The Best Ammunition to Buy For Your M1A Rifle
July 29, 2009 by m1arifles
Filed under M1A Rifles
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Anyone who is serious about shooting knows that your choice of ammunition is important, whether it’s in a hunting or competition scenario. While your choice of weapon is the primary concern, ammo is definitely a factor and can make a difference in the health of a firearm and in terms of accuracy. A gun as well made as the M1A rifle deserves to have some good quality ammunition fed into it. So how do you know what type of ammo you should use with your rifle?
Well, first off you have to know what size of ammo that you need. The M1A is designed to use ammunition of 7.62x51mm NATO standard. It can also use .308 Winchester ammo, since the two types are essentially the same. Note that you should not just assume any ammo that says “7.62” is going to work for you. There are 7.62x39mm and 7.62x54mm, which are used for other types of weapons. Also, .308 magnum rounds are different from .308 Winchester, and won’t work in the M1A.
Once you’re sure you’ve got ammo that will work with you M1A, then you need to figure out what you’re going to be using the weapon for. If you’re just going to the firing range to unload some rounds, then you’re probably not overly concerned about pinpoint accuracy. However, if you’re going hunting for small game or you’re target shooting in a competition setting, then you may want some top-quality ammo that will give you better accuracy.
When accuracy is the concern, then you have to consider the grain of the bullet. Grain is a type of measurement used for bullets. The larger the grain, the heavier the bullet is. Bullets that are too light are more susceptible to factors such as wind, while bullets that are too heavy are pulled more by gravity, and will be pulled to the ground faster. The M1A can use any grain from 147 to 180.
It’s not a huge issue for relatively short-range shooting or shooting at large targets; so casual shooters can safely ignore grain as long as they’re within the right range. For tournament level shooters, Springfield Armory recommends 168-grain bullets manufactured by a match grade ammo company. 168-grain is also recommend for deer hunting, but a larger grain is better for bigger game, such as moose.
Another consideration is the actual type of bullet casing. Hollow point rounds are known for their improved accuracy, and many hunters also recommend them because they can cause quick and humane kills. The other common option is full metal jacket ammunition, the main advantage of which is that it has less chance of misfiring. The relatively new ballistic tip ammo attempts to combine the advantages of both, but is more expensive.
Finally, for the health of your firearm, it’s important not to use soft-tipped bullets. The problem is that the soft parts get shaved off the bullets and end up in the gun’s inner workings, and this can then jam up the whole gun. Stick to using bullets that are standard full metal jacket, hollow point, or ballistic tip.
- Any grain from 147 to 180 is usable.
- 168 grain is recommended for best accuracy
- Use FMJ, HP, or “ballistic tip” type rounds (Hsoi: i.e. plastic tiped bullets; note that the term "Ballistic Tip" is a registered trademark of Nosler, so it shouldn't be used as a generic term for "plastic tipped" bullets)
- Avoid soft points. The lead can shave and wind up down in the action and jam it up.
- Avoid steel-cased ammo (not necessarily SAAMI spec)
- Avoid Hornady TAP (not sure why this)
- Avoid Cavim ammo as it’s not very accurate and varies in size
For hunting
- Winchester Silver Tip is OK to use (I'm not sure if they differentiate between Winchester Super-X Silvertip and Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertip, and/or if it matters. The Silvertip is an aluminum cap whereas the Ballstic Silvertip is a polycarbonate tip. Don't know if it matters, and it probably doesn't.)
- Hornady Ballistic Tip (technically Nosler makes Ballistic Tip, as it's their registered trademark. Are they meaning A-Max or V-Max? I don't know, but you get the idea.)
- Winchester Failsafe (Winchester doesn't make this any more, replacing with the XP3 line.)
- 168 grain for deer
- 175 grain for moose
- Moly coated bullets are OK to use but when you start to use them you must stay with them. You will have to clean the gas port more often. SAI does not recommend. If you do use them, it will gum up fast, and you’ll have to clean often and clean well.
- Tracer and armor piercing ammo is OK, as long as it’s NATO spec.
- Frangible ammo is too light, won’t work.
There’s a few other things in the posting, but it’s a bit redundant. Their terms are a bit informal so it’s difficult to know exactly what’s what, especially regarding hunting ammo. The key thing seems to be that you can NOT use anything with an exposed soft point. The reason is any exposed lead will shave off, get down into the action, and jam things up. I have read of people using exposed soft points in their M1A’s “without any problem” but why risk any problems?
So, what's on your mind? Have something to add? Feel free to comment below!
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Feel free to delete this if I’m wrong, or once you change it…
but you stated “Note that you should just assume any ammo that says “7.62” is going to work for you.”
I think you meant to include a “not” in there…
Even the AK 47 fires a 7.62
Let me know if I’m misunderstanding here
Ben
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m1arifles Reply:
August 1st, 2009 at 11:23 am
Hey Ben,
Thanks for pointing that out. It was a typo. It’s been fixed.
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The exclusion of Hornady TAP is without merit for SOCOM and Scouts. I know this came from Springfield but check the below link. I have used the 110 gr TAP with good results on two range visits with my Scout Squad. It may be there is concern related to full size M1A however
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Military Surplus, brass cased 147 grain 7.62 X 51 non-corrosive FMJ is my favorite to use in my M1A Socom 16. It’s a blast, pardon the pun.
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I’ve never had a problem with Federal 150 gr soft points as far as reliability goes.
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” … while bullets that are too heavy are pulled more by gravity, and will be pulled to the ground faster.”
As Galileo demonstrated at Pisa, the force of gravity is independent of the weight of the object on which it is working. A heavier bullet has a lower muzzle velocity and thus travels slower and takes a longer time to reach a given target. This allows the force of gravity more time to work on the bullet which results in a greated drop.
Drop = [second integral} 32.2 ft/sec^2 = 16.1 (ft) x time (in seconds)^2
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Bob Reply:
August 2nd, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Chas: You are correct on the action of gravity. All objects, regardless of their weight, fall to earth at the same rate. If you hd a 100 ft. tall tube and evacuated all the air from it and then dropped a bowling ball and a feather at the same time, they would both hit bottom at the same time.
The reason a heavier bullet “seems” to drop faster is that it has a slower velocity and will take longer to reach the target and thus drop more than a lighter bullet, but not because of their weights, because of the time they have to fall before hitting.
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Another consideration, if you do get Mil surplus, make sure it is treated. That discoloring around the neck of the casing tells you that it has been treated. If I remember correctly it is a tempering that they put the brass through so that it is more “flexible” so it doesn’t rupture in the chamber. That is always a big thing about .223, but same thing goes for all mil-spec ammo.
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Hey whats the problem with steel cases, I shoot em through mine without any problems, it’s cheap for sending down range and it’s military spec.
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Just purchased a Springfield Armory M1A. Should arrive at my local FFL on Tuesday. I have purchased a number of different types of ammunition to try including some military surpplus stuff. I know you can’t always make a sound decision about which one is best but I figured I could weed out a couple of the ones not to buy again. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for this discussion. I have been shooting a pistol for a number of years but never a rifle except a .22 so advice and shared expertise is much appreciated.
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M1A Rifles Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 8:08 am
AWESOME!! Which one did you pick up? Match, socom, scout?
Got any pics?
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Jack Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 8:16 am
I got a standard Loaded model. I figured it would be quite a while before all the nifty upgrades the National Match rifles have would make much of a difference in my shooting.
Walnut stock and blued barrel/reciever. I think it is in today but the dealer is down at the Minnesota/Green Bay football game tonight so will have to wait til tomorrow. I am very excited.
J
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M1A Rifles Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 8:19 am
NICE! You’re going to love it! Let us know how the first day at the range goes.
Also, send some links of some pics when you get a chance.
I sure will.
J
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With respect to the ammo comments, jacketed lead-tipped hunting loads are perfectly alright. They feed well in the magazines and, unless you allow the points to get beaten up, they fire accurately. What you don’t want to use are CAST LEAD bullets, that is bullets without copper or other jacketing. These bullets, while cheap and easy to make are bad news for a gas operated arm such as an M1A/M14, M1, FAL or any other. What happens is that the gas port in the barrel shaves lead off the bullet with each shot so that eventually it gums up the action within the gas cylinder. This won’t destroy the rifle but it will render it inoperative until the fouling is cleaned out and that can be a time consuming process.
Other than that you pretty much can’t stop an M1A. There is an amusing video on Guns&Ammo.com where two of their rifle experts drag an M1A behind a jeep for about ten miles through mud, dust, rocks and asphalt, blast it with a garden hose (probably unnecessary) and then fire three rounds without incident. The only downer to the movie is neither “expert” had the balls to fire it from the shoulder, so they rigged up this lanyard system. Some experts.
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Can anyone tell me which nato counries made corrosive 308 ammo? I’ve been told that somewhere there is a list of countries and the dates they stopped using corrosive primers. Can someone email that to me, Please! rwadlington@bigfoot.com
Thanks in advance.
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Thanks for the heads up about not using moly coated bullets in your M1A. This only confirmed what happened to me on the range. First let me say, I have had the privilege as a Marine Infantry Sergeant to shoot the M-14. Though the M-14 has a more solid feel when shooting, the M1A is not far behind. Now that I’m out of the Corps, I own a SOCOM 16. After nine years in the bush in various climes and places, including South Africa, Tanzania and Saudi Arabia where the rifle was propped next to my head while laying in the rack when off duty, the habit has not left me, and for some reason I still need to have my rifle within arms reach. Old habits die hard. Nevertheless, getting back to the moly bullets. In other M1A’s, I have always used Federal American Eagle 150grn FMJ BT with GREAT results in both accuracy and reliability. For some reason I thought I’d try the Black Hills Moly 168grn Match ammo in my SOCOM 16. NOT GOOD. The round seemed too slick for the rifle’s gas system and it kept double-tapping rounds on me with each pull of the trigger. This has never happened before in both civilian or military versions. I thought it was a SLAM FIRE issue, so I drove the rifle to Springfield Armory in Geneseo, IL because it was on my way to a business trip in Chicago (I live in St. Louis) and had a tech inspect and shoot it in his lab. Result: No problems when shooting standard military ammo. By the way, you have set an appointment to visit Springfield Armory for security reasons. They do not have a store front. Anyway, they are extremely nice and when the tech heard me say I was taking it deer hunting, he gave me two 10 round magazines and an OD military sling. Just thought I’d pass this experience along to those thinking about moly bullets.
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Just a comment… the article states 168g for deer. Though there’s not a great deal of difference, but a 150g projectile in .308 is more than sufficient for white tails. Anything larger in a .308 destroys too much meat and just makes a mess. The article also states that bullets weights of 147 to 180 grain work best in an M1A. Any ideas, comments, experience or suggestions about using Remington’s Managed-Recoil Ammunition at 125g? Mike said he used 110g, but I haven’t found any rounds that light for a .308. Thanks.
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CJGarvin Reply:
April 8th, 2010 at 10:09 am
I would steer clear of a managed recoil round for the M1A. The rifle’s gas system is designed for a full power military charge within SAMMI specs. The chemistry of the powder has to be right or it will not cycle the rifle’s action properly and it could jam, creating a potentially dangerous situation regardless of the ammunition manufactures claims.
However, the managed recoil would be nice in a bolt gun.
I guess it’s a matter of choice, but it sounds like you’re trying to make a 308 into a 270 with those bullet weights.
147 to 150 grain is the optimal load if you’re not doing sniper work. I like Federal’s 150 grain soft point deer load that’s has the same velocities as their American Eagle 150 grain FMJ, so I don’t have to adjust my scope. It’s all about the math.
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Why do snipers want a 180 grain bullet? or heavy grain? doesnt it drop more making shots harder? thanks
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Mitch Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Yes, a 180g. round will drop more, but its more predictable. It’s not affected as much as lighter bullets by wind, temperature and humidity. Some say that a heavier bullet will also “fly” better due to its aerodynamic shape. Another advantage with a heavier bullet is that once it gets out there, say 800 yards, it retains more “knock down” authority. In other words, you may have to hold a little higher, but you won’t have to be as concerned with drift and other factors, and when it does hit the target, it’ll pack a bigger punch.
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For the 308, police snipers generally use a 168 grain BT and military snipers use a 175 grain boat tail. After 500 yards, the 175 grain round will pass the 168 grain bullet. For the same reason if you throw a wiffle ball and a baseball side by side, the one with more weight will go farther even though the initial velocity was the same. Therefore, to answer your question, no, more weight actually makes the shot more predictable because the bullet is not affected by the wind and everything Mitch said.
I have heard that some people hand load 180 grain and even 190 grain for the M14, but snipers and armors concur that this shortens receiver and chamber life in your rifle due to gas build up to push that load.
For the 30’06, 180 grain BT is used. The 300 Win Mag uses the 190 grain BT for sniper work.
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Hello, I will be picking up my new M1A standard loaded next week and I just want to make sure that using Federal 150gr FMJBT will be fine. Has anyone ever used HSM 308 168gr matched ammo?
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New Owner, 150 gr full metal jacket boat tail from federal is a great round the rifle will love them. The 168 gr boat tail hollow point is a highly accurat round with a scoped rifle you should be able to hit dollar coins at 200 yrds with some practice. The ammo you chose is expensive but if you can afford it the rifle deserves it. I hope you enjoy your rifle as much as I have it will be a life time companion for years to come.
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NewM1Aowner Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Is there an ammo you can recommend other then the Federal?
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CJGarvin Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Not for the Federal 150 gr FMJBT, however, for the 168 gr, Black Hills is very nice.
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You can buy all the Federal or Black Hills ammo you want online at Midway USA. It’s the only place I found where you can get American Eagle in great supplies.
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Welcome “NewM1Aowner”,
I agree with CJGarvin on the Federal 150 gr. FMJBT, but isn’t HSM re-manufactured ammo? I bought some HSM to try in my DPMS LR-243, but haven’t used it, yet. I did just order some Winchester 7.62 NATO (.308), 147 gr. FMJ,#Q3130, for my M1A from Midway USA. It’s on sale ’til the end of the month.
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Have an early M1A with all G.I. parts except the receiver bought in the late 70′s. Just love it and now it has a companion: a SOCOM 16. Great shooting guns. Question: does anyone know of some good handloads for these M1A’s? With ammo prices high and going higher I thought I would try reloading. I’ve heard about “don’t use slow-burning powder” and wonder if anyone has some good bullet/powder combos worked out that they could suggest.
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