Burn Rate & Semi-Auto Rifles?

[Potsy]

Dad's got a Winchester 100 .308 that I'm fixin' to start working up a load for. I've never loaded for a gas semi-auto before, but have read to stay away from slower burning powders.
Was planning on running Reloader 15 (under 165 speers). Anything I need to be aware of loading this powder in this rifle?

[Dannix]

Looks like a pretty consistent powder for that case and bullet weight.
http://www.hodgdon.com/smokeless/extreme/page3.php#top

I didn't know Speer made boolit molds.

[Gunsmoke4570]

I use 4895 (IMR or Hodgen) in my semi .308s with 165gr J-bullets.

[Dannix]

Potsy, you may want to look up Bruce B's threads (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/search.php?searchid=2761988). He spent a lot of time with...I believe it was the M1A. My impression is if you're loading gas semi-autos, you owe it to yourself to read up on his threads. I imagine there's a slew of other great info from the many contributers here. Just spend some time searching, and maybe check out the archives.

[DCM]

RL-15, W748, N140, Varget, AA2495,ect MEDIUM burning rifle powders usually work best. Fast powders will short stroke, slow will batter the action due to too much port pressure! RL-15, CCI BR primers,165g Speer/sierra/Hornadys at about 2650fps should work great! M852 match was a 168 bthp @2650 out of the M14 Back when the CMP was the DCM!

[Got-R-Did]

Roger That DCM. Port pressure is a serious concern with most autoloading rifles. I had a Win 88 in .308 that was particularly insensitive to the many different loads I tried in her, but when I assisted a friend with his 100 it preferred one load above all others. Must have simply found the sweet spot with it.
A major concern with the 100 is that the firing pin tends to be a bit fragile and prone to breakage. You might start looking for a replacement right away as it is likely to fail at the most inoportune time. Not to be an alarmist, but one way you can assure the longevity of the current pin is to disassemble the bolt and clean the raceway that the pin fits into. My friend does this annually since his broke on the third outing to the range. Seems the original owner never took the time and crud/fouling built up to the point that prevented the pin from moving forward within the channel. This was a best case scenario, for if the pin had lodged tight in the forward position a double or triple fire would have likely occurred.
This is simply meant as an advisement, and not a condemnation of the Win 100. They are classic rifles and I love them. Good Shooting.
Got-R-Did.

[Potsy]

Thanks for the replies.
Some years ago, Winchester did a recall on the 100's for that very reason.
Dad's was worked on under that recall. Not to say it still won't break.

[Newtire]

I loaded up some 150 grainers for a friend's Garand using IMR4064 that were very accurate and functioned well to boot. That was in an '06 though. I'm sure it would work fine in a .308 but the charge would differ of course.

[roysha]

Winchester still furnishes the upgrade for the M-100 FP. Aprox, 6-7 months ago an acquaintance brought over an M-100 that a friend of his had with a broken firing pin. He looked up the recall info and contacted WIN who in turn sent him the upgrade free plus a certificate for a few bucks, (I can't remember how much at the moment) to help offset the gunsmith repair fees.