 akrado
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Posted: 10/21/2011 4:55:00 PM
THE IMAGE ABOVE IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT Would I be ok using Federal Match 168gr and Black Hills 175gr ammo without risking damage? |
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aztrooper
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Posted: 10/21/2011 5:50:00 PM
The M1A does not have the closed gas system like the Garand. Excess gas is vented, so you will not have to worry about your oprod taking a beating from operation using different types of ammunition. the Garand, different story. |
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tangeant
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Posted: 10/22/2011 7:18:09 PM
Should be fine with those loads. If your really paranoid you can put buffer in or a new recoil spring in it.
The M14 gas system is more tolerant to hot loads than a M1 but you can still do damage over time with really hot loads and heavy bullets. The 14 gas system doesn't regulate pressure so hot high pressure loads will increase gas piston & oprod velocity which can lead to oprod hitting recvr hard and bolt hitting heel harder than normal. |
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Posted: 10/24/2011 8:55:54 AM
You are right to be concerned about pressure curves and op rod velocities in the M1A.
Federal is making a M1A specific load using 168gr bullets. There may be other commercial loads that are safe for the weapon. Personally I will not shoot either of the rounds you named in my M1As. |
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akrado
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Posted: 10/24/2011 1:18:00 PM
[Last Edit: 10/24/2011 1:18:44 PM by akrado]
Thanks for the input guys.
I'll talk around w/ some M1a match shooters before I go forward. Some notes on the web mention that SA themselves say to not go over 168gr bullet weight, and that even w/ 168s it would be possible to damage the rifle if powder is a slow burner- higher pressure. Maybe I need to start upgrading this rifle... |
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aztrooper
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Posted: 10/24/2011 1:19:55 PM
Talk to the shooters you know first. There is going to be opinion yes or no either way. An email to Springfield Customer Service wouldn't be bad either. They warranty the rifle forever, so see what they say...
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Posted: 10/24/2011 1:20:35 PM
long before the so called m1a specific ammo was brought out guys have been using the fed gold medal 168 ammo in both m1 &m1a with no issues. it has always been the gold standard for service rifle- with military teams using it almost exclusively back when the m14 was king in service rifle.
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akrado
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Posted: 10/24/2011 4:13:10 PM
Originally Posted By captain127: long before the so called m1a specific ammo was brought out guys have been using the fed gold medal 168 ammo in both m1 &m1a with no issues. it has always been the gold standard for service rifle- with military teams using it almost exclusively back when the m14 was king in service rifle. Yeah thats what I had heard and I've got 200 rds Fed gold medal 168s that I bought in mind for a possible match. I'll be looking more into this but it does sound like a point of contention amongst M14 shooters on the internet. Most of the shooters that still use the M1a are probably reloaders but I'll ask around next season. Again, appreciate the input! |
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30Caliber
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Posted: 10/24/2011 6:02:38 PM
The 175 is pretty popular for the service rifle guys still shooting the M1A. Whoever said nothing over 168 missed the fact that the .mil issued 173gr match for it.
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Posted: 10/26/2011 3:51:38 PM
[Last Edit: 10/26/2011 3:51:57 PM by benny6]
I run 168's exclusively at 2600fps and have no issues with them. Good results too. FGMM, Black Hills, AE168, all run in the 2600-2650fps range.
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Posted: 10/27/2011 11:49:13 PM
Big teams ran 180's for a while also. I run 175gr bullets almost excussively myself. No issues to report.
What is the issue to watch for is a number of two peice op rods have failed at their welds. HR having the most I believe. Op rods that are one piece don't have the same record. Op-rods like the TRW(USGI) or SEI(new).are both one piece. Myself mine is HR and so far so good with close to 2k down the tube. |
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akrado
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Posted: 10/28/2011 3:08:17 PM
[Last Edit: 11/24/2011 11:16:20 PM by akrado]
Thanks guys, I was hoping to hear some first hand report
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Posted: 11/1/2011 7:17:04 PM
i have been shooting hand loaded 180 grain SMK bullets at 2580-2600 FPS with zero issues out of my SA National Match M1A. is a hot load but no pressure signs with the brass or rifle.
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