anagram-sam

Is their 168 gr @ 2840 fps too hot for my LRB ?

Thanks!

cat doctor

I asked the gunsmith that built my rifle if he was comfortable with me shooting federal fusion 165 grain at 2700 fps. He was of the opinion it was a little hot.

The gunsmith is one of the best m14 smiths in the country, so I value his opinion very much.

JMGlasgow

You should be looking at pressure. Hornady states that their is no increase in pressure with Superformance loads. I would say you're good to go.

2336USMC

There may be no increase in chamber pressure, but Superformance uses a powder blend that maintains higher pressure all the way out to the muzzle to get those higher velocities. This means that the pressure at the gas port in an M14 may be MUCH higher than the system was designed for (pressure curve and port pressure of IMR4895 and similar traditional powders.)

High gas port pressure means violent extraction, battering, and possible bent op rod.

This is true for all of the newer "high performance" type ammo such as Hornady Light Magnum etc... They are playing with the powder burn rates to get a longer burn in the bore while staying within the maximum PEAK chamber pressure. Good for bolt guns, bad for gas guns.

hammonje

Skip it and stick with military clone loads (M852, M118LR, M80) for your rifle.

JMGlasgow

I just sent Hornady a technical inquiry concerning pressures both at the chamber and gas port. I also asked if this particular load is safe in an M14/M1A rifle. Hopefully we'll get a definite answer soon.

anagram-sam

Thanks. Hopefully this will set the record straight.

RAMMAC

I'm anxious to hear their answer. I'm of the same opinion as 2336USMC, they have to be achieving the higher velocities by extending the time/pressure curve and if so then they are probably getting pretty high pressures at the port. If you can, see if they will tell you what they predict the pressure to be at about 13.3" along the barrel length, that's about where the port is. If I'm wrong then I wrong then I would like to try their ammo out too.

2336USMC

Hornady has this article on their website:

http://www.hornady.com/ammunition/su...rated-firearms

They say Superformance is perfectly safe for gas operated firearms, but then there are a lot of "ifs" and "buts" after that. Some nice charts, all directed at the AR types, comparing carbine/mid-length/rifle length gas systems.

Our M14 types all have "rifle length" gas systems. It would be nice if Hornady could tell us what the actual port pressure is in an M14 type. If it's near standard, so much the better and I might even give it a try.

RAMMAC

Without numbers it's not an absolute guarantee but since the gas port is about 13.3" from the breech the M1A falls within what they refer to as a rifle length gas system and their chart seems to indicate that the pressure curve is back to normal at that time. I'd still like to know the actual pressure numbers. Without that data, I might try the ammo along with an adjustable gas plug just to be safe.

Colter

I would steer clear of that stuff. The early 178gr stuff blew a primer in my bolt gun. I had a great group going so I tried a few more rounds...mistake. Blew another and called it quits.

The real question is what the heck is wrong with the performance of clone rounds like M852? If you want to hod rod the 308 do it in a bolt gun.

My .02

JMGlasgow

Did you contact Hornady and express your concerns? I'm sure they would like to hear about problems when they arise. And as you said, the early stuff may have had a problem. It may be fixed by now.

Whatsinaname181

I agree with some of the others- id stick with mil-spec loads for the m14. i mean, 168 or 175 gr of metal traveling at 2600 FPS is still going to get the job done, no questions asked. Im no expert gunsmith, but I can attest to the effectiveness of standard loads and velocities when applying proper shot placement at any range under 800-1000. The platform was designed a certain way to be used with certain ammo, and personally, thats what i stick with especially since i dont run with USGI parts like i should be doing. I kinda feel like the rest is just sorta marketing gimmicks.


SSG K.

jens5

And that would be?

cat doctor

Ted Brown.