Ruger 300 Aac Mini 14 Blackout Rifle Review

Ruger Mini-14 300 AAC Coma

In the by several weeks Ruger has released the latest version of their venerable, reliable Mini-14. No, it'south non another variation of the classic Ranch Burglarize . Information technology's besides not an addition to Ruger's highly authentic Target models . Instead, there'due south a new entry into the Mini-14 Tactical line , and this addition has me very excited because Ruger has never before offered a Mini-fourteen in this quotient — the incredibly versatile, suppressor-friendly 300 AAC Blackout .

Ruger Mini-xiv 300 AAC Coma

What is 300 AAC Blackout ammunition? First, a little history. In 1962 the U.S. Army began deploying as their principal weapon the M16 chambered in NATO 5.56x45mm , which is for all practical purposes an extremely hyped-upwards .22 caliber round (.223 to be exact) that packs a lot of punch out of the M16's original 20-inch/508mm barrel. When the Army found that most engagements were inside of 100 yards/92 meters, and many modern battleground engagements are in an urban setting, the Army opted to reduce the M16'due south barrel length to something more than suitable to what they were encountering. The result is the M4 , a descendant of the M16 with a shorter 14.5inch/370mm barrel.

Problem is that loss of five.five inches/128mm adversely impacts the effectiveness of the 5.56 round. Not a lot, simply plenty. Then in that location's the inability to properly suppress a supersonic round, which is something our Special Forces like to do on occasion.

This limitation and others led Advanced Armament Corporation to look at the existing M4 and see if they could come up with something a bit amend. What AAC came up with is probably the most versatile round ever produced — the 300 AAC Coma. The 300 BLK, as it is more ordinarily known, comes in everything from a 110-grain/7.13-gram supersonic round to a 220-grain/14.26-gram subsonic round with perhaps dozens of intermediate loads available in between these two extremes.

Only the advantages don't stop there. The 300 BLK can use the existing M16/M4 lower and M16/M4 magazines with but a simple swap out of the upper. Additionally, the 300 BLK offers meliorate performance out of a 9-inch/229mm butt than the 5.56 can attain out of the M4's fourteen.5-inch/370mm barrel.

How does all this translate to the noncombatant earth? It ways you accept a weapon that is suitable for everything from medium game hunting, to plinking, to serious target exercise at intermediate distances, to dwelling house defense with suppressor capability all in one convenient package. That'southward pretty versatile indeed.

All this versatility also means that U.S. forces tin switch from longer-range supersonic rounds to suppressed subsonic rounds only past attaching a suppressor to the end of the barrel and swapping out the armament in their magazines.

Threaded Barrel and Flash Suppressor

Beyond military applications and up until the release of this new Mini-14 the 300 AAC Blackout has been mostly aimed at the existing noncombatant AR marketplace (civilian semiautomatic versions of the M16/M4 platform). Non anymore. Now for the first time it tin can be used in the proven and arguably more than reliable Garand-way action of the Mini-14. But if yous're looking for reliability, read on for my review of the worst armament I have ever encountered — Remington's UMC 120-gr OTFB (Open up-Tip, Flat-Based) 300 AAC Blackout supersonic ammunition.

Merely some of what's in the box:

• Two 20-round 300 AAC BLK magazines (Different the AR market, Ruger has chosen to brand their Mini-xiv 300 AAC BLK incompatible with existing Ruger .223/five.56mm magazines to forbid potentially catastrophic cross-loading of ammunition) (UPDATE:  Thanks to the guys over at RugerForum.com, and contrary to information posted on the ShopRuger website, I've since discovered that this is incorrect.  The magazines are indeed compatible.  Apparently Ruger merits otherwise in order to preclude customers from loading wrong caliber ammunition betwixt differently chambered Mini-14s.)
• Scope rings
• Picatinny rail
• Suppressor-ready threaded butt with flash suppressor installed
• Hex wench for iron sight adjustments
• Lubricant
• Safety lock

What'due south in the Box

Shut-upwardly of Accessories

How does information technology shoot? When the ammunition works, pretty darned good. Out of the box and with no adjustment of the sights. I was able to score fairly tight groupings within effectually six to eight inches of the intended bespeak of bear on at an estimated range of about sixty feet/18 meters. (UPDATE:  Bear in listen that I was testing here for function rather than accuracy.  This grouping was done with the included iron sights, straight from the box, rather than a scope.  Additionally, the burglarize was not benched for accuracy.  In my future in-depth review, I doubtable groupings should fall well within two-inches at 100 yards, but this has non yet been confirmed.) Recoil is surprisingly light. Recovery and reacquisition of the target was quick and effortless. The trigger is good, but somewhat shy of dandy. The trigger is definitely improve than on a Beretta CX4 9mm carbine , but this is a longer range weapon then that should be a given. The manual condom is like shooting fish in a barrel to achieve and to manipulate with the trigger finger, but deactivation does require insertion of the trigger finger into the trigger guard — brand certain the weapon is pointed in a safety management and on target before deactivating it. The installed iron sights accept protective ears for both the front end blade and the rear aperture. Sight adjustments are available for both windage and elevation using the included hex wrench.

Ruger Mini-xiv 300 AAC Coma with Nikon P300 BLK

Disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly is fairly straightforward.  It's certainly much simpler than, say, an M1911A1, but not every bit simple as nearly modern handguns.  All you demand is a ¼-inch dial to break down the rifle, and Ruger has put up videos on YouTube to walk yous through it all.

Ruger Mini-xiv 300 AAC Coma disassembled

Mini-14 Trigger Grouping

Mini-14 Receiver Group

A quick word about the Garand-style gas operating arrangement of the Ruger Mini-14 300 AAC Blackout: This system has been carefully tuned at the factory to handle unsuppressed supersonic loads and suppressed subsonic loads. Further adjustments not possible at home, and unnecessary at any rate as long as you remember to run suppressed with subsonic ammunition or unsuppressed with supersonic loads. Failure to follow this basic communication may issue in unreliable armament feeds into the rifle. As I don't (all the same) have a suppressor, I cannot validate for you the reliability of the Mini-14 300 AAC Blackout using subsonic loads.

Rotating Bolt

Ruger Mini-14 300 AAC Blackout

Now for the ammunition. The start box of supersonic Remington UMC 120-gr OTFB 300 AAC Blackout ran without drama when inserted x rounds at a fourth dimension into one of the included twenty-round magazines. After my good friend David Williams and I fired x rounds each I so loaded up the same magazine with a total twenty rounds.

Issue: Repeated blown primers resulting in jamming of the weapon. Never in my entire shooting life have I ever had so much as even one blown primer, so it took me a while to realize what was going on, simply in xx rounds I had somewhere in the vicinity of v primers accident out of their respective casings. Later disassembly of the rifle for cleaning and inspection revealed no impairment to the rotating cake and firing pin, but Remington definitely got an earful on their armament and the remaining two boxes will exist returned for evaluation. The lot number, for anyone interested, was A333-vii 0360-one, but from my experience I'm non going to trust any Remington 300 AAC Blackout ammunition regardless of lot number.(UPDATE:  Remington claim that their ammunition was non at fault here, and instructed me that the blown primers indicated a trouble with the rifle.  I will report back on this in a futurity in-depth review, simply correct now I'm more inclined to doubtable bad ammunition rather than the burglarize, as I tin find no reports of similar incidents with other Mini-14 Blackouts.)

Unfortunately my Nikon P-300 BLK rifle scope did non arrive in time to make this beginning outing. This is a 2-7x32mm scope with a BDC (Bullet Drop Compensating) reticle optimized for both supersonic and subsonic BLK 300 rounds. Nikon supplies online a great Spot-On Ballistics Friction match Technology that allows you to select the scope magnification (2x to 7x for the P-300) ammunition make and load, and so supply you with the bullet drib compensation figures for each signal contained in the scope reticle. Once you've established these parameters, you can and so make a print-out to take with you into the field. Here's the reticle sighting data for Remington 125-gr Premier Lucifer OTM 300 AAC Blackout ammunition at a range of 25 yards, nil-in range of 75 yards, with the P-300 prepare to 7x (yous'll note that 450 yards is entirely within range of this load, and 600 yards is not out of the question):

Nikon Spot-On BDC Engineering science

Installation of the P-300 BLK using the telescopic rings included with the Mini-14 was fairly uncomplicated and straight frontwards. I did figure out one peachy play a joke on, however. Commencement attach only the front scope band to the P-300, but don't tighten the top of the ring but yet. Next place the telescopic ring on a apartment surface. Employ a pocket-size level and check for level by placing information technology horizontally across the windage aligning turret, turn the telescopic until level is achieved, and tighten down the top band. At present install the rear scope ring onto the Mini-xiv, then position the front band/scope associates. Place the rear top scope band in place and tighten down. This was much easier than post-obit the Ruger instructions for scope mounting, and it bodacious that the reticle would be perfectly level once the scope was installed.

Nikon P300 BLK

Nikon P300 BLK

I volition evaluate this Mini-xiv/Nikon P-300 combination at some point in the future, probably after I've found a good ammunition for the burglarize. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this first expect at the Mini-14 300 AAC Blackout.

Addition:  I was unable to get decent video on the higher up firing outing of the Mini-fourteen 300 AAC Blackout in action.  I'll do that in my time to come in-depth review now that I've acquired some SIG 124-grain Supersonic 300 Blackout Elite Performance ammunition.  Until then I'm linking below to a brief video supplied by the gentlemen over at Tactical Life, who are preparing their own review of the Mini-fourteen 300 AAC Coma.  Savor.

mcnultyexciation.blogspot.com

Source: https://rdougwicker.com/2015/05/18/ruger-mini-14-300-aac-blackout-first-impressions-a-shooting-review/

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