1st 1903 Acquisition

[togor]

Chuck nailed it...

Case head failure in the SHT action is what you want to avoid. Modern factory ammo (no reloads) is your best bet.

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[1903Collector]

Chuck nailed it...

Case head failure in the SHT action is what you want to avoid. Modern factory ammo (no reloads) is your best bet.

You mean only factory "M2 spec ammo", right?
I might add that reloading done with M2 case and M2 spec powder and weight is not an issue, but I would only trust reloads I did myself. Vintage M2 ball ammo is fine as well, but may not be 100% reliable, as misfires are not uncommon.

Modern .30-06 ammo that is not loaded to M2 specs dramatically increases risk to failure to '03 and M1 Garands. Even the ammo for an M14 or M1A should be 7.62 NATO and not modern .308 Win. All 7.62 NATO ammo is rated for a lower max pressure than.308 Winchester. The 7.62 NATO pressure profile is about 60,000 PSI, and .308 Win is 62,000. It’s not much of a difference, but it’s a difference, and in the wrong direction! The 7.62 NATO round has thicker case walls than the.308 Win round, though it’s not visible to the human eye.

I am uncertain whether there is a difference between M2 ball and modern .03-06 case dims.