M1A1 is very hard on brass, maybe 3 loadings if it goes through that action. Maybe a couple more but you better be inspecting them closely.
I would keep the brass separate for each rifle.
BCL 102 catastrophic failure
- Thread starter slash547
- Start date
M1A1 is very hard on brass, maybe 3 loadings if it goes through that action. Maybe a couple more but you better be inspecting them closely.
I would keep the brass separate for each rifle.
The only way I can imagine the case imploding like that is it hit something on the way out - the bolt was thrown back with such force it got jammed into the bolt carrier so that case likely came back at a similar speed and I don't see any evidence that the extractor came off the rim...? (no big chunk missing from the rim or anything.)
My guess is it hit the ejection port or the inside of the receiver.
thank you. Rofl
m14medic.ca
Expried Business Member
- Location
- Regina SK Canada
Yup, that’s the one.
If your google-fu is weak, send me you’re email addy and I’ll send ya a link.
Z says to toss the military brass after 3 firings in a Match M14/M1A rifle, and to not bother with commercial brass as it’s too thin.
John
Farris Bueller
CGN Regular
- Location
- Kingston, Ontario
What kind of dies where used for resizing the brass and build the rounds? Just curious.
Lee dies in a Lee turret press
BattleRife
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- of No Fixed Address
A few years ago I started tracking a batch of brass that was being used exclusively in my Norinco M14 to see how long it would last. I gave up after I got up to loading 15 or 16 with only a couple of cases lost. The load was 150 FMJ to duplicate M80 velocity.
Having said that, my particular rifle has a strange ejection pattern that seems to buffer the brass somewhat so I don't get any significant dents in the body or neck. It's actually probably easier on brass than any other self-loader I have ever owned. Nevertheless I think the recommendations one commonly sees to limit loadings are generally very overcautious.
Farris Bueller
CGN Regular
- Location
- Kingston, Ontario
Any chance they were small based dies or regular sizing dies?
Farris Bueller
CGN Regular
- Location
- Kingston, Ontario
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That could have been the problem. If your using a normal sizing die for brass being fired from a semi-auto it may not have returned the brass to the proper dimensions around the base of the brass. This may cause cases to be to wide at the base to chamber properly and this will prevent the bolt closing and locking up. This may not always happen but it can happen. When I first started to reload I did some 30-06 rounds for a Browning BAR and most but not all fit the chamber. I immediately stopped using regular sizing dies for any semi-auto and switched to small based dies as this is what is recommended for semi-automatic rifles. Not having used small based dies could have caused an out of battery detonation.
Interesting, I did not know that. I just checked all 24 cases I fired that day and all are between 0.473 and 0.471 at the base which is the spec. All my unfired rounds from that batch of reloads are between 0.469 and 0.471” at the base so I think this is not the root cause. I will definitely watch for that however on future reloads. Thank you!
Dude.... have you not seen the last 6 pages and their pictures?
No.
Farris Bueller
CGN Regular
- Location
- Kingston, Ontario
Yes, I have seen the last 6 pages, and as for a semi-auto firing out of battery is certainly possible. The small based dies return brass back to the initial specification of that round. Not using small based dies on range pick up brass or brass that had been put through another rifle before the semi-auto can cause this type of problem. It all depends on chamber size vs the brass size and most semi-auto AR style platforms will allow you to fire the rifle even if the bolt isn’t locked up. It might not be the sole cause of a rifle basically exploding in your face but it certainly can contribute to it.
