Hunting Loads for the M1A - The Easy Way

[bergmen]

I've been reloading for decades, just haven't started yet for my nearly new M1A Walnut Scout Squad.

The thought came to me the other day, why can't I just make hunting loads from my stocks of Winchester 7.62 white box (Q3130)?

My idea is to carefully pull the 147 grain fmj bullets with my collet puller and press in 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips or Accubond bullets leaving everything else unchanged. I could recrimp with my Lee factory crimp die. The difference in bullet weight is only 3 grains or about 2%.

Any problems with this idea?

Dan

 

[joustin]

I would reduce the powder load a few grains to make sure there are not any issues.

 

[rcmodel]

I would dump the powder and neck size the cases with the depriming pin removed.

Then put the powder back in, seat the bullet, and crimp.

A Lee FCD crimp, or any other crimp die, does not replace correct case neck tension when it comes to keeping the bullet in place in a slam-bang action.

rc

 

[bergmen]

I would dump the powder and neck size the cases with the depriming pin removed.

Then put the powder back in, seat the bullet, and crimp.

A Lee FCD crimp, or any other crimp die, does not replace correct case neck tension when it comes to keeping the bullet in place in a slam-bang action.

rc

I thought about the exact same thing. Remove powder, neck size, replace powder, seat, crimp.

My original thought was the neck would be good to go with just the fmj removal but I think a resize would be necessary.

I'm at the point where I might want to try this. The one round I disassembled measured 44.5 grains of whatever powder Winchester used for these.

It just seems like a good way to easily build hunting rounds from unfired components that are tried and true. Plus, these should be very compatible with the M1A action, gas system, etc.

Dan

 

[rcmodel]

What you are talking about has been called "Mexican Match ammo" for a lot of years.

Google it.

rc

 

[longdayjake]

I have done a lot of pulling and putting bullets back in without resizing the case. Here are my thoughts on why I don't think it is going to make any difference to resize the casing before putting the bullet back in there. There is nothing happening to the case during pulling that already hasn't happened when the bullet was seated. The bullet doesn't magically grow in diameter while you are pulling it. The casing won't expand a little more to allow you to pull it easier. So, there should be just as much tension on the bullet when you put it back in as there was when you pulled it out. Unless you do something to the case that will expand the mouth then you should have the same tension you had when you put the bullet in there the first time. So, unless you put a smaller diameter bullet in the hole, you should be okay.

Try it and see for yourself that there is no difference. Try calipers on the outside of the case before you pull it and then try it again after you seat the bullet again. If the case neck is any wider after the second seating then you can flog me and punch me in the junk.

 

[bergmen]

I have done a lot of pulling and putting bullets back in without resizing the case. Here are my thoughts on why I don't think it is going to make any difference to resize the casing before putting the bullet back in there. There is nothing happening to the case during pulling that already hasn't happened when the bullet was seated. The bullet doesn't magically grow in diameter while you are pulling it. The casing won't expand a little more to allow you to pull it easier. So, there should be just as much tension on the bullet when you put it back in as there was when you pulled it out. Unless you do something to the case that will expand the mouth then you should have the same tension you had when you put the bullet in there the first time. So, unless you put a smaller diameter bullet in the hole, you should be okay.

Try it and see for yourself that there is no difference. Try calipers on the outside of the case before you pull it and then try it again after you seat the bullet again. If the case neck is any wider after the second seating then you can flog me and punch me in the junk.

My hope was that I could do exactly this. Thinking that the neck expands due to the forces of firing only.

I'm gonna give it a try without resizing. It is easy to tell if there is a neck tension issue. Easy to test.

Dan