[Lacie8899#]

Does anyone care to share their recipe for a Federal Gold Metal Match clone load. I use LC Brass, #34 primer, 40.8gr Ramshot Tac, 168gr SMK, COAL 2.785. Works great, about 2700fps. Good for about .50 MOA-1.25 MOA at 100 yards. Rifle dependent of course, this is for informational purposes only use at your own risk. L8899

 

[RAMMAC]

2700 FPS? Out of a 22" barreled M1A? Did you get that velocity by measuring with a chronograph?

 

[Lacie8899#]

RAMMAC, no sir, that was out of my 24 inch Heavy Barrel Savage bolt. With my Magnetospeed. Will have to run some tests on the M1A. L8899

 

[WaM14gunner]

Dont know if its a clone load but 42.5 grs of IMR4064 almost always shoots very well in M14 rifles.

 

[Jim Horton]

RAMMAC, no sir, that was out of my 24 inch Heavy Barrel Savage bolt. With my Magnetospeed. Will have to run some tests on the M1A. L8899

Then what is the relevance of your recipe if not in an M14 platform?

 

[KurtC]

The FGMM that I have pulled has always been 43 grains in commercial brass, with a 210M uncrimped and sealed primer.

What I am unsure of is if the powder is 4895 or 4064. I use 4064.

 

[Texas solo]

41.5 IMR4895

 

[smoothy8500]

Then what is the relevance of your recipe if not in an M14 platform?

Meh, I use the same "generic" formula on three different rifles....Magically, it works everywhere.

 

[charlie98]

40.8gr Ramshot Tac

I have been working on a similar load with IMR4064, thinking that was the best powder to use, and would be the same powder when I start loading the 175's... but I tried a short ladder with TAC... it outshot IMR4064 in my 24" Savage bolt gun. I really wasn't expecting much, but I've since went full stop to reevaluate that particular load.

 

[RAMMAC]

My current powder of choice is Allient's AR Comp. I use it with 168 to 180 grain bullets in my M1A rifles and my AR 10 style rifle.

 

[Reaper6]

I've recently switched to IMR 4064 for my go to powder and here's the work up I came to. Note, this is with Hornadys and not Sierras, I was trying to clone M852. I understand 168gr FGMM is advertised at 2650fps, but I don't know how that was tested (i.e. barrel length, chrono to muzzle distance, etc). I tested mine at 15' with a Caldwell Chrono.

Load:
Hornardy 168gr BTHP
Win brass nato stamp
Primer CCI 34
CBTO 2.220"
COAL ~2.825"
IMR 4064 40.5gr
Velocity 2606fps (20rd average)

FWIW; here's my Mk316 clone data:
Sierra 175gr BTHP
Win brass nato stamp
Primer CCI 200
CBTO 2.225"
COAL ~2.810"
IMR 4064 41.0gr
Velocity 2626fps (10rd average)

Test Rifle:
M1A with USGI NOA NM heavy barrel

Interestingly, I have another M1A with commercial (probably Wilson) NM barrel that shoots these loads about 50fps slower.

 

[highlandfarmer]

I like 4895 and 3031 exclusively for the M14 - I have downloaded a favorite using 3031 w/ match projectiles 168 gr or 175 gr. love them.

 

[cockednlocked]

41.5 IMR4895

Same here, and H4895 gives the same result. I use LC brass, WLR primer H4895 @ 41.5 grains and Sierra Match King 168 grain. I set the C.O.L. 0.020 off the lands and get pretty good accuracy for as far as I've shot my rifle (SA Loaded version). Recent 600 yard shots, that is an 8" gong next to the plate:

 

[MAUSER88]

I was told many years ago the Factory dulpication load was 43.4 gr od IMR4064, 2.79 OAL with Federal 210M primers. Appx. 2200 fps.

 

[Bob4064]

Does anyone care to share their recipe for a Federal Gold Metal Match clone load. I use LC Brass, #34 primer, 40.8gr Ramshot Tac, 168gr SMK, COAL 2.785. Works great, about 2700fps. Good for about .50 MOA-1.25 MOA at 100 yards. Rifle dependent of course, this is for informational purposes only use at your own risk. L8899

Don't know how this would work in your rifles, but 39.5 gr. of 4895, 168 SMK, in LC brass, shoots great in my rifles. Its accurate, runs the gun just fine, and doesn't beat the the gun up.

 

[Bcrichct]

I was told many years ago the Factory dulpication load was 43.4 gr od IMR4064, 2.79 OAL with Federal 210M primers. Appx. 2200 fps.

that velocity sounds too slow for 43.4g unless it’s out of a really short barrel ?!?!

 

[charlie98]

I'll also add a caveat for those of you who use TAC... TAC does NOT like a Magnum primer. I had read that it didn't on another forum, but decided to try it myself. I loaded 2 test loads for 2 rifles... first, a load for my .30-06 Garand, and then a .308 load for my Savage bolt gun... the only difference being a #34 primer, or a CCI #200 primer. Not only did the SD numbers jump significantly with the #34 primer, but the accuracy suffered as well... and this was for 2 completely different rifles. YMMV.

 

[Reaper6]

I was told many years ago the Factory dulpication load was 43.4 gr od IMR4064, 2.79 OAL with Federal 210M primers. Appx. 2200 fps.

I would stay away from this^^^ 43.4gr of 4064 would be hot for a M14. That's the max load in Sierra's reloading manual 5th edition and they rate it at 2700fps. Should be ok in a bolt gun, but I wouldn't run it in my M14s. I'm getting 2600fps in my M14 with 40.5gr at 15' from from the muzzle.

 

[fastdadio]

Don't know how this would work in your rifles, but 39.5 gr. of 4895, 168 SMK, in LC brass, shoots great in my rifles. Its accurate, runs the gun just fine, and doesn't beat the the gun up.

I use this exact data in my Garand, 30-06. Working up light loads with H4895, 39grs is where the vertical stringing ended, and I went up .5 from there. Very pleasant to shoot in both Garand and the bolt gun. Works well with my 170gr cast boolits also.

 

[RAMMAC]

I would stay away from this^^^ 43.4gr of 4064 would be hot for a M14. That's the max load in Sierra's reloading manual 5th edition and they rate it at 2700fps. Should be ok in a bolt gun, but I wouldn't run it in my M14s. I'm getting 2600fps in my M14 with 40.5gr at 15' from from the muzzle.

I disagree with your post.

Are you sure that they show 43.4gr to be the max? I've got the Sierra Edition VI and they show 44.3gr as the max producing about 2700 FPS from a 24" barrel. Your velocities don't seem to match what any manual shows out of your M14 (M1A?) rifles. I've tried the same powder charge (40.5gr of IMR 4064) under 168gr SMKs and I got an average muzzle velocity of 2450 FPS, that's pretty close to what the Sierra manual predicts for a 24 inch barrel and it's pretty close to what the Hornady 11th Edition manual predicts. I don't know what components you are using but your data seems to show a muzzle velocity of around 150 FPS faster than any of my testing or reloading manuals have shown.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend more than 41.6gr of IMR 4064 under a 168gr bullet simply because that is the max that Hornady shows in their Service Rifle section (in which they tested their loads using an M1A rifle).