What is your most accurate mini load??? [Archive]

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ibbuckshot

11-19-2006, 20:25

Greetings folks,:)
I have received my mini back from the operating room at the gun doc. Now I have to put together a load that will make it work. Would you please post your most accurate loads. You never know maybe someone els has a better load that we all can benifit from. Thank you for your help. The gun turned out very well. I will try to post a pic in a few days.
Have fun,
buckshot :cool:

hylander

11-20-2006, 17:39

All these loads proved safe in My firearm.
I recommend you check a reputable load book and work up a safe load.

Here is my best Mini Load so far.
And it is consistant.
If you will notice in the first pic the OCL is 2.285
That is my Mini's maximum OCL, they will not feed from a magazine.
In the second pic I seated them to Hornady's recommended OCL.
And as you can see the groups got better and now they will feed from a Magazine.
Getting the bullet close as you can to the lands in my expereince is over rated.
What I have found is to seat the bullets in the case atleast as deep as the bullet diameter.
That is to say if the bullet diameter is .224 then seat the bullet atleast .224 deep in the case.
This will ensure that the bullet starts out of the case straight and enters the barrel straight.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b193/hylander7/Firearms/50V-Max.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b193/hylander7/Firearms/Modern/BLC-226.jpg

And this is the best Factory load so far:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b193/hylander7/Firearms/Win45jhpVarmint1.jpg

And this one I'm not sure, how consistant, still under development:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b193/hylander7/Firearms/40V-Max.jpg

DrMaxit

11-20-2006, 18:52

hylander

11-20-2006, 20:38

Those are some absolutly great groups, holy crap. I would love to start loading, but I have no idea where to start :( Keep up the good work, how much would you charge for a box of those, If you'd be interested in selling.
Safe shooting,
Chuck

Thank you Chuck:
If you live close I'll let you come over and get you started.
I live in Lincoln, Calif.
As far as selling my Reloads, to much Liabilty.
I am very careful and pay close attention to safety in reloading
as I'm sure most do, that being said I would never buy anyones reloads
and do not recommend it.
You can get started reloading for as little as a hundred dollar's
with an inexpensive Lee Reloading setup.

tri70

11-20-2006, 20:51

DrMaxit

11-20-2006, 20:53

Thank you Chuck:
If you live close I'll let you come over and get you started.
I live in Lincoln, Calif.
As far as selling my Reloads, to much Liabilty.
I am very careful and pay close attention to safety in reloading
as I'm sure most do, that being said I would never buy anyones reloads
and do not recommend it.
You can get started reloading for as little as a hundred dollar's
with an inexpensive Lee Reloading setup.

I understand completely. I live in Augusta GA, so going over there might be a bit of a problem, haha. I would love to learn some more about reloading from you, if you would be interested. I'd just like to get a started and I've read some things on here and on the internet in general but it seems too complicated or too much to choose from rather. Another question, what kind of rest are you shooting from and what all do you have done to your rifle? I have AIM if you'd like to chat on there sometime give me a hollar, names the same as on here. Thanks bud, again, great groups.

Safe Shooting,
Chuck

DrMaxit

11-20-2006, 20:56

Very nice hylander!
My favorite load is the 55 gr Nosler ballstic tip with 24.5 gr of H335 with a C.O.L of 2.255. This is my varmit load for praire dogs and coyotes but I can get 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 groups with my 55 gr soft points for deer.

Tri70- What sized deer are you taking with those 55gr? Ive seen some of those 62gr winchester mid sized game factory loads i was thinking about trying for some deer around here, if i can find them.

Does anyone else have a problem finding ammo other than plinker 55gr around town? Thats half the reason i want to start loading....

Safe Shooting,
Chuck

tri70

11-20-2006, 21:00

tri70

11-20-2006, 21:02

Handloading is alot of fun for the mini, you really don't save much because you get out and shoot more! It adds to the the accuracy of any gun, if you read any hunting magazine advertising a new rifle they say the best groups were with handload xxxx.

DrMaxit

11-20-2006, 21:58

Yeah i saw some of your deer you got, nice deer btw. I didnt know you were using the lighter weight loads though, i assumed a heavier gr bullet was used, but hey, whatever works!

Id love to start handloading, i just dont have alot to invest in a press and everyhing right now. Any options on a budget "starter kit" for a reload setup?

Thanks,
Chuck

rutro

11-21-2006, 05:38

DrMaxit said;
Does anyone else have a problem finding ammo other than plinker 55gr around town? Thats half the reason i want to start loading....

That's the very reason myself and a lot of others have started reloading. Now I'm addicted. I bought a Lee Aniversary kit and never looked back. After I got what few items I needed/wanted to compliment the kit I got a Shooting Chrony on sale so I could check velocity of my loads and that put everything in a new light.
A lot of people think they don't have enough room to take up a reloading hobby. Well we live in a motorhome and I built a portable loading station that will fit under the couch and the rest is stowed in a roll around type suitcase .........;) so go for it. You'll save a little money, shoot more, and best of all is the satisfaction of building a good load and seeing the groups.

steve4102

11-21-2006, 06:30

IMHO handloading is by far the most important "Mod" or accurizing tuner one can do for better accuracy. Trying to find that "magic" factory load can be difficult if not impossible. Too many variables and inconsistencies. Especially with a finicky rifle like the Mini.

If you want to get into reloading for very little cash ,I would start with the Lee Anniversary Kit. It's not the best kit out there ,but it will do the job very nicely. You will also need to purchase a caliper, dies, and maybe a trimmer.

Here is some reading to get you started.

http://www.varmintal.com/arelo.htm

http://www.geocities.com/gunversation/reloading101/reloading101.htm

http://www.leeprecision.com/html/catalog/rlpress2.html

http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/programs/core/downloads/reloading.pdf

http://www.reload-nrma.com/metallic.html

Then I would suggest purchasing the Lyman 48 manual and give it a good read.

timlt

11-21-2006, 12:08

Here is my best Mini Load so far.
And it is consistant.
If you will notice in the first pic the OCL is 2.285
That is my Mini's maximum OCL, they will not feed from a magazine.
In the second pic I seated them to Hornady's recommended OCL.
And as you can see the groups got better and now they will feed from a Magazine.
Getting the bullet close as you can to the lands in my expereince is over rated.
What I have found is to seat the bullets in the case atleast as deep as the bullet diameter.
That is to say if the bullet diameter is .224 then seat the bullet atleast .224 deep in the case.
This will ensure that the bullet starts out of the case straight and enters the barrel straight.

Hylander, these are indeed great groups. It really makes me want to take up handloading as well. My one limitation to date has been TIME--I can barely get the time to shoot after work and before dark; and then I'm lucky if I get my rifle cleaned before bedtime.

Anyway, I have a related question. I noticed you are using 3-shot groups. I would be very interested in knowing what your results are at each of these larger group sizes: 5, 10, and 20. (And I'm not talking about waiting an hour between each shot for your barrel to completely cool, I'm talking about a normal group like you'd shoot in a slow-fire competition, waiting a minute to a few minutes at most between shots). Obviously you're aware of the trend that Mini's groups begin to open up as the barrel heats up, but lets face it, often in real world shooting (whether competition, hunting, or combat), you may need to shoot more often and won't always have the luxury of taking a shot, then letting your barrel cool totally after each shot just so that you can shoot more accurately. I'm very interested in knowing what a Mini can do when you just open up and shoot it a bit--what happens to the group size?

In my case, I see group size open up from a few sub-1 inch or many 1 inch groups with 3 to 4 shots, to groups of 2" or more at 10 shots, and even greater if I go to 20. The other day, using a $60 scope and Am. Eagle ammo, in about 20 minutes I shot a 15-shot group that was 2.72". That's nothing to brag about for sure, but for a Mini it's probably "good enough" accuracy. But the point here is, there's NO WAY I could keep my group size with 15, 10, or even 5 shots, at the same small size that I can with only 3 or 4 shots. I'm really curious, given your great groups at 3 shots, how your group size changes if you go to larger groups.

timlt

11-21-2006, 12:13

If you want to get into reloading for very little cash ,I would start with the Lee Anniversary Kit. It's not the best kit out there ,but it will do the job very nicely. You will also need to purchase a caliper, dies, and maybe a trimmer.

Then I would suggest purchasing the Lyman 48 manual and give it a good read.

Steve, I'm curious for getting started in handloading: Would you recommend the use of that new RCBS digital scale + power measuring system (I think it's about $270 at MidwayUsa)? It costs more than a regular balance scale, and yes I know you don't strictly NEED it to start handloading, but here's the deal. I've read many, many reviews of this new RCBS system, it can memorize up to 30 of your favorite loads, and it will trickle out the powder onto the scale exactly, and much faster than you can do it. In review after review, I've read how great this thing works, and guys saying stuff like, "I've been loading for 30 years, and I wish I would've had this thing available because it saves so much time in handloading." There's the appeal for me, I want to load, but don't have tons of time, so I need things that will make the process more efficient.

Have you tried something like this tool?

hylander

11-21-2006, 16:50

Another question, what kind of rest are you shooting from and what all do you have done to your rifle?
I use small sand bags for a rest.
Mods to my Mini include:
Trigger Job, crisp 2.75lb. done by Mike Knifong.
Bedded
Smaller gas bushing
Recoil buffer
Cheap Brake
Rigity Strut
Total for Mods under $150.00

I noticed you are using 3-shot groups. I would be very interested in knowing what your results are at each of these larger group sizes: 5, 10, and 20. (And I'm not talking about waiting an hour between each shot for your barrel to completely cool, I'm talking about a normal group like you'd shoot in a slow-fire competition, waiting a minute to a few minutes at most between shots).

5 shot strings are the same, 10 shots open up to under 1.25 MOA usually
under MOA.
That is taking less than 5 Min to fire the string.
I have never shot 20rd strings and I only rapid fired 20 rds once to check for function ( Flawless) :)
I never do rapid fire or get my barrel so hot I can't touch it.

Here is Juliet :sniper:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b193/hylander7/Firearms/Modern/Mini-14Juliet.jpg

timlt

11-21-2006, 19:04

I use small sand bags for a rest.
Mods to my Mini include:
Trigger Job, crisp 2.75lb. done by Mike Knifong.
Bedded
Smaller gas bushing
Recoil buffer
Cheap Brake
Rigity Strut
Total for Mods under $150.00

5 shot strings are the same, 10 shots open up to under 1.25 MOA usually
under MOA.
That is taking less than 5 Min to fire the string.

Well my hat's off to you. That is the best-shooting performance by far I have ever heard of in a Mini (10 shots at 1.25"), and for only $150 mods. And on top of all that, it looks great. That's definitely one to hang onto; great work! You should hang out a shingle and start doing work on other people's rifles. :) BTW, if you ever get a chance, you should click a pic of one of those 10-shot 1.25" groups and put it in the target-shooting forum. It just gives the Mini-shooting gang more "ammo" to point to, for those debates when critics say Mini's CAN'T shoot accurately without thousands of dollars of mods. Of course, they'll probably just say your rifle is the exception to the rule, but hey, every instance of a rifle that disproves their generalizations is a good thing, IMO.

Der Verge

11-21-2006, 19:15

I shot a 6 pt buck last weekend, hit him right in the neck and he fell in his tracks. A buddy shot a big 8 pt from my stand and he hit it with a 270 win, it was a double lung shot and maybe part of the heart, 180 gr bullet. It ran for 200 yds before collapsing. Shot placement is all you need to stop one. Did you see my pictures in the mini forum?

Beautiful. Shot placment is more important than anything. You could shoot an elephant with a 22lr and kill it.(slightly exaggerated, as It most likely will not penetrate the skin, but anyway) If you shot the elephant in the back of the skull, right in the brain stem. "like a ton of bricks"

I have to agree so strongly with shot placment because I have a buddy that is absolutely appalled by the fact that I use my .223 for deer. The kicker is that he uses a .243. Really, is the difference that great? No.

Also, you do not have to shoot the deer in the head for a .223 to work. You can do a heart shot just as well. I cannot remember where exactly I read this, but It was in an article with a doctor explaining the damage caused by bullet wounds. He stated that anytime a bullet impacts the heart, unless the heart is at rest, for that millionth of a second it is between beats, and yes, darn near a millionth, a bullet strike will cause the heart to explode. No heart, no life.

I know it takes a certian amount of energy transfer for this to happen, but I am sure it is a safe bet that if you are with in 500 yards, you can bank on it.

I am currently using Federal Vital Shock .223 Rem 60-Gr Nosler Partition, 3160 fps. My Mini has a 1:9 twist, which would suggest it would favor a slightly heavier bullet than 55gr. I am going to slowly move up in weight until I notice the accuracy drop.

Oh, and hylander, where did you get the strut? if you do not mind..

hylander

11-21-2006, 20:21

BTW, if you ever get a chance, you should click a pic of one of those 10-shot 1.25" groups and put it in the target-shooting forum
I have only done a ten shot group once or twice just to see what it did, I will try to find the Target.

Of course, they'll probably just say your rifle is the exception to the rule

Usually I just get called a lier <_< and these must be 50 yd groups :rolleyes:
So lately ihust post what mine does and don't debate it.

Oh, and hylander, where did you get the strut? if you do not mind..

Home made, K-Kina's original Idea.
1/2" piece of black gas pipe and two Tac Star universal mounts.

rugerdaddy

11-22-2006, 09:36

hylander

11-22-2006, 20:17

HYLANDER,
What is that muzzle brake you have installed? Slip on, screw on, or welded? Also, I live in Wilton, down by Elk Grove. Maybe we could get together sometime and you could teach me "stuff". I just got my mini 14 (first rifle) and have a lot to learn. I am also planning a number of mods.
p.s. where do you shoot?

The Muzzle brake is an El Cheapo slip on that a local store owner took off a used Mini for $5.00 :D I plan on having a Smith Brake installed.
Your about a 35-40 min drive from me, I'm in Lincoln.
I belong to the Lincoln Rifle Club, it is about 3 Min from my house.
I'll be fairly busy until Christmas, but afterwards if you would like to get together for some shooting and Rifle works that would be great.

capitol

11-22-2006, 23:15

Nice shooting Hylander.

mrmini14

12-04-2006, 00:01

O.K. back to the ORIGINAL post question, accurate mini load, I have a practical, simple, affordable .223 load I use.

Winchester 55 gr. FMJ boat tail, 1.6 C.C.'s Hodgdon H322 powder, standard cci small rifle primer, 2.250" overall length, nothing fancy or exotic, just good common sense loading.