Reloading for the M14

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MiniMe

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Hi

I just got a new m14s, the bug was in town and I got bit :D ... I've been reading about it and found some interesting recommendations as the use of harder primers, thicker cases, etc...

My concern is about the brass, usually i just buy what is available locally and that's Winchester brass.
Would that be ok for the M14? too soft? Or should I buy factory ammo from some other brand to get the brass? I have available locally Winchester, Remington, Rem. UMC, Barnes and Hornady factory ammo.

What are your experiences reloading for this rifle and what do you suggest?

Thanks!!!

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Btw, I've found several articles on the internet but these two caught my attention:

This one has a lot of info, seems to be good.
www.zediker.com/downloads/14_loading.pdf

This one is very strange, suggested loads are over maximum if you compare to hodgdon.com
www.alabamaservicerifleteam.com/id17.html
 
They're all good. Some high level precision shooters only use Winchester brass; other prefer Lapua. I reload for my M1A clone (the M14 is the automatic version of the M1A....the Norinco version is called the M305) and I use all those brands you mentioned. I found this site to be informative (but bear in mind, it's skewed slightly towards bolt actions)


http://www.6mmbr.com/308Win.html

It's far more important not to use too heavy a bullet (try to keep it under 168gr or so) and to use the right powder for the gas system to work properly.

Whatever brass you do use, bear in mind that these guns eat brass, so expect between 4-6 firings per case. Depending on your load, you may get more. I toss mine after 4 reloads (plus the 1 original firing that resulted in me scavenging it from the range makes 5 times fired)
 
In addition, prior to replacing my norc bolt with a USGI, I made sure that I did not fully resize the case.

This is what I did. I had a bunch of washers kicking around the house, some automotive plastigage and a good quality automotive feeler gauge. Making sure that both bolt lugs were touching the receiver lug, I measured the gap when the (cocked hammer) I moved the bolt to the barrel. I noted the spacing on the gauge.

I also did a measurement with a specially cut (unfired) casing (so that there was no rim and the ejector spring did not touch the casing) and gently closed the bolt onto the hybrid casing with the plastigage resting on the casing. I measured the results.

Finally, I selected a washer with an ID which would rest approximately 3/4 of the shoulder of a factory round (with bullet in). With the washer attached to a solid base (like a vise) I inserted the shell into the washer and measured the distance from the top of the casing to the top of the casing rim. I marked the shell with a number and did this 8 times. Then I went to the range and fired the shells and again measured the casings using the same washer.

Next I compared all the results, particularly the fired casings and came up with a "differential" number generally representing the theoretical headspace compared to the fired casings. I then made a judgement call and when resizing the cases (because the resized worked much better in the magazine versus neck sizing only) and used the feeler gauge again to leave a tiny space between the shell holder and my resizing die. I wanted my number to make sure that I resized the casing somewhere between the GO and NOGO specs. Mine worked out to 0.005". When trimming, you have to add that value to the total case trim length - which is a real pain but MUST be remembered.

Never had a problem with split casings from that moment onward. The rims get awfully chewed up and have to be re-filed, but absolutely no issues with case failures.
 
I use a lot of Winchester and surplus brass. I also use Remington, and Federal range pickups. You should Full Length resize brass and you need to make sure the primer is seated fully. Many people recommend avoiding Federal primers in these rifles due to increased risk of slam fires from alleged softer primer cups. I use Winchester myself primers and also uniform all primer pockets on the first loading to square up the bottom of the primer pocket in the brass (this is not the same as swaging or reaming or cleaning pockets, or deburing flash holes as many use this term to cover any of the above). You don't have to uniform and it's more of a match brass prep step but I do it to almost all my rifle brass anyways. I use a Sinclair tool for it. With surplus brass you will need a tool to remove primer crimp before loading the first time.

I have found starting and low end .308 Win load data with proper powders and bullet weights work well.

It is generally recommended to load between 147-173gr bullets for the M1 Garand or M14 using standard jacketed bullet loads.

A powder in the suitable burn rate range for the action of this type of semi auto gas rifle such as IMR 4895, H4895, AA 2495, BL C2, H335, Win 748, IMR 4064 (and there are others).

A good example would be the Sierra Matchking HPBT .308" 168gr with IMR 4895 or IMR 4064 powder.
 
I've tested the rifle with new winchester ammo yesterday.
Had one slam fire out of 40.
Is there anything I can do to prevent it with new factory ammo?
Do I have to check anything in the rifle?
I got the slam fire on the first 15 shots....
 
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