Ruger Mini 14 6.8 SPC Range Report
Well, wisely or foolishly I bought a Ruger Mini 14 in 6.8 SPC this August. I love my Mini in .223 but can't really hunt with it. Maybe I should have gone with the 7.62 x 39 but thought it would be fun to try out a brand new cartridge. I wanted something rugged, reliable and quick to shoot for hunting. The mini 14 is all of that.
My first impression was that it was the usual sturdy rifle you come to expect from Ruger. The finish is an unusual semi shiny grey but is supposed to be impervious to water, moisture, etc. The gun functioned very positively and I am yet to have a ftf. I mounted a Bushnell 3200 3 x 9 scope on it. It is a nice compact size for the mini. and has good optics I thought.
There has been much hype about mini accuracy and how Ruger has changed their barrels and they are more accurate. Well, we didn’t get off to a good start in that department. I wasn't’ t able to get all the bullets I wanted to try out but started with the Hornady 100 gr. SP. There were no pressure signs as I went through a series of loadings with IMR 4198 up to max loadings. I used Federal match primers and Remington brass. After getting used to the gun I managed to get some groups between 1.9 inches and 2.5 inches but most were closer to 2.5. I tried some 130 gr. Sierra Game Kings and the accuracy finally went down to a consistent 2 inches, 5 shot groups at 100 yds. I fired several groups with this bullet and felt it had some potential. I also noted that the barrel heated up quickly and groups went south quickly if the barrel got too warm. I don't think that the 130 gr. is the best bullet weight in the semi auto. The COL is just too short to achieve acceptable velocities although I am thinking of seating them out and shooting them singly as an experiment.
This weekend I had a chance to try some Speer 100 gr. HP’s and the results were much better. I used Reloader 7 this time. I would prefer Reloader 10X or Reloader 17 as I understand they are a better powder for this round but haven’t been able to get any of those yet.
When I first started shooting the wind was quite brisk, probably gusting to 40-45 kph. The groups were quite a bit to the left at 100 yards but the first group was also the first 3 shot group to break the 2 inch barrier. It was 1.5 inches. The next grouping was slightly larger. The third grouping with the highest powder loading was the worst.
Then the wind dropped right off and I fired a three shot group that made me very happy. It measured .600 inches. I fired another 3 shot group with the second increment of powder and while it was good, it wasn’t quite as good as the first loading.
I then started plinking at some metal squares we have set up at the range. I was banging them consistently and fairly rapidly but by the time I got to the sixth round bullets started missing. The barrel was quite warm and when I let it cool down, the accuracy came back.
As a side note, there isn’t much factory ammo for this round yet but if you reload, there are lots of bullets to try as they are .270 in diameter. I had no problems finding brass for it and it is listed in Wholesale Sports. There are some shooters on this board who are using the round in bolt action rifles with good success. Because you aren’t constrained by the AR-15 mag COL you can seat the bullet out further and use more powder. It has the potential to be a very accurate round. Whether or not it will be around for a long time remains to be seen. If the American military adopts it, I think it will be.
In the meantime I will wait for my Hornady 115 gr. V-Max’s to arrive and hopefully the Reloader 17 or 10X will arrive at the same time.
There is a website called Gundoc.com that has a downloadable video for doing your own trigger job on the mini. I contacted him about doing a trigger job but he said he was too busy hunting and wouldn’t be available for at least a month. He also said he had concerns about shipping the gun (trigger assembly) back and forth over the border. There are a number of things you can do to improve the mini’s accuracy so that it is more than a plinker. Personally, I am not done yet. I think it can be really consistent in the (hunting) accuracy department with some work. I think consistent groups around an inch are not unreasonable.
Bullet comparison: Starting on left- .308; 6.8 SPC; 7.62 x 39
Top group is the best to date. .600 inches @ 100 yds. Hole at 12'oclock is not part of this 3 shot group.
This middle group measured 1.3 inches 3 shots @ 100 yds.
The bottom group is actually two- 3 shot groups shot under windy conditions. The holes at the bottom right are actually 3 holes, not two. Group size(s)= 1.5 inches.
Well, wisely or foolishly I bought a Ruger Mini 14 in 6.8 SPC this August. I love my Mini in .223 but can't really hunt with it. Maybe I should have gone with the 7.62 x 39 but thought it would be fun to try out a brand new cartridge. I wanted something rugged, reliable and quick to shoot for hunting. The mini 14 is all of that.
My first impression was that it was the usual sturdy rifle you come to expect from Ruger. The finish is an unusual semi shiny grey but is supposed to be impervious to water, moisture, etc. The gun functioned very positively and I am yet to have a ftf. I mounted a Bushnell 3200 3 x 9 scope on it. It is a nice compact size for the mini. and has good optics I thought.
There has been much hype about mini accuracy and how Ruger has changed their barrels and they are more accurate. Well, we didn’t get off to a good start in that department. I wasn't’ t able to get all the bullets I wanted to try out but started with the Hornady 100 gr. SP. There were no pressure signs as I went through a series of loadings with IMR 4198 up to max loadings. I used Federal match primers and Remington brass. After getting used to the gun I managed to get some groups between 1.9 inches and 2.5 inches but most were closer to 2.5. I tried some 130 gr. Sierra Game Kings and the accuracy finally went down to a consistent 2 inches, 5 shot groups at 100 yds. I fired several groups with this bullet and felt it had some potential. I also noted that the barrel heated up quickly and groups went south quickly if the barrel got too warm. I don't think that the 130 gr. is the best bullet weight in the semi auto. The COL is just too short to achieve acceptable velocities although I am thinking of seating them out and shooting them singly as an experiment.
This weekend I had a chance to try some Speer 100 gr. HP’s and the results were much better. I used Reloader 7 this time. I would prefer Reloader 10X or Reloader 17 as I understand they are a better powder for this round but haven’t been able to get any of those yet.
When I first started shooting the wind was quite brisk, probably gusting to 40-45 kph. The groups were quite a bit to the left at 100 yards but the first group was also the first 3 shot group to break the 2 inch barrier. It was 1.5 inches. The next grouping was slightly larger. The third grouping with the highest powder loading was the worst.
Then the wind dropped right off and I fired a three shot group that made me very happy. It measured .600 inches. I fired another 3 shot group with the second increment of powder and while it was good, it wasn’t quite as good as the first loading.
I then started plinking at some metal squares we have set up at the range. I was banging them consistently and fairly rapidly but by the time I got to the sixth round bullets started missing. The barrel was quite warm and when I let it cool down, the accuracy came back.
As a side note, there isn’t much factory ammo for this round yet but if you reload, there are lots of bullets to try as they are .270 in diameter. I had no problems finding brass for it and it is listed in Wholesale Sports. There are some shooters on this board who are using the round in bolt action rifles with good success. Because you aren’t constrained by the AR-15 mag COL you can seat the bullet out further and use more powder. It has the potential to be a very accurate round. Whether or not it will be around for a long time remains to be seen. If the American military adopts it, I think it will be.
In the meantime I will wait for my Hornady 115 gr. V-Max’s to arrive and hopefully the Reloader 17 or 10X will arrive at the same time.
There is a website called Gundoc.com that has a downloadable video for doing your own trigger job on the mini. I contacted him about doing a trigger job but he said he was too busy hunting and wouldn’t be available for at least a month. He also said he had concerns about shipping the gun (trigger assembly) back and forth over the border. There are a number of things you can do to improve the mini’s accuracy so that it is more than a plinker. Personally, I am not done yet. I think it can be really consistent in the (hunting) accuracy department with some work. I think consistent groups around an inch are not unreasonable.
Bullet comparison: Starting on left- .308; 6.8 SPC; 7.62 x 39
Top group is the best to date. .600 inches @ 100 yds. Hole at 12'oclock is not part of this 3 shot group.
This middle group measured 1.3 inches 3 shots @ 100 yds.
The bottom group is actually two- 3 shot groups shot under windy conditions. The holes at the bottom right are actually 3 holes, not two. Group size(s)= 1.5 inches.
