Just got m305... Reloads and should I even keep this thing

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countyboy

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So I just picked a m305 shorty today. Kinda regretting it after all the horror stories I am reading here. I am precision guy normally although I have some experience with ar308. At this point I am really second guessing my purchase. I had read mostly positive reports up to this forum.

My 305 says proof fired but that doesn't seem to mean much.

So assuming I keep this thing, can I use win fed or rem 308 brass? I have lots of 155 and 168's to try and varget. Any suggestions? I have redding dies and lee factory crimp die. I never load to bolt levels in semis.

I don't have the ability to check head space. I have read most of the first three pages of this forum prior to posting.

Any rational help would be appreciated
 
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Some rational advice from me is go and shoot it. My m305 is on my definite no sell list just to cool really. I'm getting 2ish moa at 100 but I have yet to reload for mine but I am interested so tagged for interest

But seriously, this rifle can be what ever you want, mine is in a walnut stock with a welded op-rod guide and I enjoy destroying milk jugs with it haha also because I'm not trying to drive tacks with mine, the Chinese norinco 7.62x51 ammo does the trick for me at .50$ a bang hard to complain and also is what I get consistent 2.5 inch groups with
 
Thanks guys I am into page 5 and I may have just overly focused on a few bad experiences.

Still hoping I can get some reloading tips specific to 305 if there are any.
 
try mystic precision, he may be able to help you get headspace gauges
hungry uses a precision mic to measure fired brass and loads of guys have sent him 3 cases to get a good idea on headspace.
 
Yah, I use a RCBS Precision Mic in .308 Win flavor. I bought it from Wholesale Spurts for $ 75 many years ago! You really don't need one, but hey, it's yer money. :)

All ya gotta do is mail me 2 or 3 cases! Send me a PM and we'll move from there! :D

Cheers,
Barney
 
Hungry said:
Yah, I use a RCBS Precision Mic in .308 Win flavor. I bought it from Wholesale Spurts for $ 75 many years ago! You really don't need one, but hey, it's yer money. :)

All ya gotta do is mail me 2 or 3 cases! Send me a PM and we'll move from there! :D

Cheers,
Barney
Click to expand...

that gauge is worth its wieght in gold, only issue is sometimes the RCBS ones are a bit off...... there "zero" isn't... so you just drop in a go gauge, and mesure. then you know what "zero" actualy means on youre MIC gauge for case headspace leangth.

I lucked out on mine, "zero" is .308 no-go on the dot.
 
"...a Wilson case gauge..." That isn't a headspace guage and cartridges don't have headspace.
Reloading for a semi-auto is no different than loading for anything else. However, you must check the case lengths(trim, chamfer and deburr as required) and full length resize, every time. Other than that just load 'em using data from your manual. 150 to 180 grain bullets and IMR4895, IMR4064 or Varget plus a few others and you'll be fine.
 
Mine started at 2 moa at 100 yards but changing the spring and guide rod made the biggest difference taking it apart and putting it back together it went to 1 moa at 100 yards. I did adjust the gas system and tweaked it abit now it runs like champ. I used 150 grain speer bullets with IMR 4895 I would have to check the load but I think it was 45 grains of powder which was the dead middle of the load data it worked the best the frist time and I use the same load in my M! Granad which is 308 as well.
 
I love my M14, and I'll never get rid of it. The thing that you need to realize is that it IS a different animal than your bolt guns. Mine has been shortened by Dlask with the nut style gas block, and flash suppressor.
The first thing that you need to do is realize that you need to stay away from the heavier bullets; these may potentially bend your op rod due to the gas pressure being more than the gun was designed to take. Stick with the 150gr bullets, and you shouldn't have an issue. Second, pick a good powder that is in the normal burning range for the 308win......fast powder pistol powders are not liked in these guns for plinker loads! When your choosing a powder charge, stay at the bottom end of the book load. Third, do not full length resize! If you full length resize with even your bolt guns, your soon going to be getting case head separations; this is no different with the M14. Partial size until it fits in your chamber with no resistance, as opposed to your bolt guns where you want partial resistance for maximum case life. I adhere to these rules with my M14, and the gun is accurate, reliable, and a blast at the range.
 
It is a lot of work reloading for this gun, and if you just want to blast with it then the 1000 rounds for 4 or 500 is cheaper than reloading anyway at todays prices. I reload because it gives me something to do and I can play around with different loads. I stay with the 150-165gr bullets, either FMJ BT, or SP BT, whatever I can get my hands on. I bought some Speer 150 SP BT last time and I really like it so far. 40.5 g of benchmark. I prefer loads with IMR 4895 for the 165g bullets. Really just download the Hodgdon data for whatever caliber and go from there. My gun also prefers a OAL of 2.775 with some 165g bullets. FL resize everytime. I am on reload number 6 for most of my brass with no problems, and that includes Federal American Eagle brass, which needs trimming more often, but is still looking good.
 
Quote Originally Posted by yomomma View Post

You should always full length resize for military type semis especially if you do not have the proper tools to measure everything. This especially gos for the norinco m14

Please explain to me why you would do this...especially with a Norinco.

Me too please.
Now bear with me, Im just an Old Fart and I cant get my head around the need to full size.
I roll my own....for me, and for one gun, with one chamber and one bolt.
My simplistic outlook tells me that all my cases are formed to my chamber giving me a best fit situation, and the only things I check are case length and signs of separation ( normally evident around 5 to 7 firings). All I do is neck size.
I still have all my fingers and eyes............am I doing it wrong ?
I don't pick up unknown cases at the range, all my brass is bought new and only ever fired in my gun.

Im not saying Im doing it right or wrong and DO NOT advise anyone to do what I do.
I just cant see why you would want to full size............Ooops. The penny just dropped. If your firing semi, the cases are ejected before forming. I only shoot with the gas off.
I would be tempted to full size if I were firing with the gas on, those cases are still stretching on there way to the floor and could easily be oversize............I think...maybe.

I do shoot with the gas on now and then, the wife loves it ;)
 
Why. From what I have gleamed from the internet fwiw...

The m14 has a floating firing pin and schmutz could stop the cartridge from going in all the way resulting in an out of battery ignition.

Plus I have read the odd post about the reliability of the norinco safety bridge.

I could see if you have an extreme chamber that you may want to set up your die a little differently.

I myself am no expert, I had planned on setting my dies 7 thou short, but after playing with it and realizing that I need the proper gauges, I just went back to full length resizing.
 
mike shickele said:
I love my M14, and I'll never get rid of it. The thing that you need to realize is that it IS a different animal than your bolt guns. Mine has been shortened by Dlask with the nut style gas block, and flash suppressor.
The first thing that you need to do is realize that you need to stay away from the heavier bullets; these may potentially bend your op rod due to the gas pressure being more than the gun was designed to take. Stick with the 150gr bullets, and you shouldn't have an issue. Second, pick a good powder that is in the normal burning range for the 308win......fast powder pistol powders are not liked in these guns for plinker loads! When your choosing a powder charge, stay at the bottom end of the book load. Third, do not full length resize! If you full length resize with even your bolt guns, your soon going to be getting case head separations; this is no different with the M14. Partial size until it fits in your chamber with no resistance, as opposed to your bolt guns where you want partial resistance for maximum case life. I adhere to these rules with my M14, and the gun is accurate, reliable, and a blast at the range.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I agree with mike shickele here on partial resize not full resize.

Excessive headspace is the space between the case shoulder and the chamber shoulder. If you FL resize every time then you continue ensure that you have excess headspace on all your reloads which just plain short sighted since you CAN do something about it. All you gotta do is unscrew the FL die just a bit so the headspace on the reloads are matched to the rifle. If your rifle is sammi plus .010 for headspace then your reloads should be sammi plus .010. If you do that, you no longer have a headspace problem when shooting reloads anyway.
 
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Make sure you ditch the rear sight a get a US made Garand or M1a sight , a couple guys are selling them on the EE for $100 .. Its not worth wasting the ammo messing around with the factory sight they are crap .. As for reloading make sure you use a hard primer like a CCI milspec or Winchester WLR to avoid a slamfire , make sure you full length size you brass, put a good crimp on the bullet , use a powder with a medium burn rate , best choice is IMR 4895 . I have used H varget with great results but some may say it burn rate is to hard on the rifle , i found it to be fine ..
 
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