Max loads in an M305

[beavis_m305]

Howsit,

Gonna start loading for mine. I've heard that you can damage the op rod on an M1A if you drive your loads too hard. Is this true? I'd mainly be loading 150 - 168gr, so should I not exceed a certain velocity?

Cheers

 

[just having some fun]

Excessive Pressure at the gas port Will Do Bad things

Shooting 180g
or
Using the wrong powder/ bullet combination

 

[beavis_m305]

So use a fast enough powder to keep port pressure down? Is Varget good to go?

 

[GunNewb]

People use it. I've read you shouldn't. Google reloading for the match m1a, read the article, then thank me

 

[yomomma]

Go to M14forum.com they have tons of info about reloading for the chinese m14's.

 

[boss351cleveland]

So use a fast enough powder to keep port pressure down? Is Varget good to go?

I use Varget in my M14 and Garand on a regular basis , never bent a op rod and is very accurate , IMR 4895 is the recommended powder for M14 type rifles ..

 

[sunray]

"...the recommended powder for..." IMR4064 gives more consistent accuracy. As mentioned, Varget has a following with U.S. target shooters.
"...not exceed a certain velocity..." Don't exceed the max powder charge in your manual and you'll be fine.
"...Shooting 180g..." Shooting heavier than 180's is supposed to do it. Never saw nor heard of any rifle being damaged by the ammo alone prior to there being any Internet. The box of 220 grain Silvertips I fired out of an M1 Rifle didn't bother it. Mind you, 15-'s to 168's are easier on the shooter. The ideal bullet weight for either .30-06 or .308 cartridges for hunting is a 165.

 

[Tengoo]

M14s, like most military-issue rifles, are engineered for a specific ammo loading. Going to far off the standard loading will be hard on the rifle's mechanism. I'd avoid being too adventurous in loading for the M14.

 

[Bakersfield7.62]

Any thing in the burn rates between IMR 3031 and IMR 4064 is good to go! I think varget is outside that standard

 

[beavis_m305]

So would it be safe to try and get a 175gr SMK going at around 2600fps?

 

[yomomma]

Follow your manual.

 

[m6tlogistics]

150 grain -42.6 grain IMR 4895-shoots very well in my M1A & M-305

 

[haha49]

Just google it I loocked up 308 win loads for a M1 Grand (M14 who cares if it breaks it's cheap) It was IMR 4895 at I think 42.5 Grains look up the load data at hodgen reloading center website it will tell you what you can and can't do it was in the middle of the high and low so I went ok looks safe to me good enough. I was loading speer 150g bullets and they shot really well.

 

[Jaytwo]

Used 41gr Hogdon Benchmark with 150 gr Hornady FMJ BT's and it worked good. Tried from 39 to 42 and it liked 41 the best. Using IMR 4895 with Hornady 165gr SST and Speer 165gr SP BT both with 41gr charge. Seems to work pretty good as well. I prefer the 150's for target shooting, but you get what you can when you can with supplies as scarce as they are.

 

[beavis_m305]

I've loaded up a couple loads to try - 168 gr A max in front of 41gr AR2206H(same as H4895, literally the same stuff) and a 150gr Hornady flat base soft point in front of 43gr AR2206H. COL - 2.80" and 2.7ish" respectively in PPU case with carefully seated WLR primer (well below flush). Wish I had a case gauge, the sized cases seem to slide in easy though. Will report back after the next range trip.

 

[beavis_m305]

Both are starting loads in my ADI powder guide, but from reading on the interwebs they seem to be close to max for M1A's.

 

[sobo4303]

So would it be safe to try and get a 175gr SMK going at around 2600fps?

I read that the M14 was designed to shoot 150 gr bullets at 2,700 fps. I use either 4895 as it matches closely or Win 748 - with a mag primer. (I use mag primers with 748 ball powder). My Poly loves me for it.

For that particular platform, it is not advisable to mess around with too many "what if" or "would it be safe" loads. The parameters for which it was designed is fairly narrow and should be respected as such. In my humble opinion, the M305 is not exactly a detailed replica of the American M14 and the metal in some examples has been reported to be harder/stronger than the original M14 spec, so it may be ok to use heavier loads/bullets. If the rifle does not like the load, it will let you know eventually and you will end up having to replace a part or two. It's your call entirely. My recommendation is to stick to the known spec.

 

[762shooter]

Any thing in the burn rates between IMR 3031 and IMR 4064 is good to go! I think varget is outside that standard

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using Varget in a .308/7.62 for an M14. It is in the correct burn rate range and pressure levels. On the burn rate chart I use it may be outside of somebody's idea of the correct range but it is literally right next to 4064. It burns uniformly, is temperature stable and has a reputation for good accuracy.

 

[sunray]

"...safe to try and get a 175gr SMK..." Yep, but the rifles and cartridge prefer slightly lighter bullets.
"...think Varget is..." Nope. Varget is one of the 'go to' powders with Stateside target shooters. Haven't ever tried it myself.

 

[beavis_m305]

Was by no means a good scientific test, but I found the 150gr shot close to 1MOA, the 168's weren't as flash about 1.7-2", so it appears I have a shooter. It's in a USGI fiber stock, I've shimmed the gas system and tightened the op rod guide, still waiting on my NM spring guide, hopefully that helps too. I need to get some Lapua brass and do some serious load testing, but from what I saw today I am very happy with my rifle. One thing I found was the 150gr load would fail to extract on the first shot, then go ok, the 168gr cycled perfect, tossed the shells high and clear at 3 o'clock.