Federal GMM components?

[rifleman1]

Would anyone know what powder and primer that federal uses in their Gold Medal Match 168 grain ammo. My rifle absolutely shoots one hole with it, but I am a reloader and cant see paying $25-30 dollars per twenty rounds. Any input is very much appreciated.
thanks
rifleman1

 

[westerngrizzly]

I would assume federal primers!!
And the load is 43.5 grains of IMR 4064. Load up and be safe.

 

[markm87]

Yeah.... I'd have to assume the primer is Fed 210m.

 

[bozo699]

I would assume federal primers!!
And the load is 43.5 grains of IMR 4064. Load up and be safe.

Large Ammunition companies don't use powders we the public can buy over the counter, it may in fact be DuPont powder and it may in fact be very similar to 4064 but it won't say 4064 on the canister, I can almost guarantee if you pull the 168 grain SMK out and pour the powder out and put 43.5 grains of your IMR 4064 in and reseat the SMK it won't chronograph the same.
Wayne.

 

[JaxCatm]

It is fairly easy to duplicate the results. I load Nosler custom brass with a federal 210 primer, 43.0 grns of Reloader-15, 175 grain SMK and the seating depth well I just take a fed GMM round and use that to set up my seating die.

 

[KevinThomas]

Rifleman1,

Bozo699 nailed it already; they don't use a particular load, but actually have a number of powders that they can use to assemble this load. So long as the loads meet spec for chamber pressure, velocity, accuracy, port pressure (in some loadings), they will use it. As he mentioned, many of these will be non-cannister grades of powder that you can't buy on the commercial market.

As far as loads for this combination go, take your pick. Varget, RL-15, 4895, IMR4064 have already been mentioned, and they're all fine choices. Any one of these will deliver this sort of accuracy, with just a little care in assembling the ammo.

 

[DanSavage]

Rifleman1, My rifle also loves this ammo, and the past week I have been trying to duplicate it myself. I have done a bit of research and found a guy who measured a lot of these rounds OAL at 2.803 being right in the middle +or- 003. I went through a new box of sierra 168 's and measured the length of all of them and found that they measred 1.191 to 1.197. I took a bullet that measured 1.194 seated into a dummy round to 2.803 OAL. So I figured I had the seating depth very close. I glanced over to the other side of my bench and I noticed there was one of the old boxes of FGMM sitting there so I thought I'd look on the back of it to get the velocity, and low and behold there was 3 rounds left. To verify my seating depth I ran all 3 rounds up in the seating die and it was adjusted just right. I know it would be real simple with a orgive measuring tool but I don't have one yet. So then I pulled a bullet from a live FGMM and this is what I discovered, it is a compressed load and I am not 100% sure that it is IMR 4064 but it looks identical and is for sure a case filling load. Next I measured the powder on my Lee scale and it weighed 42.8 grains. I don't remember 42.8 grain's 4064 filling the case that much before but I will investigate.

Now for the most surprising discovery, I deprimed the live primer and it isn;t a 210m primer. 210m primers are bright orange or red and lime yellow color, but this primer only had the lime yellow color and it looked similar to a CCI but I know it isn't. I did read once about FGMM using a gold primer that wasn't available to reloaders, but that figures! I don't have enough IMR 4064 left for testing, so I am trying things with varget and the 210m primer for now.

Best luck, Dan

 

[Taildrag15X]

The "Older" Red Box Federal Match was marked right on the case (500) box as 2.810 OAL, I never measured them, just knew they fit my mags. and fed the M1A. I did, as well as most every High Power Competitors at the time (early 80's) tried to copy the load do to expense, with most all of us using Dupont IMR-4064 and what ever primer and brass didn't give you any problems.

My load from th old M1A log book shows: 42.4grs. Dupont IMR-4064 (in a metal can), Win. primers, Fed. or RP (Rem) case, Sierra 168gr BTHP loaded to 2.835, 2,640 fps.