So I am seeing mixed reviews about the mini-30 I imagine it has at least something todo with the ammo

 

Is there a 7.62x39 hand load that works well with a mini-30?

Mini 30 don't like steel ammos. But I have wolff heavy hammer spring installed on mine to eat anything that you feed it.

It's not just the hard russian primers; the bigger problem is the lacquer/poly coated steel cases. They don't rotate smoothly in the magazines, so they don't feed well, and sometimes don't feed well at all. If you stick with brass, or even zinc-washed (Silver Bear), there are no problems.

 

Some people have reported after a couple thousand rounds thru the gun and mags, it'll even eat the steel case stuff no roblem. But I haven't gotten there yet.

Reloading for the 7.62x39 is best done with AA1680 and 121-150 grain heads. If you find a source for Accurate Arms let me know. It is getting harder to find except at Cabelas or mail order.

 

Ruger bores have been measured at .308 to .311 depending on the years of manufacture. I have loaded both 308 and 311 boolits and found results similar. Normal reloading issues apply. From the Accurate Load Data Sheet 3.5 . YMMV

AA1680 123 HDY SP 25.5 2,201 28.3 2,445 43,120 2.187

AA1680 125 SIE SPT 24.3 2,160 27.0 2,400 45,190 2.165

AA1680 150 SIE SPT 20.3 1,752 22.5 1,947 42,280 2.190

 

Powder/head/starting charge/speed/Ending charge/speed/cups/COAL