Finally got my M1A!!

[inspector_17]

Yep, finally got my M1A. 22" barrel and synthetic stock. really looking forward to shooting it. Now to reloading. I have plenty of 308 brass, but have a question regarding 7.62 brass: I know the walls in 7.62 are thicker meaning less interior volume. So can I reduce the amount of powder by a couple of grains or more or should I use a different powder? Already using BLC-2 in my 308 bolt and AR, so this is hopefully going to be my go to powder. Will eventually be using the Lee 160 grn gc.

[downzero]

M1As, like M1 Garands before them, really ought to only use loads that are designed for them at the velocities they are designed for. I would start low, use a chrono, and duplicate military loads for that rifle. I would not try to push the velocity upward.

308 and 7.62 cases all have different capacities. Let the chrono be your guide. Don't assume the case has a lower capacity just because it's labeled 7.62x51. It may not.

[Winger Ed.]

They don't seem to mention it in the newer reloading books,
but in the old days- all manuals said to reduce your powder charge listed in the book by one full grain when using GI brass.

The best loads I've found with my M1A has been with GI FMJ bullet pulls, or 150-ish grain SPs
pushed along with Win748.

For short range plinking, a 170 cast RN with enough IMR 4198 to lock the bolt open on the last round does well too.

[starnbar]

150 to 168 grain fmj IMR 4895 LRP LRM I have thousands through my M1A and Garands

[hc18flyer]

My 9th addition Hornady Guide has a section specific to 'Service Rifles. Maybe I can get you the info? hc18flyer

[bimus]

What I use in my 308's has worked for me

All loads shot through a chronograph

Factory Winchester 7.62 mm 147 FMJ
M1a Scout squad 2655 FPS
Remington 700 24 inch barrel 2757 FPS
HK 91 2539 FPS


44 grains IMR 4064 147 grain FMJ
M1A scout squad R-P brass 2621 FPS MIL brass 2640
Remington 700 24 inch barrel R-P brass 2751 FPS
HK91 R-P brass 2524 MIL brass 2529
All FPS where averages

[Butzbach]

Do yourself a favor and join this forum.

https://www.m14br.com/

[charlie b]

And here is some general .308 data with some references to milsurp brass and specs.

https://www.6mmbr.com/308Win.html

[NuJudge]

Best repository of loading data for M1A: http://www.radomski.us/njhp/cart_tech.htm
The best target bullets are from Sierra, and here's what they have to say: https://www.sierrabullets.com/reload...ervice-rifles/
Read everything you can find written by Zediker: http://www.m14.ca/reloading/14_loading.pdf
Another forum that would be good to look at: http://www.usrifleteams.com/forums/
Bruce B, here on this forum, had the best thread I have seen on cast bullets in the M1A: https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...pringfield-M1A

[inspector_17]

Thank You everybody. Geez, I love this forum!

[iron brigade]

Here you go

http://www.provenreloads-handloads.com

My m1 A loaded loves H 4895 and 168 hornady match
Well that didn't work the way it should have.
Go to menu then articles and scroll way down. You'll find old school 308 loads

[fastdadio]

I just posted this up in a different thread recently, but, here it is again. Good stuff for service rifles.
https://www.bearblain.com/Service%20...0Loadings.html
I load H4895 under Sierra Match King 165s, and for hunting I use the same load/weight with Game Kings, which I believe are the same or very close in BC which makes sighting in for hunting very simple. I also use the Game Kings on occasion in my 30-30 and 06.

[Buck Shot]

Might as well start looking for a jug of 4895 now, it might take a while!

[dogmower]

40-43 grains of IMR 4895 with Lake City Brass and 168 grain match bullets works great in mine.

[fastdadio]

40-43 grains of IMR 4895 with Lake City Brass and 168 grain match bullets works great in mine.

40.7 to 41 grs. has been my sweet spot with the Sierra's.

[Buckshot]

.............I have a SA with a stainless NM bbl, but it's not match bedded or anything. I wanted to be able to take it apart if I have to, and not worry about the bedding. I have three M1 Garands. Two '43 produced SA's and a '55 HRA. Some may laugh, but the Garands were all eager to please, but this M1A was an equine of an entirely different hue.

I read all the "Danger Will Robinson" warnings about possible primer issues, and possible commercial brass problems also. So far no problems. I should have bought a lottery ticket at the same time I bought 1K LC-18, and 1K LC-19 7.62x51 milsurp brass. They were all primed (YAY!) and had the black asphalt sealant in the case necks (which turned out to be a PITA). This was all like 6 hours before the Chinese Communist Whuhan virus BS erupted, and all the IDIOTS and MORONS lost their freaking minds and ran around in circles crying, "MY GOD, MY GOD, we're all gonna die".

In any event, I suppose the reason these lots of military brass was surplused was due to primer issues, otherwise the brass was great, but primer performance not so much. Glad I'm not big on sitting in front of the IDIOT BOX (wife takes care of all the TV watching) so I ran all the brass through the Dillon to de-prime. Then they got tumbled (rotary) in really hot water with concrete floor cleaner and stainless pins added. They were absolutely dazzling. It was kinda like a second freaking career but got it finished. Then I ran them all past a primer pocket swager to get the pockets ready.

I was always one to partake of the surplus market so I have several jugs of milsurp 4895 AND WC846, which also was a powder used in the 7.62x51. Having several friends who were also casters and reloaders, we could practically put together some truckload orders in years past. Another was 4475, which is now commercial production and labeled 5744. Speed is/was similar to 3031. Not being bashful about stocking up I had quite an assortment of primers on hand. Paying close attention to what I'd been told I laid in a good supply of those CCI #34's to go with the rest. The bullets used in testing were Hornady #3037 150gr FMJBT all from the same lot. All seated to have a nice crimp applied into the crimp groove. Then a test was performed a couple weeks later.
The load for them all was 43.0grs of Canister IMR 4895, same bullets & powder for all, just a different primer for each batch of 20 rounds.

FIRST UP: were the UNIX-GINEX (Serbia Milspec) primers. These things required a BUNCH of effort to seat. AVG 2772 fps ES 71. All 20 rounds fired, no problem.
SECOND UP: CCI #34 Mil Spec primers. A little effort to seat. Had 4 fail to fire. Retry and 3 fired on 2nd hit. One wouldn't go off at all. 2765 FPS. Also produced the highest extreme spread of 103 fps.
THIRD UP: RUSSIAN PMC. Okay to seat. 19 fired, 20th fired on 2nd hit. 2765 FPS, ES 58 FPS.
FOURTH UP: FEDERAL LR MAGNUM: Easy to seat, all 20 fired first time. 2821 FPS, ES 85 FPS
FIFTH UP: WLR STD PRIMER: SEATED normally all 20 fired normally. 2799 FPS, ES 70 FPS.

Winchester factory 7.62x51 Factory Brown box. Caseheads stamped WMA-16. 19 of 20 fired. 1 dud. 2823 FPS, ES, 95 FPS.

That magazine on the M1A is nice, and maybe I'll get it figured out, but my lord! Those Garands were sure eager to please compared to THIS contraption!

..................Buckshot

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Gotta love them Garands, don't you? No complaints here about the M1As either, but somehow I never get mine out of storage, and keep an M1 handy all the time. As for the M14 (M1A) magazine, the Italians got the right answer with the BM-59.

DG

[7br]

.............I have a SA with a stainless NM bbl, but it's not match bedded or anything. I wanted to be able to take it apart if I have to, and not worry about the bedding. I have three M1 Garands. Two '43 produced SA's and a '55 HRA. Some may laugh, but the Garands were all eager to please, but this M1A was an equine of an entirely different hue.

I read all the "Danger Will Robinson" warnings about possible primer issues, and possible commercial brass problems also. So far no problems. I should have bought a lottery ticket at the same time I bought 1K LC-18, and 1K LC-19 7.62x51 milsurp brass. They were all primed (YAY!) and had the black asphalt sealant in the case necks (which turned out to be a PITA). This was all like 6 hours before the Chinese Communist Whuhan virus BS erupted, and all the IDIOTS and MORONS lost their freaking minds and ran around in circles crying, "MY GOD, MY GOD, we're all gonna die".

In any event, I suppose the reason these lots of military brass was surplused was due to primer issues, otherwise the brass was great, but primer performance not so much. Glad I'm not big on sitting in front of the IDIOT BOX (wife takes care of all the TV watching) so I ran all the brass through the Dillon to de-prime. Then they got tumbled (rotary) in really hot water with concrete floor cleaner and stainless pins added. They were absolutely dazzling. It was kinda like a second freaking career but got it finished. Then I ran them all past a primer pocket swager to get the pockets ready.

I was always one to partake of the surplus market so I have several jugs of milsurp 4895 AND WC846, which also was a powder used in the 7.62x51. Having several friends who were also casters and reloaders, we could practically put together some truckload orders in years past. Another was 4475, which is now commercial production and labeled 5744. Speed is/was similar to 3031. Not being bashful about stocking up I had quite an assortment of primers on hand. Paying close attention to what I'd been told I laid in a good supply of those CCI #34's to go with the rest. The bullets used in testing were Hornady #3037 150gr FMJBT all from the same lot. All seated to have a nice crimp applied into the crimp groove. Then a test was performed a couple weeks later.
The load for them all was 43.0grs of Canister IMR 4895, same bullets & powder for all, just a different primer for each batch of 20 rounds.

FIRST UP: were the UNIX-GINEX (Serbia Milspec) primers. These things required a BUNCH of effort to seat. AVG 2772 fps ES 71. All 20 rounds fired, no problem.
SECOND UP: CCI #34 Mil Spec primers. A little effort to seat. Had 4 fail to fire. Retry and 3 fired on 2nd hit. One wouldn't go off at all. 2765 FPS. Also produced the highest extreme spread of 103 fps.
THIRD UP: RUSSIAN PMC. Okay to seat. 19 fired, 20th fired on 2nd hit. 2765 FPS, ES 58 FPS.
FOURTH UP: FEDERAL LR MAGNUM: Easy to seat, all 20 fired first time. 2821 FPS, ES 85 FPS
FIFTH UP: WLR STD PRIMER: SEATED normally all 20 fired normally. 2799 FPS, ES 70 FPS.

Winchester factory 7.62x51 Factory Brown box. Caseheads stamped WMA-16. 19 of 20 fired. 1 dud. 2823 FPS, ES, 95 FPS.

That magazine on the M1A is nice, and maybe I'll get it figured out, but my lord! Those Garands were sure eager to please compared to THIS contraption!

..................Buckshot

Buckshot has gone soft. He is shooting a military rifle that is less than 100 years old that he didn't restock from a blank made from reclaimed pallet wood in a chambering that he doesn't have to turn individual cases from raw brass stock. I am shocked. Of course, if I had a tenth of the talent that Buckshot has, I wouldn't be commenting on this thread.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[flint45]

I don’t know about anyone else but my M 1A is a brass eater two to three reloads and get case head separations and no I don’t resize them to much.

[Buck Shot]

THIRD UP: RUSSIAN PMC. Okay to seat. 19 fired, 20th fired on 2nd hit. 2765 FPS, ES 58 FPS.

Gotta love those Russian primers. I get good consistency out of the Tula and/or Wolf SRMs in my AR service rifle too.

But, I guess now they're banned because RUSSIAN COLLUSION!!!1!!1!1! or, I dunno, the Chinese cut a better deal with Chore Boy Biden for "the Big Guy"