M14-Pattern Scout - .308 Load Development

[MeatyMac]

Been working on load development for a M14-pattern Scout length (Bula 19.25" GI contour, chrome-lined barrel) rifle I built on an early Bula/JRA 'Rock Ola' forged receiver mounted in a USGI fiberglass stock using a US Optics 1-8X scope in A.R.M.S. QD mounts and rail. The only "match" procedures I did when assembling the rifle was lapping the bolt lugs to the receiver, shimming the gas cylinder behind the handguard band to eliminate cylinder movement and testing several gas pistons for best performance choosing a nitrite coated USGI Springfield one in the end; the California compliant Springfield Armory Inc. compensator has been reamed to National Match specs..

Getting it down to 1 MOA, this is a 10-shot group, the flyers keep coming up and I think it's the projectile (155gr. Nosler Custom Competition HPBT pills) being non-uniform, I just bought some Berger .308 cal. 155gr. HPBT 'Hybrids' which I believe will be more uniform (density & weight) and I'll give it another go with the same powder & charge and the Federal 210M match primers.









Here's a profile shot with all the accessories attached,

[smoothy8500]

Pretty decent shooting with the M14. You may see a difference with other projectiles, but I've been using Nosler "blems" for along time and don't have issues with flyers.

Do the flyers still show up when fired without the magnetospeed?

Its possible that the shims under the GC really isn't working. There's a lot of discussion on other sites regarding shims still allow the front band to move under recoil and change the barrel position in relation to the stock/front ferrule. The only sure solution is a unitized GC.

[MeatyMac]

I've followed the GC shim debate on the M14Forum for years now, I still do it but only enough to get the GC lock to stop at 5 o'clock and with hand force only turn the lock rest of the way to 6 o'clock, I don't use a lock wrench, mostly because this one's a field rifle and I want to 'keep it simple'. I built the rifle for my adult son, I'm just playing around with it to see how much accuracy I can squeeze out of it, if I went with a higher power scope I could wring a tiny bit more out of it I believe.

I shoot for groups w/o the Magnetospeed attached as it throws the bullets high and to the left apx. 2" when attached.

The other thing I didn't do was weigh and sort the Nosler CC bullets, nor the cases, I think I'll do both when I try the Berger hybrids.

Oh, and the flyers could just be me, I am an old cuss, after all, and I certainly don't shoot as accurately as I once did

[bcrich]

Those are awesome groups with the components you are using , I’d be happy if my scout would shoot that tight ..I gave up & happy with the 2 moa it shoots .

[bigbossman]

You're never gonna get a M1A to stack bullets.

[MeatyMac]

You're never gonna get a M1A to stack bullets.

How would you know, you ever built one yourself and tried?

[smoothy8500]

You're never gonna get a M1A to stack bullets.

Yeah, mine doesn't "stack bullets" either. It's only 1 MOA capable, I think. I don't shoot at 100yds except to check zero....

[smoothy8500]

While the kids were sticking their tongues out at each other, I was at the 300yd line for practice....

[smoothy8500]

Last month at the 500yd line.....yeah, not having a sub-moa rifle really sux.

[smoothy8500]

Regardless, nice rifles MeatyMac.

[MeatyMac]

Regardless, nice rifles MeatyMac.

Thank you

I build them, ask other people to build them for me, oggle over them, shoot them and use to maintain a Master classification in Highpower with them, was a High Master with a M1 Garand when I was in my 20's and could devote more time and travel to the sport.

Here's a few more I've built,

A LRB service rifle with all nos HRA parts,


A SOCOM on a Gunworks of Lower Alabama receiver, this one won 'Gun of the Month' on the M14Forum a few years back


The whole gun is nitrite coated except the sights and aluminum handguard rail, that's why it's oily looking


A Bula/JRA 'Rock Ola' service rifle with all nos TRW parts, it has a dummy selector switch on it now.


And here's a Fulton Armory cross-course Peerless w/a Krieger barrel that Clint McKee Sr. built for me a year before he passed away

[bigbossman]

How would you know, you ever built one yourself and tried?

Naw.... just shot a match prepped one on the line for a decade or so. It cleaned quite a few targets, but never shot them all into 1 hole. Came pretty close a couple of times, but never stacked them proper.

[PogoJack]

https://rumble.com/vburu7-building-the-m14m1a-from-a-parts-kit-part-1-receiver-inspection.html

[MeatyMac]

I'm self-taught, started by building M1 Garands 30-years ago when USGI receivers, parts and commercial tools were available and cheap from the CMP. The CMP has a M1 Garand 'Advanced Maintenance Class' that members can attend and learn the techniques and assemble their own M1 Garand with the receiver and parts supplied by the CMP. Up in Susanville, CA the Lassen Community College gunsmithing department also has a M1-M14-pattern rifle assembly class they use to teach in the summertime but it appears they are only offering the M1-M14 stock bedding part of the course as a class currently.

Here's the link to the CMP's Advanced Maintenance Class in Anniston, Alabama - https://thecmp.org/training-tech/adv...tenance-class/

Here are the current course offerings at Lassen's gunsmithing school, the M1-M1A bedding class is number GSS-77 (Acc M1-M1A For Comp.) and is listed on page 3 https://webadvisor.lassencollege.edu...h?subjects=GSS

[PogoJack]

M14-Pattern Scout - .308 Load Development

I'm self-taught, started by building M1 Garands 30-years ago when USGI receivers, parts and commercial tools were available and cheap from the CMP. The CMP has a M1 Garand 'Advanced Maintenance Class' that members can attend and learn the techniques and assemble their own M1 Garand with the receiver and parts supplied by the CMP. Up in Susanville, CA the Lassen Community College gunsmithing department also has a M1-M14-pattern rifle assembly class they use to teach in the summertime but it appears they are only offering the M1-M14 stock bedding part of the course as a class currently.

Here's the link to the CMP's Advanced Maintenance Class in Anniston, Alabama - https://thecmp.org/training-tech/adv...tenance-class/

Here are the current course offerings at Lassen's gunsmithing school, the M1-M1A bedding class is number GSS-77 (Acc M1-M1A For Comp.) and is listed on page 3 https://webadvisor.lassencollege.edu...h?subjects=GSS