My M1A

[4006]

Hi
a while back a friend of mine started a fire under my ***
about shooting my m1a so the other day i went to the range to shoot
an a gentleman walked up and told me i was using the wrong ammo for my m1a
i was shooting 308 ammo he tell me i should be using 7.62x51 ammo 308 is for bolt guns
an 7.62x51 is military guns so i.am using the wrong ammo

thanks Joe R

[mac1911]

Thank Crist you where not shooting cast

[samari46]

Commercial 308 is loaded to higher pressures than 7.62x51 Nato or U.S. military ammo. So the gas port pressures will be higher with commercial versus military. So I would definitely say the gent was right. Best to use military cases as they are heavier in construction that commercial. My Garand only sees military ammo and reloads with military cases. Check with Springfield armory and see what they say. Frank

[vzerone]

Commercial 308 is loaded to higher pressures than 7.62x51 Nato or U.S. military ammo. So the gas port pressures will be higher with commercial versus military. So I would definitely say the gent was right. Best to use military cases as they are heavier in construction that commercial. My Garand only sees military ammo and reloads with military cases. Check with Springfield armory and see what they say. Frank

The pressure isn't necessarily about wrecking the case, the higher pressure of the 308W is harder on the rifle as it wasn't designed for that kind of pressure. Talking about the gas system and gas port and I'm also talking about the M14. In their manual that comes with their rifle, Springfield's recommended ammuniation for the M1A is factory commercial 308W or 7.62 NATO. If you load a military case and commercial 308W case to the same pressure theirs no difference. One can run the adjustable Schuster plug/valve on it if they are worried about it. So the answer to the OP's question is yes you can shoot 308 factory ammo . That's my two cents.

[john.k]

Lots of strange people come up to me at the range.I dont take any notice of any of them.......cept the RO. One day some women was handing out anti gun literature.

[country gent]

Most don't recommend slower powders for the garand or M1A/M14. a lot say nothing slower than IMR4064 or IMR4320 to keep port pressures inline. They also don't recommend bullets heavier than 180 grns normally for the same reasons. American eagle, Winchester white box, PMC's offering are good as is LC surpluss. Best but not cheapest if you can find it is the old LC 852 match ammo. Federal Gold medal match is very good also. For a handload I shot a lot of this load LC nm case, primer pockets uniformed, trimmed deburred and chamfered, flash holes deburred. 41.5 grns IMR 4895, Sierra 168 grn matchking or Hornady HPBT match. ( I actually shot better scores with the Hornady's and they were slightly cheaper). This load pretty much duplicated the M852 load issued in leg matches when I was competing.

[Shingle]

Some commercial .308 is loaded HOTTTT Iv shot Winchester silver box 150gr. for years with no problem. It chronograph's about the same as military 147gr.

[mac1911]

If you go to your local ammo source check out all the 308 ammo other than the very high velocity heavy bullet offerings I'm doubting any 110-180 grain offering in the 2500fps heavy bullet to 2750fps 150 grains or less should be OK.
The thing I see is most of the ammo that might be loaded with to heavy and to fast of a powder is more money than say Fed GMM or Creedmoor match.
Heavy or thicker cases on the military 7.62 NATO has nothing to do with pressure but more to do with case head separation which from how I understand it is from the loose chamber cutting to assure all NATO ammo regardless of where it was manufactured will cycle in a M14.
Maybe its just me but I hardly ever hear much of M14 op rods bending? The 308/762_M14,M1a is just not as much of a problem with faster powders than say the M garand. I can see over pressure or higher pressure causing some timing issues and stressing the parts?
I for one reload for both my garands in 06_and 308 both are chamber and finished reamed to SAMMI spec and I load on the slower side of velocity as I just don't need to run my loads at 2700fps for accuracy and function at 200 yards.

As for being approached at the range I have been reported to the board for shooting cast loads through my rifles including my M1 garand and carbine. If I had a M1a I would dump cast through that also.

[vzerone]

That's good thinking Mac1911, no sense in pushing those two rifles. If you need a hotter 30 caliber go to a magnum bolt rifle. Shooting those old milsurps, and their copies, with the ammo they were intended too use (and cast too!) is just plain fun.

[ShooterAZ]

A lot depends on the headspace of your rifle. My M1A is headspaced to 1.633, which is for USGI spec ammo. I have shot some .308 out of it with no issues. The Federal Gold Medal Match is some pretty darn hot stuff, and I avoid using it after firing only a few rounds of it. My M1A only gets fed my handloads now, using USGI brass.

[Petrol & Powder]

Joe R, You're doing just fine. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

[dragon813gt]

As for being approached at the range I have been reported to the board for shooting cast loads through my rifles including my M1 garand and carbine. If I had a M1a I would dump cast through that also.

Is this something that's not allowed? I'd be looking for another range if that's the case. I've been approached for picking up lead that's on top of the berms and in front of the targets. The president(former) didn't understand why I was doing it at all let alone at night when no one was there and I needed a light source. That was an awkward five minutes until I made a call to the VP and he straightened him out. That particular president wanted to ban all reloads. Needless to say he didn't make it through his entire term.

[mac1911]

Is this something that's not allowed? I'd be looking for another range if that's the case. I've been approached for picking up lead that's on top of the berms and in front of the targets. The president(former) didn't understand why I was doing it at all let alone at night when no one was there and I needed a light source. That was an awkward five minutes until I made a call to the VP and he straightened him out. That particular president wanted to ban all reloads. Needless to say he didn't make it through his entire term.

no but when you shoot cast loads out a rifle that normally goes BANG then suddenly you shoot a cast load that's more of a pop (especially light loads) and you can here the meplat of the bullet smack the paper/backer of the target some people get all weird.
Like my gallery loads for 30-06 I can run them in any rifle 185 grain pill at 1000fps or so. It turns heads as everyone expects a BOOM now its a pop

[Texas by God]

My friend and I were at the back rifle range wringing out my Hakim 8x57. The RO came driving up fast because everybody thought we snuck in a .50 BMG by the sound of it. He actually stayed and shot a 3" group @ 100 yrs with Portugese surplus fmj.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Motor]

Let's set one thing straight first. A M1A is NOT the same as a M1 Garand and does not have the same sensitivity to gas port pressure.

My owners manual from Springfield Armory clearly states that my M1A can shoot any commercial .308 Win ammo or any NATO spec 7.62x51 ammo.

This of course is not true for a M1 Garand with standard GI gas system.

Another thing always incorrectly compared is the max pressure between 7.62x51 and .308 Win. They are expressed in two different ways. The actual pressure difference between the two are negligible.

So I suggest you call or email Springfield Armory and get a owners manual. Put it in your range box. Then the next time he says something to you pull it out and show him.

Motor

[Larry Gibson]

Motor is correct.

[4006]

Motor
i called Springfield Armory and get a owners manual.it on the way

[Larry Gibson]

The M1A is now available in 6.5 Creedmore which has a SAAMI MAP of 62,000 psi.....same as the 308W.......same as some U.S. made 7.62 NATO ammunition made for the M14 and other 7.62 NATO U.S. rifles.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-6-5-Creedmoor

[nicholst55]

The M1A is now available in 6.5 Creedmore which has a SAAMI MAP of 62,000 psi.....same as the 308W.......same as some U.S. made 7.62 NATO ammunition made for the M14 and other 7.62 NATO U.S. rifles.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-6-5-Creedmoor

And all the heroes on the M14 Forum are predicting doom and gloom for anyone who shoots the same ammo in an M14-type rifle so chambered as they do in their bolt gun.

[Motor]

And all the heroes on the M14 Forum are predicting doom and gloom for anyone who shoots the same ammo in an M14-type rifle so chambered as they do in their bolt gun.

I'm not sure that a M1A and a real M14 are the same. All I know for sure is what Springfield Armory recommends for their M1A. So there could be reason for concern if shooting a real vintage M14. That concern however is not for the strength of the action. The action of a M14 or even a M1 Garand can easily handle the pressure of any factory offering. It's the operating system that is in question.

Motor