Magnum Mini?

2386 Views 21 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Abendicum, Jan 18, 2003

ctrout

Discussion Starter · Jan 10, 2003

Is it possible to ream the chamber of the Mini-30 to a more powerful .308 cartridge? I Know that the magazine length and head diameter are the limiting factors so I was specifically thinking in terms of a 7.62x39 improved for possibly 200 or so more fps. Anyone ever heard of this being attempted?

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bushwack

· #13 · Jan 11, 2003

Sierra bullet makers say they have found no problem at all in shooting .311-.312 bullets thru .308" barrels & were in fact surprised that they shot as accurately as they did. I don't own a Mini-30 so I haven't kept up with the latest thing about a new bore diameter. Can anyone confirm that Ruger has actually begun installing .312" barrels on new model Min-30's? As to rechambering a factory Mini-30 barrel to a wildcat caliber goes I would approch this with a lot of caution. I would bet the farm that the reason Ruger never came out with the XG1 was because they found out the action wasn't strong enough for the 308 Winchester or 7.62 NATO round. And I would suggest that in their testing they had KaBooms because of the high chamber pressures & the large diameter bolt face. This is for harles, the reason you have the taper of the cartridge case is for ease of extraction something very improtant for a semi auto weapon but of no concern to a guy shooting a bolt action rifle unless he's hunting dangerous game. You'll find no military weapons chambered for Ackley Improved cartridges for this reason. I would caution anyone who reloads for the Mini to be very careful about how hot they are loading their rounds be well versed on how to read the signs of too hot a load. Remember that the most accurate rounds are usually found below maximum load.

Just my 2¢
Bushwack

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bushwack

· #18 · Jan 11, 2003

harles---Yes that old AK47 round is built to do what the rifle does best. Use it abuse it & it'll still function. The Soviets had to design a rifle that could be used by conscripts that had about the same weapons knowedge as my Granny (Rest her soul). Now the only reason I can see to modify the case would be to hold more powder. As I said earlier I don't believe the Mini is designed to hold the force exerted against the bolt with high pressure rounds with the bolt face diameter of the 7.62X39 round. If you are determined to boost the proformance of the 7.62X39 round a level close to the 7.62 NATO round I can't stop you but I would certainly caution you. If Bill Ruger thought he could make the Mini into a high proformance .30 caliber with the design he already had believe me he would've done it. I mean just one look at the bolts locking design makes me cringe at the thought.

Good luck & be careful
Bushwack

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bushwack

· #21 · Jan 18, 2003

Yes the PPC series would be a very good upgrade for the Mini. Ridge Runner who contributes to this forum at times had one built by the outfit in Texas & claims very good accuracy. Of course he had it done with a bull barrel so that would make quite a bit of difference too. You should only consider this round if you really enjoy handloading because making the PPC case from a different parent case can sometimes be frustrating. I don't know how long the newly formed cases would last either when having to resize after each firing.

Good shooting
Bushwack

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