M2 Ball in 1903

[Mark Daiute]

I have IMR 4064 and will be loading M2 ball for my 1903 Springfield. do any of you have a favorite load?

Thank you in advance for any info you may share.

Mark

[psteinmayer]

Hi Mark... Looking forward to seeing you at Camp Perry this year!

I like to load Hornady 150 GR FMJ with 49.5 grains of the IMR 4064. Of course, I'm loading Ball cases too. I load this for my Garand (for practice only... I shoot surplus ball in competitions), but it should be accurate in the 03 also.

Best regards,
Paul

[Hefights]

Yep, 49 gr in 150 Sierra's been very very good to me. In theory you can go into the 50's. In working up loads, miy rifles showed pressure signs starting at 51 gr, YMMV. I use 150 HPBT match and Pro Hunter BT bullets, I've never shot M2 bullets in a 1903 except factory mil surplus.

[Art]

M2 ball can run anywhere from 2,750 - 2,850 fps with an 150 - 152 gr flat base spitzer. If you have access to a chronograph you can check on that. Later M1903s and M1903A3s are very strong rifles so you can load your ammo pretty hot in them. I load a little light in milsurps but 49.5 gr. of IMR 4064 should definitely be safe in an M1903. though I suspect it'll be a bit hotter than M2 Ball ammo.

[Mark Daiute]

I'm wondering if any of you have a favorite load with that head and that powder in that rifle. I'm not looking for a hot load, just the load you find most accurate. I'm trying to piggy back on the experience of others so as to cut down on time and materials in load development.

Meantime, thanks for the responses, I really appreciate them.

Best,

mark

[Hefights]

I doubt you will find too many reloading that specific M2 mil surplus bullet with that powder for the 1903, but I could be wrong. Hodgdon's data for a Nosler 150 gr in IMR 4064 goes from 47 gr starting to 51 gr maximum. Based upon my experience I would recommend that range and work up from 47 or 48gr. Most find optimal in 49 gr range for a 150 gr bullet. In that M2 bullet (I am presuming you have M2 pull downs or Privi replica bullets?), you might want to crimp, do you have a Lee FCD?

[Mark Daiute]

The M2 Ball is some I purchased from Jeff Bartlett, maybe 6 or 7 years ago (time is flying) and I have the Lee Factory Crimp Die. Soon after I started reloading I shifted over to cast and have barely touched the 1800 or so heads I have remaining from what I got from Jeff. At the time I had worked up a load with, If I remember correctly, IMR4895 which I am now out of. Have plenty of the 4064.

Best,

Mark

[BigMo]

I found very good accuracy at 46 grains but YMMV.
From memory, I stopped around the 47 mark.

Regardless I would reinforce your comment about looking for accuracy and not just loading hot.
I worked up, found good accuracy and stopped. No reason to beat you and the rifle up just to say you loaded it hot.

[Art]

I found very good accuracy at 46 grains but YMMV.
From memory, I stopped around the 47 mark.

Regardless I would reinforce your comment about looking for accuracy and not just loading hot.
I worked up, found good accuracy and stopped. No reason to beat you and the rifle up just to say you loaded it hot.

My 30-06 load(s) use 46.5 grs of IMR 4064 powder behind 168 gr. Sierra Match Kings or 165 gr. Game Kings, velocity is right at 2600 fps from my M1903A3. It's a mild and very load that shoots to the sights on my M1 and M1903s. The Hornady Handbook has a section on loading for M1 rifles and there are a lot of loads for 4064 powder in it which indicates to me that it is a very suitable powder for duplicating U.S.G.I. pressures and velocities.

I'm sure you can work up a very accurate load using IMR 4064 powder and 150 gr bullets that approximate U.S.G.I. M2 ball specs using it. Like BigMo I don't like the idea of "Magnumizing" loads for any of my milsurps but a late M1903 should handle any commercial load including the "light magnums" so you'll be fine if you decide to go a bit hotter than MilSpec.

[Sunray]

You won't be loading .30 M2 Ball with IMR4064. .30 M2 ammo use IMR4895 with a 152 grain bullet at 2800 fps.
However, IMR4064 gives more consistent accuracy than the 4895. Suggest a 150 grain fmj(doesn't really matter which one, unless you're shooting matches. Use a 150 or 168 grain match bullet for that. A Sierra or Hornady.) and work up the load for your rifle. Loads that shoot well out of my rifle(that isn't an 03) won't necessarily shoot well out of yours.

[Mark Daiute]

So far 47.5 grains shoots the smallest groups at 200 yards.

Mark

[jimb]

I load for my 03-A3 using 150 gr bullets and 4064 powder. I chrono'ed my loads for 2800 fps out of my SC. I had a standard deviation of only 10 FPS. Very accurate powder bullet combo.

[Mark Daiute]

care to share the load?

Thanks in advance,

Mark

[madsenshooter]

Your 47.5gr was the NRA standard load for 168s with GI brass Mark. I was using that this year at Camp Perry in my unlimited Garand. I had weighed and sorted the cases before loading, kept the 15 that I found were nearly the same in weight to use as my sighters and slow fire prone string. 9/15 shots were Xs and my score for the string was 97-5X!