125gr or 150gr Ballistic Tip

[steve4102]

I'm working on my Ruger Mini-30 with 125gr Ballistic tips. I can gets these little buggers to shoot pretty darn good at about 2600fps. I'm also working with 150gr BTs. I haven't nailed a load down yet, but they look promising. So, what do you think is a better choice, 125BT at 2600fps or a 150gr BT at 2200fps for Whitetails out to about 175 yards.

Here is what I came up with with the 125gr BT at 100 yards.

 

[SakoSteve270wsm]

Thats the best group I ever seen from a mini 14/30 ! Nice shootin !

I would go with the 125gr,your getting close to the bottom end of the expasion range (1600-3000 fps impact velocity)with a MV of 2200 with the 150gr.You would probably be ok with it, but the extra 400 fps of the 125 would be better IMHO.

 

[JD338]

+1 to what SakoSteve270wsm said.
Nice shooting steve4102.

JD338

 

[steve4102]

Thats the best group I ever seen from a mini 14/30 ! Nice shootin !

.

I guess I should explain a little more about my Mini-30. I purchased it back in the 80's. It was a real shooter right from day one. A few years ago Ruger got a hold of it and removed all of the accuracy. If I was gong to keep it I had to have it fixed. I sent it off to ASI for a new .75dia. 18.5in stainless barrel with a .308 dia. bore and a tune up. This is what it looks like now.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

SteveSako +2. Keep your velocity up. Makes the bullet work better.

 

[FOTIS]

OK that makes sense. Every group I have ever seen from a ruger mini-anything looked liked a shotgun pattern.

The 125 will do very nicely.

 

[rick smith]

Having killed over 50 whitetails with a 308x1.5 Barnes with the 125gr NBT at about the same velocity range, I would stay with the 125.Rick.

 

[Woodycreek]

Nice group out of that sweet Mini-30 :shock: