Barking Up My Ammo...

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One Lung Wonder

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Well boys I think I got a handle on feeding the M1A. Shot a 5" prone group at 100 today - it would have been slightly less than half that had I not pooped the bed with a flyer!:mad: Isn't that always the way? You get a good group going, and it never fails - the last shot ends up on the other guy's target and you can blame the wind or the light or something else...but everyone knows you are full of beans and pulled the shot!!!V:I:

The cool kids told me that the classic M14 load was 41.5gr H4895 under a 168 gr. match bullet. That should net you 2650~2700 FPS on the chrony - or so the wize gurus say. They also said if the gun doesn't shoot that load well - send it back with a nasty note and tell them to fix it! So I did all that according to the gun Gods and verily I was rewarded with accurate ammo that produced 2650 FPS at the chrony.

But...I had a failure to eject today. I am not an M14 nut...but that load just feels a tad light to me. I am only shooting at paper and don't have to worry about bullet performance on meat...but I am wondering if I shouldn't kick up the powder charge another tenth of a grain or two? Where are you guys at with your reloads?
 
You could go up another 1/2 grain, Imo,.could also go to a lighter powder charge...also try changing overall length right out to 2.850"...

Btw,,,even if your rifle is tightened up,,only expect 2_3 moa...
 
It is a light load. M14 rifles generally take a light load for a 308/7.62x51 round. But that's what it was designed for. H4895 is a good powder to use, and it's temperature stablized. It's what I'll be using as well. I don't think it will kill your rifle to go up a little bit on the powder charge. So try experimenting.
 
I haven't been able to get that "standard" 41.5 gn match load to work for me. In fact 4895 isn't a powder that my rifle seems to like however through the range of 4895 powder loads from 39 gn to 43 gn it cycled fine. The load that is now my go-to load is 39.5 gn of 3031 under a 168 gn match bullet (2.8" COAL).

liberty said:
Btw,,,even if your rifle is tightened up,,only expect 2_3 moa...
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...and I average less than 1.5 MOA as do others.
 
I've used 41.5 gr of imr 4320 with decent success with the same bullet weight.
Have switched to 150 gr now and am hoping to work up a load for it with both 4320 and 4895.
 
Pr589 said:
I haven't been able to get that "standard" 41.5 gn match load to work for me. In fact 4895 isn't a powder that my rifle seems to like however through the range of 4895 powder loads from 39 gn to 43 gn it cycled fine. The load that is now my go-to load is 39.5 gn of 3031 under a 168 gn match bullet (2.8" COAL).



...and I average less than 1.5 MOA as do others.
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I am shooting a SA M1A 'Loaded'...and boy oh boy - do I love this rifle. I am getting 2~3.5" MOA out of it with iron sights! (Assuming I don't do something stupid). That is pretty darn good for an old fart with old eyes! But as I said...I have had the odd failure to eject. I am hoping a stiffer boot will send the empty flying and cycle the action more reliably.

Might have to try 3031...I'm sure I have a can or two knocking around somewhere...thanks for the tips, boys!
 
I am hoping a stiffer boot will send the empty flying and cycle the action more reliably.
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41.5 gr 4895 will cycle any m1A,,,If reliability is an issue i'd be looking elsewhere,,
 
41.5gr of H4895 is more than enough to cycle the action. You might check gas availability or perhaps a fouled chamber. IMR3031 is always worth a try in a .308. It was the original propellant for military 7.62 match ammo.
 
41.5gr of H4895 has been excellent for me. I know that it could be loaded a bit hotter, but it ain't broke, so I don't intend to fix it. I have been using CCI200 primers and factory brass. I do believe that recipe was for military brass, thus the charge weight could be increased a bit to make up for that if you are using factory brass.
 
43.0 grains IMR 4895, 7.62 case, 155 Amax, Rem. 9-1/2 primer. Thats my go-to right now. SLIGHT primer flattening at +20. I've printed sub 2" at 100, iron sights. That might sound like a tall claim, but I don't do it to impress y'all. :)

I wonder, is that 41.5 gr. load recommended for surplus brass?? I could see needing a tad more powder if using say a Win. case.
 
41.5 gr IMR4895/168 Hornady HPBT cycled mine well and shot well too. As others stated check gas port alignment. Also, 41.5 gr IMR 4895 under a 168 in .308 is a starting load in some manuals. But its still plenty of jam to run a M14 all day long, provided the rifle is in good working condition. Have you done the standard checks? Gas port alignment and tilt test would be where I'd look first.
 
Okay. You fellas might be right, I am not an M14 expert.

But: the rifle's brand new. I bought it from our friends at Prophet River and figure I have put around 300~400 rounds down the pipe. I have turned it upside down and swabbed the bore with Hoppe's No. 9 as I really haven't seen any copper fouling (yet). In all that I have had two FTE's. I have cleaned it twice.

I am going to do the first major tear down/cleaning this weekend. Some of the experts claim that excessive cleaning is a problem for many people and I tend to agree. I clean mine once a month and take great care while doing it. Not even a green bean Marine can get a rifle cleaner than I do.

Could it be I am not cleaning the gun often enough? What is a tilt test? How do I check gas port alignment? Is two or three FTE's normal if you let the gun go 200 rounds or more without cleaning?
 
One Lung Wonder said:
...Could it be I am not cleaning the gun often enough? What is a tilt test? How do I check gas port alignment? Is two or three FTE's normal if you let the gun go 200 rounds or more without cleaning?
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I don't think cleaning is the issue. I've run my Norc through 400+ rounds between cleanings without function failure or accuracy loss...in fact accuracy seems best when it's a little dirty. I'm wondering if the few FTEs are just due to having a really tight Op. Rod fit and the fact that the rifle hasn't broken in as yet.

Regarding tilt test, lock the bolt back and tilt the barrel up and down...you should see the piston freely slide in/out of the gas cylinder with some delay due to the resistance of air flowing in/out of the cylinder.

To check gas port alignment, with the gas piston removed (and the spindle valve open) insert a small Allen key into the gas port on the bottom of the gas cylinder. You should be able to see it pass through the gas cylinder into the barrel. On my rifle the barrel gas port is actually smaller than the ports in the cylinder.
 
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The tilt test requires removing your recoil spring and reassembling the rifle. Lock the trigger group back in and tilt the rifle up and down. The action should open and close freely. This is to check that the oprod doesn't bind anywhere. If it hangs up, find out where its binding and fix it. For the gas port, The Doc says a 1/16" drill bit should pass freely through. Use the non fluted end.
 
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