Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: FrodeMk3 on July 07, 2007, 09:09:01 PM

Title: Military Surplus Ammo
Post by: FrodeMk3 on July 07, 2007, 09:09:01 PM

Hey, has anyone ever fired milsurp 5.56mm NATO out of a Mini-14, or other .223 civilian rifle? Does it give decent accuracy, or could one expect to be dissappointed? The reason I ask, is that I know the M-16A2's that the Military has used for the last few years had a different barrel twist than the M-16A1 and earlier weapons, due to the adoption of a(n) Belgian-designed projectile. ( I was going to buy some at my local gun store, but all available supplies of 5.56mm surplus have dried up, for the time being.) However, I've got a friend who has some he gave me, just wondering...

Title: Military Surplus Ammo
Post by: Dago on July 07, 2007, 10:23:50 PM

Milsurp will give decent results typically, but you won't win any matches with it.  Of course, if you are shooting a Mini-14, you will have a fun plinker but even with match ammo the mini-14 won't win any matches.

Lake City would be good stuff if you can find it.

Milsurp depending on manufacturer is good ammo.

Title: Military Surplus Ammo
Post by: storch on July 07, 2007, 10:30:40 PM

it's all I fire from my mini-14 and it's fine on critters that need killing like feral cats and raccoon.

Title: Military Surplus Ammo
Post by: eagl on July 07, 2007, 11:20:16 PM

Check local laws on bullet composition.  Some mil surplus ammo is steel-core and is generally illegal to fire due to the (small) potential for striking sparks and causing a fire.  Most firing ranges also do not allow solid core bullets made of anything but lead due to the damage they can cause to the range and the potential for riccochets.

Other than that, the stuff ought to work just fine.

Title: Military Surplus Ammo
Post by: Excel1 on July 08, 2007, 04:33:34 AM

If your Mini14 was made after about 1990 it will have either a rifling twist rate of 1 turn in 7 inches of barrel length, or from the mid 1990s to present a twist rate of 1 in 9. Either twist rate will stabalise the NATO 62 grain ball no problem. If it was made before 1990,I can't remember which, it will be either 1 in 10 (iffy?) or 1 in 12 ( too slow, M16a1 twist rate). A 1 in 9 twist rate is more than fast enough to stabalise a 62 grain projectile so I don't know why Ruger went to 1 in 7 with the Mini for a few years, cause the only reason the M16a2 needed the faster 1 in 7 twist rate was to stabalise the NATO tracer projectile which is longer and heavier? than the 62 grain NATO ball projectile

Title: Military Surplus Ammo
Post by: FrodeMk3 on July 08, 2007, 10:43:09 AM

CC, Excel, mine's brand new, a post-2005 model, with the Garand-type sights.