Ruger mini 14

SkipB

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Feb 4, 2021
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131
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Brooklet Ga.
I have 22-250 and a 25-06 for coyotes in long fields here on my farm but I was wondering if anyone has ever used a Ruger ranch rifle on coyotes. Its a fun little gun to shoot and I was going to put a 3x9 it and try it out. I have some fields on my farm that are less than 100 yards and it might be fun to try to get them with this little gun. If anyone has a nice 223 load you are using please let me know.
 
Rugged rifle but not as accurate as the AR's, as a general rule, but for your purposes & the distance mentioned, should be just the ticket. Find what expanding bullet shoots best in it & it will take down the coyotes.
 
I have found that the 223 seems to like the 55 gr. bullets the best . I run 55gr. Sierra HPBT's in my 223's and have been loading them with H335 at 22.5 gr. . Years back I had a friend with the Ruger ranch rifle and it liked the 55gr. factory loads as I recall they had some where around a 1:12 twist .
 
I have found that the 223 seems to like the 55 gr. bullets the best . I run 55gr. Sierra HPBT's in my 223's and have been loading them with H335 at 22.5 gr. . Years back I had a friend with the Ruger ranch rifle and it liked the 55gr. factory loads as I recall they had some where around a 1:12 twist .
thank you Sir I am going to put my grandson on coyotes with it
 
I got a little bored with my usual coyote rifle last month and decided to take out the mini 14 for a change of pace one day. I had the irons zeroed for federal 55gr m193 already so that's what I used, and it put down a pair of coyotes hard.

Admittedly not an ideal coyote rifle or load but it worked perfectly that day. I tend to think of the mini as a utilitarian tool/plinker rather than a slicked up precision predator gun, but it was so much fun it might just get the nod the next time I head out.


mini141.jpg
mini142.jpg


Those two pretty dogs on the left were shot with the mini. The other 2 were shot by my buddy's AR with 55gr Vmax's, which surprisingly didn't put down the dogs as quickly and were definitely harder on fur than my fragmenting fmj's.
 
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You must have hit bone with the FMJs. Tell your buddy to use the 60gr V-maxes they leave an exit wound you can almost put your fist in. I have gotten a few with my scoped mini and the 53gr SMK and the Hornady 60gr SP.
 

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Well it's been a while, but first i would discount all posts about the early mini's. Yes they for the most part had pie plate moa's. However if you shop for the newer #580 or say the 583 or 584 models, you will find that many improvements have been made to them and now they are a sound 100yd 2" rifle and with just a little more work they can do 1" groups if your interested in changing just a couple of easy fix parts.
 
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