Using 168 SMK in my M1A and IMR 4895 what are considered safe loads?

I went ahead and loaded some rounds starting with 40.0 grains of IMR 4895 and working my way up by 1/10th grain increments to 42.8. I'm also using CCI #34 primers.

As far as the op rod and the overall health of my rifle are concerned where should I draw the line between what is safe for the M1A and what would normally be safe in a bolt gun?

Any advise on other powders as well? IMR 4064? Varget?

Thanks alot.

I've used Accurate 2520 for years in my M1A and bolt gun with very good accuracy and safe in the rifles. Military once fired brass, Win LR primer and the 168gr Sierra BTHP match bullet. Usually have Lake City brass but also used Cavim and IMI. Works well with Remington brass also. The Win LR primer seems best when compared with the CCI or Federal match primer. Have found the CCI match primer to give as good of results as the Win standard primer. Good shooting!

the m1a is a good gun and basically if its a safe load in a bolt the m1a will handle it just fine. i wouldn't use the 65000 psi stuff in one, but i don't use it in a bolt either

You aren't going to KB your M1A by shooting top end loads but you will cause undo wear. Stay w/ med.-med. fast powders like 3031, 4895, 4064, etc. & keep you vel. window near match ammo, about 2600fps+ W/ a 168gr bullet. That should keep you out of trouble. The latest Hornady manual has loads for M1A/Garands separate of bolt data.

Hornady has 41.4 listed as the max load for M1A and 168 grain Hornady bullets. Check NationaMatch.US for detailed loading info. This is a forum for competiion shooters and will give you many opinions on loads for the 169MK and the M1A.

Fast Ed

I used 41.0 gr of IMR-4895 with the 165-168 grain class bullets for, oh my God, over 20 years, and the gun kept on shooting. Now I'm using a .243 M-1A and a 7.62mm M-1, and stiff with IMR 4895

LLS

Use a chronograph in developing your loads. In an M1a with a 168 your should develop your loads so that the average is below 2600 fps. The old white box match ammunition with the 173 gr FMJBT averaged 2550 fps. Your 168 is a little thinner skinned and a tiny bit lighter. Do not try to shoot into the 2400’s because these rifles seldom shoot well at those velocities. Unfortunately these rifles shoot quite accurate groups at the high end, but it is hard on the cases and hard on the rifle.

What makes it hard on the rifle is that port pressure is what determines when and how fast your rifle opens. Too much gas and your operating rod accelerates too quickly, often ripping the rims off of cases. The operating rod was meant to stay within a specified velocity range, when it is accelerated too fast it gets bent, slams into the receiver too hard, and the bolt rebounds off the receiver backplate too darn hard. It will overstress your receiver, and in time, could result in cracking on the receiver walls. I have seen M1a receivers that cracked just under the elevation knob, but it was not due to mistreatment, but due to the pounding of tens of thousands of match rounds. Don’t try to hurry to that day.

This is subjective, but if you shoot prone with a sling, and you shoot a lot of NRA high power rifle rapid fire, you will feel the rifle cycling. It should have a barely perceptible clip, clop. It is just on the edge of human perception. When you are a tuned to your rifle, and the rounds are where they should be, you can just notice the rifle cycling. When your rounds are too hot for the rifle, the rifle will cycle so fast it is faster than human perception. You will just have this big bang and the rifle will be loaded.

I recommend 4895 powder. That can be AA2495, H4895, or good old IMR 4895. The M1a was developed with IMR 4895, you will not really find any “betterâ€. You will find some that are just as good, AA2520 falls into that category. More matches have been won with 4895 and more rifles shot that powder than any other. Just use it. My loads were 168 SMK or Nosler, 41.0 grains IMR 4895 LC cases, CCI #34 primers OAL LT 2.800â€. Depending on rifle, the powder charge went from 40.5 to 41.5 grains. The charge was less on a new barrel, and as the barrel wore, I would increase it.

A couple of other things. Buy a cartridge headspace gage, full length size to gage minimum. Use that gage to set up your sizing dies. Don’t argue, just do it.