Do I have to keep within a certain grain range as well as bullet type for this rifle? Some of the literature suggests 150 to 175 grain though I have some 180 grain as well. Would that be not good for this gun because it’s saying it’s too slow burning and too much pressure, but this thing is a tank of a rifle. Also, I have some PowerPoint ammo that has a soft led tip that I read that is bad for a semi auto in this platform as well. I didn’t think it was that sensitive to ammo?

On another note, I noticed that my Hornady match 308 168 grain ammo has a bit longer projectile, making the OAL longer. Would this cause a problem with feeding in the Springfield M1A?

I guess I thought you could just shoot any 308 ammo out of these guns that you wanted to that was in factory spec.

My M1A dates from 1978 and I have never had chambering problems with any load that would fit in the magazine. That includes Hornady 168 grain A-MAX Match and A-MAX Black loads within the past few years (2023).

^^^^^ Good to know thanks. Any knowledge base on the 180 grain or the soft point as no goes?

Sorry, but no experience with either. I have probably fired some Federal 175 grain Gold Medal Match with my M1A in the past, but it would have been before I started keeping detailed records. But no 180 grain loads or anything with soft points.

I suspect that if the rifles don’t like soft points it may have to do with how they get deformed during the chambering process.

Although it evidently isn’t the same concern as with commercial 30-06 ammunition in M1 Garand rifles, 308 Winchester ammo can be loaded to higher pressures than 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges, and therefore can damage the operating rod of an M1A/M14, especially with extended use. Based on my limited research, that is more of a concern with heavy bullet loads due to port pressure.

I’m far from an M1A/M14 authority, though, and perhaps benny6 will chime in, or maybe you could contact him directly.

You're good with 110's up to 175 grain box ammo. But I shy away from some of the hotter loaded hunting ammo.

The operating rod is the weak point here, but you can also run a vented piston, a vented gas plug or a reduced sized spindle valve if you need to use hotter ammo.

Even so, you can still run hunting ammo with soft points just fine (Remington Corelokt).

Tony.

I generally use 168 grain Gold Dot or 165 grain Fusion for hunting, and ~150 grain M80 FMJ for plinking.

Both the Gold Dot and Fusion are soft point loads, and work just fine.

Excellent stuff guys thank you for the thoughtful responses. I have a better understanding now what to scope out and what to avoid.

I shot 150 grain FMJ and 168 grain A-max today through it and it shot awesome thanks for the tips guys!

FYI Hornady Superformance is not recommended for your M1A SOCOM.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtGold:
FYI Hornady Superformance is not recommended for your M1A SOCOM.

I don't recommend it for any rifle -- bolt action or autoloader. I've had more blown primers and sticky bolts with Superformance ammo than any other factory ammo. Possibly more ammo issues with it than all other factory ammo types combined.

I've never tried it, but now I won't. Thanks for the info.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by SgtGold:
FYI Hornady Superformance is not recommended for your M1A SOCOM.

I don't recommend it for any rifle -- bolt action or autoloader. I've had more blown primers and sticky bolts with Superformance ammo than any other factory ammo. Possibly more ammo issues with it than all other factory ammo types combined.

Yes luckily I was aware of avoiding the superperformance ammo before I ever got any.