M14 Forum

Silverton4

There was a reprint of an AR article on slam fires included in the box with my new rifle. I stopped on the way home and bought a box of .308 Winchester SuperX 180gr Power Point hunting ammo, being a total noob and not having read the article.

I don't want to risk using it and intend to wait for my Milsurp to get here, but wondered if y'all can tell me whether it's really risky to use the commercial hunting cartridges.

Dreampiper

Keep in mind while the slam fire issue is important to be aware of, you also risk damaging you rifle using ammo that does not match the pressure curve the gas system was designed to operate with.

4track

I have never personally experienced a "slam fire", and like you, I never want to.

You are right to just wait for the correct ammunition.

FYI, I have heard that the greater risk, when firing .308 win. cartridges in a semi-auot chambered for 7.62x51mm, is overpressure in the chamber.

4track

Jinx!

GARRARD

I've used Winchester white box several times and never had a slam fire. Same with Remington.

Styles69

I had the same concerns when I purchased my SA SOCOM. Called SA and they said that I could shoot .308 with no problems. And like mention by GARRARD, I've never had a problem either.

Swamp Rat

I'd be more worried about ammo damaging the op-rod than a slam fire.

Unless you never clean your rifle.

bd111

I'm familiar with that factory hunting round. It's SAAMI spec, no peculiar sensitivity to the primer. I don't think you're in danger of a OOB ignition with a clean chamber. It's loaded with a slower-burning/higher-pressure-cooking powder, however, like 4350, and would be better shot in your bolt-action rifle.

Pacman

Spoke with SA Tech Support several weeks ago and I was told that the 180 gr. Winchester round I was asking about was the maximum safe load my SA NM M1A
could safely handle without risk of over-pressure. Still... I'm gonna put those 280 rds in the back of my ammo box for use in a future NEF Handi-Rifle I plan to get this year, and I won't use the 180's in my NM unless a dire emergency happens.

I was glad to hear I could use it, but with so many more safer loads, I don't want my rifle to undergo more stress than is neccesary.

Peace - Patrick <><









,

Mindfield

Ive never had a slam fire on a free moving firing pin setup like the M14 or AR-15, as stated id be more concerned about exceeding the gas system specs on the 14 than a slamfire

KaribouKidd

I have an AR-308 Galil and experienced a slam fire many years ago. This was an early model that had a floating firing pin.

I was using a reload that my brother put together using a once fired military case, W-W 748 powder, and a Winchester 147gr. FMJ-BT bullet. We discussed it afterwards and he admitted that he may have used a large pistol primer instead of a proper rifle primer. He had spilled some of each while reloading and did not dispose of all of them like he should have. You cannot tell a large pistol from a large rifle primer by sight.

The round was stripped from the magazine but detonated before it was fully chambered rupturing the brass and blowing the pieces out of the ejection port. The bullet was lodged in the barrel just forward of the chamber and had to be tapped out with a cleaning rod. The strangest thing was that the anvil of the primer (the 3-sided piece of metal you see on the "inside" of the primer) was pressed into the side of the bullet. How it got there is anyone's guess.

Fortunately no one was injured and the rifle sustained no damage.

Shortly after this incident Magnum Research (the USA importer at the time) recalled all Galils for the addition of a firing pin spring. Perhaps my slamfire was not the only one.

Needless to say my brother and I both learned to keep rifle and pistol primers separate. I never experienced another slam fire with the Galil (especially after the recall) or either of my M1A's.

pendennis

I've seen two, both in M1's. I was two lanes down on one at Camp Perry, and saw another intentionally set off. Neither rifle was damaged, and the projectiles cleared both barrels, but the sight and sound will get your attention.

You'll more likely get them in warmer weather (hot, humid conditions), than cooler. You'll also more likely get them when loading single rounds directly into the chamber, bypassing the clip/magazine. Stripping the round from the clip/magazine causes the bolt to be retarded ever so slightly.

There's a belief out there that military ammo, with harder primers, may keep slam fires from happening. I was schooled, in the 1960's, that it was single-loading that caused the problem.

Whatsinaname181

Ive been using Federal Power shock out of mine and with no worries.

I am never afraid to single-load my M1A because i always let the bolt slam home from HALFWAY down, if not just riding it forward till she stops, then snapping the bolt into battery with a tap.

jbrooks

If the receiver bridge (""safety" bridge) is in spec, and your primers are fully seated, the possibility of a slamfire is nil. Assuming of course the firing pin is working properly.

The FP tip stops between 0.003" and 0.02" away from the primer in a correctly dimensioned receiver, before the bolt rotates into battery. So a "high" soft primer is problematic. But factory ammo should be OK.

JWB

Al Mack

The ammo you mention is intended for a bolt gun. Your gun will shoot it, but you could damage your rifle doing so. The burn rate is more than likley to slow for a gas gun. Also most feel 175 grain bullets are the heaviest that are safe fore the M1-A.

Slam fires are caused by dirty chambers and primmers that aren't set below the flush line. You should be good to go with most mill surp ammo.

Sorry to hear you caught this terrible desease, to bad no cure.

I almost forgot there is also the double tap. Caused by weak grip, have a firm grip on your rifle and you shouldn't have this happen.