercial centerfire match ammo that has crimped in bullets.

Sierra Bullets puts a cannelure in some of their 77-gr. SMK .22 caliber bullets because lots of customers wanted to crimp them in cases. But Sierra doesn't crimp the cases used to test them for quality; results are not all that good when crimped in.

Do what you're comfortable with.

 

[steve4102]

Or better yet, asked these folks winning matches if they are shooting a Mini-14.

 

[SARuger]

It seems the Mini is either loved or hated! I'm not an AR guy, can't stand "Tacticool", I have never even picked up a AR and held it. I'm sure they are great weapons, just not for me.

With that said, I went with the Mini.

I ordered the gas bushing set referred to above to keep the casings from ending up all over the range. If that doesn't work, we do have one bay at the range that has screen on the right of it to catch the ejected shells, I will wait my turn for that one if I have to.

I'm going to stick with 55g bullets for now. Thanks for every ones input!

 

[steve4102]

Sierra Bullets puts a cannelure in some of their 77-gr. SMK .22 caliber bullets because lots of customers wanted to crimp them in cases. But Sierra doesn't crimp the cases used to test them for quality; results are not all that good when crimped in.

Who's results, Sierra's or yours?

Got some actual data to support this, be it Sierra data or your own? Have you tested the LFCD with the 77gr SMK? Please post your results.

I know Speer has a data page showing the lack of accuracy with their bullet and the LFCD, but the photo they provide clearly shows that they intentionally overcrimped and destroyed their bullet just to "try" and prove a point.

Got any actual data to share that shows the difference in accuracy between a properly crimped load and a non-crimped load?

 

[au_prospector]

I have a 182 series mini14 and it is a lot of fun. I have tried two different powders IMR 3031 and Xterminator. 3031 was good but Xterminator was better! 1in 10 twist for my bbl and I am using 55 FMJBT. No crimp needed. I tried to crimp but that causes problems where the case body meets the shoulder.

 

[SARuger]

I picked mine up today. I'm going to shoot some factory loads tomorrow just to try it out and make some brass for it. I'm working on a clever way to catch the brass, we will see.

 

[quaid]

I have a 182 series mini14 and it is a lot of fun. I have tried two different powders IMR 3031 and Xterminator. 3031 was good but Xterminator was better! 1in 10 twist for my bbl and I am using 55 FMJBT. No crimp needed. I tried to crimp but that causes problems where the case body meets the shoulder.

Sounds like too much crimp if the shoulder is buckling out/wider then the case body.

On the bright side the round will be too fat to chamber. Few things in life have built in safeties!

 

[kwg020]

I used to use a Lee Factory crimp die for my .223. I now trim all of my brass to the same length and use the taper die that is built into my RCBS seater dies. The crimp in a seater die does not work if the brass is not all the same length.

Some brass is a little short and will not get a meaningful crimp with the seater die crimp. Any brass that is too long may squash a shoulder and then you will have problems with the round NOT chambering. If you do not trim brass to a uniform length, the Lee crimp die is the answer. I have never used a deep crimp. I like a light crimp.

The best loads I have found for the Mini 14 is 23.4 grains of 3031 under a 55 grain soft point. I want to try just a little more of the 3031 and still keep my accuracy so my next reloads may have up to 24 grains of 3031 in an effort to find that perfect combination.

I have found that faster powders (AA2015, Benchmark and 3031) and lighter bullets (50 up to 55 grain) are the most accurate for my skinny barrel Mini.

The down side is every weight of bullet and different powders has a different point of impact (POI) which requires some re-sighting of the rifle.

If you do not reload, pick a factory round and stick to it. I have not used it but my guess is full strength GI Ball is probably a little more than the average skinny barrel Mini 14 will shoot with any degree of accuracy. I recently shot some PMC 55 grain FMJ's and I was not disappointed with the accuracy considering it is a plinking round. I also shot some Geco 55 grain FMJ's and the accuracy was similar to the PMC ammo but it definitely had more energy.

Good luck on your search.

 

[Cbob]

I've got a 181(?) series stainless mini, so things have changed a bit over the years.
(it was bought for the caliber, not because it was loved)

Stick to Ruger factory mags.
(much better availability & prices since the "nice" old fellow died)

I don't know the newer guns, but the older ones would wander when the barrel heats up. If you were going to shoot for group size, do it from a HOT barrel and quicker than you would ever think of doing it from a bolt action. 55gr FMJ with a mild load of 3031 would give you roughly 1.5 to 2 MOA groups. Loads on the lighter side gave good results. Lighter bullets reportedly worked well, but I wasn't going to wander too far or put too much effort into it.

The best ammo the world will not make it a match rifle. Decent ammo makes it a decent police/security issue rifle like it was intended.