M1A Primer concern

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TedNugent

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Don't know if I should post this here or in the Red rifle forum, but here goes.
I have done a LOT of reading on the M1, one guy in the US wrote a great detailed
article on reloading for it. I did as he suggested and got military brass, Lake City.
I bought the Dillon SS 600 to get rid of the crimp on the primer pockets, and am really
just getting at some reloading lately, have been collecting gear and components for a few
years to try and get ready for what I think is going to be my first full summer of shooting ever.
I got 1000 brass to work up, and all I really have left to do is remove the crimp and reload them.
Tested out my first few primered cases in the gun to check out if the primers are deep enough
in the sockets to avoid slam fires, and this is what I'm getting:

20140622_042619.jpg


20140622_042630.jpg


20140622_042657.jpg


As you can see, definitely an imprint from the firing pin, I did let the bolt slam
shut on just a primered case just for this purpose.
Is there something I should be doing different, or is this considered acceptable for
a Norc? I have not yet field stripped the rifle, have had it over 20 years now -
I guess it is something I should have done by now to check over the bolt.
If anyone has experienced something similar and has had similar concerns, please
do advise me on where to go from here.

Thanks

Aaron
 
These rifles should never have a round loaded into the chamber, and then have the bolt slam shut.
If you are curious, take an issue ball round, pull the bullet, dump the powder and repeat the experiment.
Bet you see the same thing.
Firing pin bounce.

Your primers look to be seated just fine.

And it would be worth stripping your rifle and cleaning it.
Twenty years? Did you fire the rifle during that time?
 
tiriaq said:
These rifles should never have a round loaded into the chamber, and then have the bolt slam shut.
If you are curious, take an issue ball round, pull the bullet, dump the powder and repeat the experiment.
Bet you see the same thing.
Firing pin bounce.

Your primers look to be seated just fine.
Click to expand...

+1

Spawn-Inc said:
also, what brand of primers?
Click to expand...

Also +1. I use CCI, as they tend to have harder cups.
 
Got 1,000 LC cases for a good price did you? As long as the primers are a tick below flush you'll be fine. You'll nearly always get a firing pin mark with a battle rifle. No big deal.
Can't believe a guy could have a copy of a battle rifle for 20 years and never have field stripped it. What do you do when watching something like Full Metal Jacket? Oh, right. You chamfer primer pockets. snicker.
 
You loaded a single case in the chamber and let the bolt slam shut, because of this there was no drag on the bolt to slow the bolt velocity down. On all semi-autos like the M1, M14 and M16 the bolt velocity increases without the magazine in place to slow the bolt.

The solution is simple, never let the bolt slam home when loading a single round in the chamber on a semi-auto, this is the best way to prevent a slamfire. The faster the bolt slams home the more inertia the firing pin has thus increasing the chance of a slamfire.

As long as the M1A feeds from the magazine the bolt velocity on closing is greatly reduced. BUT make sure you clean the bolt with a solvent to remove any cosmoline and make sure the firing pin has freedom of movement.
 
Thanks all, I guess I had betters strip it down and give it a good cleaning. I have 2 sks' s to do as well. Being a stay at home Dad doesn't allow me to get at them very often (Am on parental leave for 10 weeks). I'll have to set aside a day when the wife is off work and get at them.
 
supernova said:
I use Federal 210's in my Norc, no issues.
Click to expand...

All my military semi-autos leave a dimple in the primer, like the one pictured.

To test a worst case scenario, do what the OP did, drop the bolt on a chambered case (not loaded round - it might go BANG)

This is a good way to test the rifle, but as had been noted, when shooting, always laod from the mag. This slows things down.

I like Federal primers. They have a more sensitive priming compound and are easier to fire than the other brands. This can come in handy. I have a pistol that will get 100% ignition ONLy with federal primers.

BUT, when it comes to these semi auto rifles with bouncing firing pins, Federal is a poor choice. It greatly increases the risk of a slam fire.

After a loading session there are usually live primers on the floor, before I sweep up. The only time the wheels on my chair fire a primer is when I am loading Federal primers. Not scientific, I know, but just another indicator that they re more sensitive.

For a semi-auto rifle, use Winchester or CCI.
 
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