Ruger Mini 14 owners – Question - 223 & or 556 ?

[4Ammo$]

I recently bought a Ruger Mini 14 223. I have been told it can only
shoot 223 rounds and I’ve been told it can shoot both 223 and 556
rounds.

Please let me know if you own one of these guns and have personally
shot the 223 and or 556 ammo yourself, I don’t want to know what
folks “think” – I need to know facts!

Thank you!

[wolfy]

If what you mean is will it go bang if you load it up with 556 and pull the trigger then yes it will.

What Ruger has to say is probably more important, this is from Ruger's FAQ...

Question: Can I shoot 5.56 NATO ammunition in my Mini-14 or Ranch Rifle?
Answer: With the exception of the Mini-14 Target Rifle, which accepts only .223 Rem. ammunition, .223 Rem. and 5.56 NATO can be used in all Mini-14 rifles and Ranch Rifles.
Please note that "Military Surplus" 5.56mm NATO can vary greatly in its quality and consistency.

And back to your question, I have a Mini 14 and have successfully run 556 ammo though it.

[CHX77]

Per Ruger's instruction manual available on their web site:

AMMUNITION
The RUGER
®
MINI-14
®
RANCH rifles are offered in two calibers: the .223
Remington (5.56mm) cartridge and the 6.8mm Remington SPC cartridge. The
Target Model uses .223 Remington cartridges only.

link to manual

[4Ammo$]

Mine is the “Ranch” model. So it appears I can use both 223 & 556.

Thank you folks for your help!

[costanza]

Guys:
Just a bit off topic here, but bear with me. How much hotter is the 5.56 mm than the .223 Remington? I have wondered about this for a while, but never quite enough to look into it. Nearly all of my ammo is 5.56, and I have not had any issues in the last 20 years. In my early years though, I mistakenly thought that the two were interchangable...
Thanks in Advance!
Costanza

[Ol` Joe]

Guys:
Just a bit off topic here, but bear with me. How much hotter is the 5.56 mm than the .223 Remington? I have wondered about this for a while, but never quite enough to look into it. Nearly all of my ammo is 5.56, and I have not had any issues in the last 20 years. In my early years though, I mistakenly thought that the two were interchangable...
Thanks in Advance!
Costanza

Just a few thousand psi, IIRC 50K psi VS 53K psi.
The bigger factor is the chamber on a 5.56 is throated for longer bullets and the 223 chamber can force the 5.56 bullet to seat with it jammed in the rifleing. Combine the higher pressure and that the bullet is being held in the case, pressure can spike very rapidly to levels you don`t want in front of your face. The fact your rifle is still shooting and no problems have arose is testament to the strength of todays firearms. Keep in mind however metal fatigue is accumulative. I`d quit with the 5.56 if the chamber is wrong.

Question, what is the std Ranch Rifle stamped on the barrel as to chambering?

[Danmax]

I had read up on that exact same question. Although Ruger does say in the manual that the Mini-14 can use both rds Safely, the Target Series carbine cannot handle the 5.56 cartridges. With my 2 Mini's, one being a 186-xxxxx doesn't read ''Ranch'' on the receiver like the 188-xxxxx reads. I had questioned whether that meant that the 186 rifle I mentioned must be a Target series rifle but it's not. For some reason Ruger just didn't Stamp ''Ranch Rifle'' on the receiver like the 188 reads.
As for the 5.56 cartridges go, I was told by different guys who own Mini's that you do need to stick to well known brands ammo, skipping the off-brands & also sticking with brass cased ammo. I tend to buy - Federal, CCI, Remington, Winchester brand ammo anyways but did buy PPU 5.56 & they're Brass. However the 6 boxes of .223 Wolf & their steel casings, they will not see either rifle. Because of the issues I've read about, I'll use them in an AR instead.

[Roundballer]

Seven Year OLD thread.

[Leader]

Seven Year OLD thread.

1-14-2013 to 2-18-2021 = 7 years?

[Roundballer]

1-14-2013 to 2-18-2021 = 7 years?

8 years, 1 month, 5 days If you want to be exact.

I wrote 2020 on a check last month, still haven't adjusted.