I picked up some brass with the head stamp 7.62-M1A FC-11
Is this commercial or military issue.
I want to use them in a bolt gun so thought to run them through a small base die.

Not military.
Why do you need a small base die? Those are never needed, in my experience. If your sizing die is too big for your chamber, there are other problems.

It's Federal, made for M1A/M14, used in matches, mfg 2011.

may or may not have a primer crimp.
their newer stuff does.

quote:

Why do you need a small base die?

There are times the case has more resistance to being sized than the press can overcome. I have small base dies that are stamped 'Bar' FOR BROWNING AUTOMATIC RIFLE, I have three different set of BAR dies.

It helps when the reloader has the ability to determine if the press full length sized the case before lowers the ram. There are ways to increase3 the presses' ability to overcome the cases' ability to resist sizing.

Some choose to use a small base die; others choose to grind the top of the shell holder or bottom of the die. And then there is the 7.62 NATO/308W case fired in a machine gune barrel.

F. Guffey
the

I see you posted that 5 times; not sure why.
I understand how you feel though. Many reloaders buy small base dies when they didn't need them.
I have reloaded many thousands of 7.62 brass fired in machine guns. (During tank gunnery we fired thousands a day (M240 Coax) It is not the OD that is the problem; hence, I do not own a small base die. I did lathe turn off one die to reduce the shoulder to base length for one 308 rifle but usually it is not an issue. US machine guns do not have large chambers.
I have a Rock Chucker; I assure you that no piece of brass can resist that leverage.