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MINI 30 cheap ammo - Request for input from all mini 30 owners.

9K views 88 replies 21 participants last post by  KingANuthin 
#1 ·
Gorenut came up with a BRILLIANT idea...
how about a sticky for the top inexpensive ammo available for the mini 30?

I'll volunteer to collect the data via PM.
what I would like you guys to do is send me what brand of ammo, how many rounds you have shot and the failure rate (if any) and what you paid for it per box. (not necessarily where you bought it - gotta leave a little something for the noobs to research -can't do all the work for em') :lol:
Only ammo easy to obtain should be sent to me for the list -if it's obscure or difficult to find, or no longer available (even if it was cheap) it's of no use to the list.
When a decent amount of data is compiled - I'll clean it it up and format it as a sort of "top 10" list with FTF rate, cost, and cumulative amount fired as the criteria for where it is on the list. and post it in it's own thread - then lobby Kevin to sticky it.

I'll bet the list the list will be pretty short...
remember people -I want to hear about the "good" cheap stuff... anything with a significant FTF rate won't even be put onto the list -suspect Tula, wolf, etc. will not even be on it.

expect bear ammo (silver and gold) Yugo milsurp, SandB, Fiocchi, MFS (maybe?) and a few others to make the grade. Surprise me!

price criteria for "cheap": $11 or less a box of 20. (regular price - limited time only sale prices won't work)

this will only work if you guys help out - so at this point... it's in your hands.
 
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#2 ·
I think you need to have a good and bad list if you are wanting to keep the mini 30's well fed and noob questions, 'what about brand x?';)
 
#6 ·
Here are my results from a day at the range with SIX boxes of eastern bloc 7.62x39mm ammo (and my SKS to eat the ammo that my Mini-30 won't):

1. Tula: feeds fine, but still gives me a failure to fire on about 30% of the rounds. All of those rounds show a dent in the primer, and all rounds DID fire in the SKS. Some, but not all, fired on a second try in the Ruger.

2. Wolf (WPA): No failures to fire, but occasional shells had difficulty loading (meaning that they got stuck feeding from the magazine). I'm guessing that this has something to do with the polymer coated steel casing. Maybe it's catching on the magazine. Or maybe there was something about the soft point on these rounds that was not feeding into the breech smoothly. I couldn't really determine which was the problem.

3. Brown Bear: Exactly the same results as with Wolf. The casing appears to be identical, and probably comes from the same source.

4. Corrosive Yugoslavian brass case ammo: No issues of any kind. Shoots great.

5. Silver Bear: This is zinc plated steel case, I believe. No issues either loading or firing. The Mini-30 loves this stuff.

6. Golden Bear: Brass plated steel, I think. Identical results as with Silver Bear. No issues of any kind. Slightly more costly than the Silver Bear.
 
#46 ·
Buy the cheap stuff?

Here are my results from a day at the range with SIX boxes of eastern bloc 7.62x39mm ammo (and my SKS to eat the ammo that my Mini-30 won't):

1. Tula: feeds fine, but still gives me a failure to fire on about 30% of the rounds. All of those rounds show a dent in the primer, and all rounds DID fire in the SKS. Some, but not all, fired on a second try in the Ruger.

2. Wolf (WPA): No failures to fire, but occasional shells had difficulty loading (meaning that they got stuck feeding from the magazine). I'm guessing that this has something to do with the polymer coated steel casing. Maybe it's catching on the magazine. Or maybe there was something about the soft point on these rounds that was not feeding into the breech smoothly. I couldn't really determine which was the problem.

3. Brown Bear: Exactly the same results as with Wolf. The casing appears to be identical, and probably comes from the same source.

4. Corrosive Yugoslavian brass case ammo: No issues of any kind. Shoots great.

5. Silver Bear: This is zinc plated steel case, I believe. No issues either loading or firing. The Mini-30 loves this stuff.

6. Golden Bear: Brass plated steel, I think. Identical results as with Silver Bear. No issues of any kind. Slightly more costly than the Silver Bear.
Surplus Yugo - functioned great;
Winchester - functioned great;
Tula - occasional feed/fire failure (acceptable to me for cheapie);
Golden Tiger - lots of fail to feed/eject;

I'll add that all cheap/surplus shooting 4" to 5" groups @ 100 yards with stock rifle and 3-9x scope. Winchester was under 2".
So next to the Wolf and the all the Bear Gold, Silver, Brown the best results have been from the Herters. I would rate them all fairly hi out of the Mini 30. Nothing notable as far as problems. As for the surplus(all thought the Yugo surplus seemed the best) and the Golden Tiger, those seem to shoot better from the SKS. The newish Golden Tiger? It seems to be the quality varies alot from batches or I just got a bad run? Tula has been run the most and so it has shown the most issues over the years. Over all, over the years I have found that alot of the ammo that the mini 30 won't shoot or feed the SKS and/AK 47's have issues with also. I would continue to buy what you can get in your area cheap. I would rate Herters, Winchester, Remington as the most accurate out of my best gun, but I see NO need to spend the money for the Winchester and Remington, Over all Herters is my winner, because of 1.5 MOA consequently happening the most out of 10 rounds. I would put Wolf a close 2ND tied almost with Tula Then Silver, Gold, Brown down to the others which are not as consistent, but all rounds can hit a paper plate at 200yards.
Some just are easier and do so more reliably. Most if not ALL this ammo I paid $5.99 or less for a 20 count box. Lowest was $2.99 from a gun show does that qualify as cheap enough?
 
#7 ·
Well, I ordered a bunch of Finnish milsurp in Norma cases. Shoots fantastic, but the supply seems to have dried up. I was hoping to catch most of the cases for reloading, but I'll need to get a metal detector first. :)

I have also bought some W-W in the beginning that shot well, but it was pricey.

I have a variety of Golden Bear on its way to me: FMJ, SP, and HP.

I have an urge to try the Yugp stuff, but the corrosiveness concerns me.

Wil
 
#9 ·
Marlin,

No, sorry to say that I haven't seen any more Finnish Lapua surplus other than some oddball armor piercing boxes going for gold plated prices.

I don't recall the dealers name that supplied it, but I suspect it all dried up in the early Obama Guns and Ammo Rush days.

Wil
 
#12 · (Edited)
Surplus Yugo - functioned great;
Winchester - functioned great;
Tula - occasional feed/fire failure (acceptable to me for cheapie);
Golden Tiger - lots of fail to feed/eject;


I'll add that all cheap/surplus shooting 4" to 5" groups @ 100 yards with stock rifle and 3-9x scope. Winchester was under 2".
 
#13 ·
Surplus Yugo - functioned great;
Winchester - functioned great;
Tula - occasional feed/fire failure (acceptable to me for cheapie);
Golden Tiger - lots of fail to feed/eject;

I'll add that all cheap/surplus shooting 4" to 5" groups @ 100 yards with stock rifle and 3-9x scope. Winchester was under 2".
how many rounds of each did you fire, or attempt to?

also out of how many attempted for the tula and tiger - what number or percentage(approx) gave you trouble?

and approx cost of the winchester? may be outside the "cheap ammo" parameter we set.
 
#16 · (Edited)
silver bear SP: flawless 100 rounds.
golden bear FMJ: flawless 240 rounds
Golden bear SP: flawless 40 rounds.

Edit: updated for round count... again for silver bear typo.
 
#22 ·
Just couldn't keep me blocked eh?


You had to peek out of your beloved primordial swamp and see what horribly unfair and untrue things i was saying about you, didn't you?
so much for your sad attempt to "be the better man" and Ignore me and the rest of the guys that are on to your antics. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the temptation. Oh so Predicable...
pathetic!

here is a clue son:

Your existence here is a Joke, not only to me - but the entire community. (well maybe Magog likes you, two peas in a pod you two...)
We don't get riled up at your pathetic attempts at comebacks :lol: We could care less. Hell, you are so dumb you can't even be funny when you try... except when you inadvertently set yourself up for a zinger at your own expense.
all you are doing when you post is supplying ME with more material to bury you with :p

keep digging that hole, bunny boy...
I'm having allot of fun. ;)
 
#23 ·
Just couldn't keep me blocked eh?

You had to peek out of your beloved primordial swamp and see what horribly unfair and untrue things i was saying about you, didn't you?
so much for your sad attempt to "be the better man" and Ignore me and the rest of the guys that are on to your antics. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist the temptation. Oh so Predicable...
pathetic!

here is a clue son:

Your existence here is a Joke, not only to me - but the entire community. (well maybe Magog likes you, two peas in a pod you two...)
We don't get riled up at your pathetic attempts at comebacks :lol: We could care less. Hell, you are so dumb you can't even be funny when you try... except when you inadvertently set yourself up for a zinger at your own expense.
all you are doing when you post is supplying ME with more material to bury you with :p

keep digging that hole, bunny boy...
I'm having allot of fun. ;)
i missed you man
 
#29 ·
ya you guys are so super survival you can understand why to see what a weapon is gonna take that your gonna stake your life on. You cant imagine it being drooped from 20 ft into the brush. Or you drop it in a stream in sub zero temps while trying to evade, then hopefully it will still work. Or if you have to hide it in the forest. or anything else. You know why because you pussies never leave the fu*ckin house and try anything other than going to the range. You never been outdoors-man and certainly most of you wannabe's never served or had any combat experience.You post the same tips, tricks and ideas year after year. Go back and read some old threads and you'll see what I'm talkin about. So when someone comes along that tried some more daring things and had the cash to waste you do what ? Try to tear them down because you either A: dont agree with there ideas or B: jealous or C: A fu*cking forum commando
I'm sure there are a few of you that are decent on here.

But for those of you that wanna be cu*nts FU*CK you I dont have to prove sh*t to you!

If your reading this moderator and don't like it boot me because I will not succum to as*hole's
 
#35 ·
Wolf Hp & FMJ, cycled well no problems. I have read horror stories pertaining to wolf hard primers, but have never had a problem.

Brown Bear, cycled well no problems.

I have fired hundreds of rounds of each. I can't give a price due to buying the ammo 8-10 yrs ago. Aprx $80 per case, oh yes the good old days.
 
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