I took my 18.5" Stainless Mini out the other day to sight in its new scope(short p-223 in 3x) and decided to take some reloads to test out the grouping and the general accuracy of the mini. Having heard the accuracy of the mini isn't great(bad in the early models and only "better" with the new ones), I wanted to test it out. As a kid I shot the older pencil barrel minis in the 80s-90s and now have one of the new 2013 models. One thing I noticed... once I set my target at 100y, a 3x scope is not enough for precision shooting.
The cross-hairs literally took up the majority of the center of the target.
So, with that being said... The picture below is a 4 shot(out of 5, I pulled the 5th low) group at 100y. The other shots in the pic are of another group of 5 with a different load.
Keep in Mind:
I'm using a 3x P-223 scope for 100y shots
I'm using a couple sandbags for the front of the rifle only and me holding the rear.
Shots were fired in semi-rapid succession with a warm barrel
I am not and have never been a precision shooter
These are some of the first reloaded .223(or any) rounds I have ever made
They were 50g v-max using 28g of BL(C)-2, with a OAL of 2.250 (+/- .001)
http://distilleryimage4.ak.instagram.com/fae1e938c04c11e389a20002c99af64c_8.jpg
I cannot complain about its accuracy
The p-223 is a great scope that works work well for practical uses, but I am tempted to replace it with a redfield 2-7x for use at the range.