M1A Question/Concerns

[Duck]

I just took delivery of my new Springfield M1A (loaded). Reading the manual it advises to use military grade ammo. They do not recommend military surplus. The use of reloads will violate the warranty and includes an article about slap fire, using reloads. My question is what ammo do you use in your M1A?

 

[Bluemax]

I run Match ammo in mine (155, 168 and 175gr), Mil surplus is good. what you need to be carefull of is using the hunting type loads. The heavy bullets-180gr and up can batter the op-rod and cause issues. Also be carefull of the steel cased stuff, Barnaul .308 actually broke the extractor in one of my rifles after only 120 rounds. (Had to try it once, lesson learned.) Most standard preasure loads from 110gr (like Hornaday TAP) up to the 175gr loads tend to work well depending upon the twist in the barrel.

 

[SCARCQB]

Malaysian surplus

 

[Duck]

Any special brand...jmund?

 

[dist1646]

Standard handload back in the day was 41.5gr 4895 with a 168gr bthp. Lake City or Win brass. I have run thousands of rounds thru the ones I have owned with no problems. I don't use Federal brass because the primer pockets loosened up after only 1 or 2 firings, this was purely a brass problem. For primers, I use Fed210M or the Russian LRM.

 

[Tconfo]

Federal 7.62x51 168gr OTM for M1A. My rifle loves the stuff. That and aulstralian surplus. Surprisingly it didn't like .308 FGGM as well as the other stuff. The 5R on the other hand loved that ammo.

 

[Bootknife]

All good advice in the post so far,Good clean surplus is fine.Fed Match is Awesome in both M1A and 700 5R as well!

 

[BigSteve57]

7.62 NATO Federal Gold Medal Match Sierra Matchking BTHP 175 Grain GM762M2

 

[Lou45]

Malaysian surplus

THIS ^^^ if your barrel has a 1 in 12' twist. It shoots 3/4 MOA all day long.

Any special brand...jmund?

7.62 NATO Federal Gold Medal Match Sierra Matchking BTHP 175 Grain GM762M2

If twist rate is 1 in 11" of faster, this ^^^ works great.

 

[Duck]

Thanks all.

 

[byf43]

Federal Gold Medal Match is the 'standard' by which all other ammo is judged, in the M14/M1A platform.

South African surplus shoots very well, but, you need to clean the M1A as soon as you're done shooting.
IF memory serves me, some of this stuff is corrosive.
(I don't put my rifles away, until they've had their 'bath', anyway!)

All manufacturers and builders state to NOT use handloads.
This is because they don't have control over your loading habits, and don't want to warrant/guarantee their stuff, when "John Q. Public" has loaded ammo of an unknown quality (to them).


With that said, the 'proper' burn rate powder and bullets under 180 grains work very well in the M1A.
H-4895; IMR-4895; H-335; W-748; are all good powders in the M14/M1A.

My M1A loves 41.5 grains of H-4895 along with the Sierra 168 gr BTHP MatchKing, as well as 43.0 grains of W-748, with the same bullet.
I've used LC brass, Winchester brass, and Federal brass with good to great results.
(Seat all bullets to 2.845" for my rifle!)

Yes, Federal brass has a tendency to 'open up' the primer pocket, but, I get 5 to 6 loads from Federal brass, before I toss it.
Federal 210M, or 210, or Win LR primers ignite the powder charge.

There are those that say to use the CCI primer, because the 'cup' is harder.
I've been loading for the M1A and M1 Garand since 1985, and I've never had a problem with Federal or Winchester.

 

[Bluemax]

All this is good advice, I used 41.7 gr of 4895 with the 168, I shoot Lake city surplus, Malaysian, Austrialian, Swedish, etch...My gun really likes the M118LR with the 175 OTM.

 

[=GoMango=]

I use any modern NATO 7.62 ammo.
Just ran out of British Radway Green and am shooting the German surplus in the green 200 rd battle packs now.
I'm still sitting on a full crate of South African in the 140 rd battle packs

My biggest problem was getting the OP rod out for the first time.
That sucker was in crazy tight

 

[surplusfan]

m1a ammo....

Keep an eye out for any of that german stuff still laying around in green battle packs. Same goes for that corroded portugese stuff the dealers have been pushing as of late. I've never had a problem with my rifle shooting anything with the good old NATO cross.

 

[jpk1md]

I just took delivery of my new Springfield M1A (loaded). Reading the manual it advises to use military grade ammo. They do not recommend military surplus. The use of reloads will violate the warranty and includes an article about slap fire, using reloads. My question is what ammo do you use in your M1A?

Depends on what it was head spaced and chambered for.

Should at the very least be marked on the barrel whether its chambered for 308 (unlikely) or 7.62x51 (probably).