Ruger mini 14 and steel cased ammo
I have been told the using Russian steel cased .223 ammo in a mini 14 will damage the extractor and ejector. Any truth to this statement?.If so does the series # of the mini 14 make any difference? Thankyou
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Steel being harder than brass will accelerate the wear of parts but not necessarily break them outright. 0 -
Keep them oiled. 0 -
That crap jammed and got stuck in my Mini 14. Never again. 0 -
I'd only use it in AK's or SKS's. 0 -
The steel cases are made of mild (ie soft) steel, and should NOT harm hardened steel chambers, or directly harm the extractors.
On the other hand, steel cases are less elastic than brass ones, and decreased expansion of the case during firing can lead to a poorer neck seal. This is turn can cause gas to leak a bit around the cartridge neck increasing chamber fouling, contributing to cases sticking. Sticky cases make the extractor work harder to extract them, and increased wear and tear over time can lead to premature extractor failure.
The question is really, is replacing an extractor a little more frequently worth the savings in ammo costs? Extractors are cheap enough that I'd say, unless you're relying on the gun for life-and-death, it probably *is* worth it.
Personally speaking, I reserve the steel case .223 for AK-pattern rifles in .223 (eg Saigas, Galils, etc), figuring they can handle it better.0 -
Mini 41's have a tighter chamber than AR'S. That,s why the steel case breaks the extractor [B)] It expands and doesn't retract down like brass does. 0 -
The biggest issue is the hard primers. I installed Wolff high-power springs on my old-style SS mini-14 and old-style blue mini-30 to fire them reliably. I've shot lots of Wolf, the brown and silver bear, Tula (brick-hard primers in 7.62x39) and Hornady Steel match in mine. I haven't seen any more wear than is expected with brass in either gun.
You might accelerate the wear on the gun (maybe) but they're pretty tough guns, and they'll work with that stuff. (Just don't expect to hit much, the Russian stuff is minute-of-pie-plate in both of mine)0 -
If you do a search for info on the steel cased ammo there is a lot more positive information on them than negitive. The case problem sticking in the chamber was caused by the material they coated it with and it would heat up and leave a residue in the chamber eventually leading to a stuck case. The new ammo has a different coating on it and from the manufactures point of view it has solved it. Lots and lots of people fire the steel cased ammo in their M1 carbines and I have not read any negatives on using this ammo. I have shot the old steel cased ammo in an M16 and have had no problem with it but, I don't pretend that its a machine gun and heat the chamber up that much. 0 -
do the same as armilite, no problems, steel in ak and sks, ar and mini get brass. 0 -
Never a problem in either of my Rugers. I use the polymer coated ammo from Wolf not the old lacquer coated stuff. 0
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