Hunting loads for M1A?

[MTMilitiaman]

Nights are getting colder. In a few weeks the leaves will begin to turn and then, hunting season will be upon us.

I have a Rem M700 7mm Rem Mag with a Leupold on it that would normally get the call, but it has been having feeding problems. I have been entertaining the prospect of using my M1A this year. An experiment of mine shooting this rifle, with iron sights, at 600 yards has given me a lot more confidence in my ability to hit with this setup than I had before. That range it out of the question, obviously, but I could do 200 yards without too much difficulty.

However, the M1A requires a specific powder burn rate to function correctly. That and softer commercial primers can be dangerous, or so I am told. So I am wondering if there are any 150 gr (to approximate the trajectory of the 147 gr ball rounds the sights are calibrated for) hunting loads out there that will be safe and reliable in an M1A?

This will be deer only, out to 200 yards.

 

[General Geoff]

Check out Federal's Vital-Shok 150gr nosler partition .308 ammo. I haven't used this exact ammo in my M1A, but I have used other Federal soft-point .308 in it, and haven't had a slam-fire (fired a couple hundred rounds of Federal through it). Seemed to hold pretty close to 7.62 NATO ball ammo in terms of zero, as well.

 

[Kingcreek]

Don't know about factory loads but if you want to roll yer own, I've had very good results in the M1A using the 165gr Sierra GameKing and IMR4895 powder.

 

[MCgunner]

I shoot W748. I understand the military uses ball powder in the cartridge, don't know if it's the same one, but it works great in the caliber. CCI primers are the hardest commercial primers out there, too. I don't shoot an M1A, though, prefer my lighter than light, handy little M7.

 

[Slamfire]

Go roll your own. I the only load development I have done, in M1a's is with 150 FMJ's, IMR 3031 and AA2520.

Using this, and previous experience with the M1a, any good 150 with 40grs to 41 grs IMR 3031 or 43.0 to 44.0 grs AA2520 should launch the bullet just at 2700 fps. Which is just approximates 150 ball velocities.

I have seen folks giving 43 to 44 grs IMR 4895 with a 150 as a good M1a load.

There is no reason you cannot use the 165 gr hunting bullets in your M1a. I have shot tens of thousands of 168's with 41.0 to 41.5 grains IMR 4895 in a M1a, same load should be fine with a 165.

Just sight your rifle in a 100 yards, set the point of impact about one to two inches high, and you should be dead on at 200 yards with 150's or 165's.

Unlike a Garand, the M1a gas system is somewhat "self adjusting". I really do not recommend shooting commerical ammo in a stock box Garand, but a M1a, you just have to try it and see how the rifle performs. If the rifle runs smooth, no ripped or bent rims, it should be OK.

 

[Bwana John]

I like using 150 gr Nosler ballistic tips, Mil-spec brass with thicker case web, IMR 4895 powder, and CCI mil-spec hard primers.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I would roll my own but there is a distinct lack of mil-spec brass out there and stuff I have read makes me wary of using softer commercial brass. Plus, I am an amateur handloader with little experience. This rifle was bought with insurance money I received from my mom's death. It is, in essence, the last thing she bought for me. I plan on it being in the family for a while. It has a lot of value for me. While I don't mind shooting it, I'd rather not handload for it until I actually know what I am doing. And I'd rather have some actual LC or IMI brass to get me started.

And I wanted to stick to something in the 150 gr weight range because the elevation knob is already calibrated for that weight, and the rifle is already zeroed for that weight. I was thinking Hornady's 155 gr TAP?

 

[BeJaRa]

honestly, I think some people like to scare the poop out of new reloaders with don't use this don't use that. I don't have an M1A but I do load for a garand and I use winchester primers, and have shot alot of commercial brass. As I understand it, the M1A does not have the limitation of a specific burn rate to avoid damage to the gas system. The garand has a long opt-rod whereas the M1A has a short stroke gas piston system. I would collect all the brass you can for 308 and start reloading it with some W748 and some 150 gr nosler BT or whatever your prefered bullet choice is. Use starting loads and work your way up and recycle brass that is starting to get chewed up and you will be fine.

 

[Slamfire]

I would roll my own but there is a distinct lack of mil-spec brass out there and stuff I have read makes me wary of using softer commercial brass.

If your brass is Winchester, Remington, even Federal, you can shoot it through your M1a without any problems. The primer pockets will open up early on the Federal, but it is totally useable till then.

Foreign stuff, some is good (IMI), some is bad.

Shoot the stuff five times and start checking for case head separations.

I have posted all sorts of advice for reloading for a M1a, once you have a cartridge headspace gage, trimmer, and a hand priming tool, you are ready to go.

As for the elevation knob, you will find that it is more of a "guideline". It does well out to 300 yards, but beyond that, you better have some paper zeros.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

As for the elevation knob, you will find that it is more of a "guideline". It does well out to 300 yards, but beyond that, you better have some paper zeros.

Maybe I am just lucky, but I have found the elevation adjustment knob to be much more than just a "guideline" for me.

I shot this rifle at 600 yards using just iron sights set to "6," and some S&B 147 gr FMJ, and was able to score hits at that range with no previous experience with this rifle and load combination. This was after climbing a mountain, slung up in the sitting position to see over foliage, on a target that was barely discernible from the surrounding countryside as well.

Bottom line is that I don't want to screw with the zero of the rifle. I have it where I like it right now. I may make some slight adjustments to it in the future, but this will likely be to correct the small differences it displays at 500 and 600 yards with the standard ball round. I would rather avoid sighting it in for another load, and because my grandpa has used a standard 150 gr SP at 2700 fps in his 06 for years with great success, I don't feel like I should have to in order to be effective.

 

[Slamfire]

Hey Guy, don't you count your elevation clicks up?

All service rifle shooters bottom out their sight and count the clicks up to their 200/300/600 yard zero.

On one M1a, with 168 SMK's 41.0 IMR 4895 my clicks up are

200 SF: E: 11.0
W: 0.0
200 RF E: 11.0
W: 1 left
300 RF E: 14.5 (rotating the peep up is a half)
W: 0.0
600 SF E: 29 6 O'C
E: 27.5 Center
W: 0.0

These clicks are totally repeatable, and you should make a record of what your zero is. The tension screw in the elevation knob will loosen up, the knob freewheel, and you will be back to shooting on paper to establish a zero.

Use white finger nail polish and paint a mark at 12O'C for your windage zero. One click right is 1R, on click left is 1L. Also paint a straight line between the base and the receiver.

The picture below, I have a half MOA disc and a .042 fixed aperature, but the principle is still the same.

Totally repeatable. You can change loads, and always come back to your regular zero as long as you have counted the clicks from total bottom.

 

[24kshooter]

Varget / H4895 and Remington 150 grain PSPCL's would be one way to go IMO - shoot for a load to get you under 2650 in fps - do not buy commercial ammo for your M1A unless it indicates it is expressely OK for M1A. You can use other 150 grain medium game bullets such as Hornady's if you want to spend more money.

 

[Omnivore]

I'd say any decent softpoint in a medium bullet weight will be fine, so pick the load that shoots the best in your rifle. If your rifle is in good condition and kept clean all around (meaning the bolt too) you're probably OK with commercial loads. If you handload, be sure your primers are properly seated and your ammo headspaces properly. The latter two issues are main suspects in slamfire incidents.

Last time I bought a Springfield M1A they included an article on slamfire. The incident they referred to happened with, IIRC, a military primer in a hand-load, with a competitive shooter. The final "conclusion" was that they were not sure exactly how it happened.

A properly functioning M1A type action has the firing pin blocked until the bolt is in lock-up. That being said, I can see little dents on the primers after a round has been chambered. This is also the case with virtually all ARs, AKs, SKSs, Mini-14s, and others-- they have a "floating" firing pin.

Anyway, I've fired cases of commercial (non mil-spec) loads in M1As, including hunting loads, and never had a problem with either cycling or slamfire. We definitely noticed a difference in both accuracy and POI however. Test, test, test. Some primers are more sensitive than others and we certainly haven't tried them all.

Also check your hunting regs. You may need to get a smaller magazine. Here, the legal limit is 5 rounds. SA sells a 5-rounder that fits flush with the stock, which is nice.