ORIGINAL: killadoe
I am torn between the Mini 14 and the mini 30. I would like the mini 14 for the range and speed, but dont like how small it is, I would like the mini 30 for its size, but not real impressed with the ballistics, however the larger bullet would be great.. I work with a guy that has a mini 14 (223) and he has killed alot of deer with it, he says it will kill them grave yard dead, most dont even run off. He says he has killed out to 250 yards and never had a problem..
Last year I killed a 6 point with a .223, and he ran about 35 yards and fell over. I have heard more than a few Mini-14 owners gripe about the accuracy of their weapon, so you might want to look at other firearms in this caliber. My .223 is a Saiga(AK variant) and they are not famous for their pinpoint accuracy. I got lucky, mine shoots 1.5-2MOA depending on my ammo, so I'm not going to shoot much further than 100 yards at anything except a coyote. Shooting out to 250, 1.5MOA gets to be a pretty big difference, so I wouldn't do it, but that's just me. The 7.62x39 round has dismal ballistics out past 200 yards. I have a single-shot in that caliber that I use as a brush gun, where my shots are all within 50 yards or so. If most of your shots are around 70, it is a good round in the right weapon.