confused which ammo for m1a

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kry_90

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ive decided to get a springfield armory scout squad
ive been researching this rifle
it sounds like the perfect rifle for me
i only have one question
WHAT KIND OF AMMO CAN I USE?!!!!!!!
ive checked all over the web
and receiving very conflicting answers
some people say its perfectly fine just dont go over 180gr.
others say dont shoot commercial .308 unless you have a death wish
my question is if the barrel on the rifle is stamped .308win
is it safe to use commercial loads as long as i dont go over 180gr. ?
 
Here we go again.... lol

.308 and 7.62x51 are the same. Hold on, hold on. I know the purists are ready to jump on this one.

The chamber dimensions ARE different. However, ammo that's being sold today is all made to the .308 headspace dimensions. Clint at Fulton Armory says he has been looking for YEARS for mil spec ammo that was NOT to the .308 headspace dimensions and has never found any.

The pressures are the same. One is measured in PSI, one in CUP. That's why the numbers are different. Don't fall for that one.

So, unless you have a rifle that is in EXCESS of the SAAMI field reject headspace you should be good with either. That's from Kuhnhausen.

So, you can listen to Clint McKee and Jerry Kuhnhausen, or you can listen to all the other wild tales. Personally I'm going with the experts.
 
You are limited by your gas system. There are factory loads that promote higher speeds than standard velocities. Almost mini mags in the 308. Don't use Federal High Energy or Hornady Light Magnum loads in an M1A.

If you are looking at expensive match ammo, Federal Gold Medal match was used by the military rifle teams, out to 300 yards. Then they had special home brews at 600 yards.

Save your brass and reload for your rifle.
 
I shot mine yesterday with some of my homemade loads using 168 grn sierra match kings. No accuracy reports, just shot a few off to make sure they went bang. My first try at rifle reloading.
 
You can shoot any 7.62 Nato or .308 under 180 grains. 180 grains and over get an adjustable gas cylinder plug. Don't shoot any .308 magnum type loads. One thing to keep an eye on is with soft tipped bullets make sure your M1A does not deform the tips too much on loading. I use hollow tip bullets for hunting.
 
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