National Match 30-06 & 30M1 cartridges for the Springfield 1903
During the post WW1 period special cartridges were manufactured for the Model 1903 rifles used in the National Matches. Having collected 30-06 variations for sometime, finding National Match cartridges are often difficult to locate.
The I & P headstamp is International & Palma match, the Remington is what I believe to be a special 300 yard loading
Information
Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.
Speaking of headstamps in general here is a handfull I just grabbed from my handy box of reloads. Most of my .30-06 ammo was inherited from my father whose brother was a gunsmith who sporterized the family 1903 and reloaded most of the ammo I have in the early 1950s. We have a lot of the SL 43 stamps.
I have a bunch or Peters 27 cases that I got from a friend. They aren't necessarily National Match, are they? He did have his father's National Match rifle, and had shot at Camp Perry.
I am just curious. I have reloaded the Peters cases and fired them.
I have heard they loaded a used 170gr flat base bullets for NM use. I don't think anyone makes that sort of bullet days but the odd box of those bullets does still turn up.
The Thomas Pencil Point match bullets were first used in the 30-40 Krag for match shooting and later developed for the 30-06 cartridge in both 150gr and 172 gr loadings. REM-UMC also loaded cartridges for match shooting with the Thomas pencil point bullets. Some pre WW1 matches were won by shooters using these Thomas bullets.
Whilst not NM 30/06 loadings here are some NM .308 (7.62mm) loadings for you to try if you wish to, once again I accept no responsibility for these loads being used.
My photo shows a very early 7,62mm National Match cartridge headstamped WCC 58 loaded with a 200 gr bullet. Because of the total length, these National Match cartridges could not be loaded into an M14 magazine as they were too long. These were used for slow fire matches being hand loaded into the chamber.
The other cartridge was called the "low recoil" M256 with 82 gr steel bullet and the M256E1 with a 90 gr steel bullet. These loadings were designed to control the M14 rifle in full auto fire
and to make these M14 rifles available to the small statured Vietnamese troops. these was even a special modified M14 stock for this program. The whole plan failed as the Vietnamese only wanted the M16 or M1 carbine
Many years ago I wrote to the NRA asking if a low recoil load information was available. Letter I got back detailed what they called a 300 meter load. Basically it's nothing more than a 125 grain Sierra bullet loaded in just about any 30-06 case and the powder charge was from 38 grains IMR 4895 to a maximum charge of 40 grains of the same powder. Somewhere in that range you'll find a sweet spot that shoots. Regular standard primers. I tried this in an 1903A3 and had no problems and excellent accuracy. Low recoil as well. Frank
The US Army loaded up a lot of 7.62mm "Duplex" for use in Viet Nam. Two bullets loaded into the 7.62mm case. Both were light weight bullets and the idea was to use them in Mini-guns out of helicopters. They ran Ok and were an interesting idea that deserved trial in RVN. After they were made they became involved in a legal issue about multiple projectiles and a violation of Rules of War. The Army destroyed the lot and that was that.
Information
PM
