Anyone reloaded AE M1A brass?
- Thread starter odsixer
- Start date
As far as I know it's standard 308 brass with a different headstamp to denote different loads using powders with a specific burn rate meant for the M1A and 308 converted Garands. Same goes for the 30-06 M1 ammo; standard Federal 30-06 cases with different headstamps to denote special loads.
Do all the standard things you'd do with any other 308 load following your normal practices.
Do all the standard things you'd do with any other 308 load following your normal practices.
American Eagle is made by Federal and is their cheaper blasting ammo, I reload it for my AR15 rifles and it works just fine. Just remember it is not their top line brass and I would if I were you check the cases for weight uniformity and neck thickness variations.
Bottom line it is fine for shooting out of larger military chambers and off the shelf factory rifles, "BUT" it would be a lot of work with case prepping, neck turning, etc to turn it into higher grade bolt action ammunition.
A lot of ammunition companies use second tier cases for their blasting ammo, meaning cases rejected for higher quality ammunition. Most of these defects deal with cases with unequal case wall and neck thickness. And if full length resizing these defects if fired in factory and military chambers will matter little.
Below my son wanted to shoot my AR15 A2 HBAR, so he picked up some American Eagle .223/5.56 ammo for us to shoot in the bottom of the photo. At 100 yards I was shooting between 2 and 3 inch groups, my hand loads and better grade brass will do 2 inches or less. NOTE: we are talking iron sights and 65 year old eyes, younger eyes should do much better.
So American Eagle is Federal brass and I have seen no signs of it being soft, but I do not load any of my military rifle "HOT".
