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M1A1 Bolt failure,Blew apart

51stLRRPS

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Anyone have a failure like this in an M1A1 308/7.62 , had it three months
 

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This is what I would do.
Collect case fragments.
Check to see if there are any barrel obstructions.
***Take pictures of everything, this includes the ammo box including lot numbers, and record of purchase credit-card log or recipt ***
Call ammo manufacturer and SA customer service.

I had an issue with an ammo manufacturer and I had to send the remaining ammo and box and received reimbursement.

I want to say it looks like detonation, but there should be more here that have a better idea.
 
Anyone have a failure like this in an M1A1 308/7.62 , had it three months
Wow. As mentioned by @Classified take a ton of pictures and document everything, contact Springfield Armory and talk to them, obviously they will want everything back to investigate the cause.
There could have been a barrel obstruction but you should see some barrel expansion, I’m thinking a very hot load or detonation combined with the bolt not being closed in full battery.
How many rounds through the gun?
 
308 Winchester 150 hollowpoint
That's insane am I glad to hear nobody got hurt!

Are you referring to .308 Winchester as the designated round size or were you using store bought .308 Winchester branded ammo, a different brand or a reload?

Was there any bulges in the barrel after the catastrophic failure and If so how far up the barrel past the chamber?

Did you notice the round that was fired just before the the round that caused the failure being weak or possibly failed to eject after firing? Have you checked the barrel for obstructions since this happened?
 
last three rounds out of box. discarded the box after loading the last three in my five round clip. it exploded down thru the mag well . Blew the bottom portion of the bolt thru the magazine. Store bought ammo. I had fired about 20 rounds thru Remington and the last was Winchester. All i found was the head of the cartridge stuck to the bolt and nothing left of the case.
 
last three rounds out of box. discarded the box after loading the last three in my five round clip. it exploded down thru the mag well . Blew the bottom portion of the bolt thru the magazine. Store bought ammo. I had fired about 20 rounds thru Remington and the last was Winchester. All i found was the head of the cartridge stuck to the bolt and nothing left of the case.
I wonder if it was a case head separation issue?
 
Based on the design features that both the M1 Garand and M14/M1A share they are made to operate safely within a narrow & specific cartridge pressure. Because these designs are labeled as 30/06 or .308/7.62x51 doesn't mean one can shoot any loading in both cartridges.

These are older (70-90+ year old) designs with their idiosyncracies, and users/shooters need to know what they can & cannot handle. More modern designs with either adjustable or self-regulating operating systems are much more forgiving on what they can use.

While these rifles are classic designs new owners of these rifles need to realize that the rifles have specific operating requirements.

My .02
 
Based on the design features that both the M1 Garand and M14/M1A share they are made to operate safely within a narrow & specific cartridge pressure. Because these designs are labeled as 30/06 or .308/7.62x51 doesn't mean one can shoot any loading in both cartridges.

These are older (70-90+ year old) designs with their idiosyncracies, and users/shooters need to know what they can & cannot handle. More modern designs with either adjustable or self-regulating operating systems are much more forgiving on what they can use.

While these rifles are classic designs new owners of these rifles need to realize that the rifles have specific operating requirements.

My .02
I know my M14 I bought from James River Armory (Bula Defense Systems forged receiver and sold through Classic firearms), specifically stated in the user manual Not to use 308 ammunition and ONLY use 7.62x51 (maybe even a specific loading ?).
However, I can't recall if that restriction also was highlighted in the manual for the SA M1a NM I also own.
 
Based on the design features that both the M1 Garand and M14/M1A share they are made to operate safely within a narrow & specific cartridge pressure. Because these designs are labeled as 30/06 or .308/7.62x51 doesn't mean one can shoot any loading in both cartridges.

These are older (70-90+ year old) designs with their idiosyncracies, and users/shooters need to know what they can & cannot handle. More modern designs with either adjustable or self-regulating operating systems are much more forgiving on what they can use.

While these rifles are classic designs new owners of these rifles need to realize that the rifles have specific operating requirements.

My .02
A commercial .308 Winchester round exceeds the maximum rated pressure for the 7.62×51 ammo. If this is the case, avoid putting full-power .308 Win rounds into military rifles designed for a maximum pressure of 50,000 psi. This text is originally from HuntingHeart.com, you can read more here: https://huntingheart.com/can-you-shoot-a-7-62-x-51-ammo-in-a-308-rifle/

 
I learn something new every day. If that's the case the manual should have a red outlined box with bold print warning the user not to load .308 ammo in these rifles. I never knew there was that much difference.
Secrets in ammo specs are bad, mmmkay?
 
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