reloading for Browning 1919A4

[bobbyfairbanks]

so I got a 1919 and reloaded a lot of ammo for it and realized that the case over length was not long enough. I shot it out of a different gun so no worries on that one. What I need help with is what type and where to buy bullets to load for my 1919. I am thinking I am going to need surplus bullets.

Any help out there or suggestions from 1919 owners would be great

[gcrookston]

They were originally designed for the M1906 Ball, which is a 150 gr., 7.82mm fmj spritzer.

Hornady's H3037 would / should be a good substitute.

The Greek stuff that's been coming out of the CMP is fairly reasonably priced. 30.06 and 8mm surplus military is getting harder/more expensive as no new is being produced.

[cwripinz]

Sounds like you are shooting 30-06. Might be time to get an A6 conversion and move over to .308 NATO. Prices seem to be a whole lot better and they are still building it for all of those M60's.

[bobbyfairbanks]

I am shooting it in .308. The nato spec ammo though is the only stuff that runs through it. Thats why I am looking for help from reloaders as to what bullet and from whom I should buy.

[ldmaster]

Reloading for an open bolt gun is trickier than for the typical closed bolt.

The web of the casing is an important item. The web is the area just above the extractor groove. in typical commercial .308 this web area is not as beefy as in the 762 spec. Because open bolt weapons MAY fire slightly out of battery, the thicker NATO spec web is essential to help keep head separation at a minimum.

This is also the reason that you might reload a pet load in a .308 commercial case, then load the same thing in a NATO spec case and get entirely different pressures, the internal cavity is smaller and the pressures CAN be higher. So never ever mix/match NATO casings with commercial 308. One of the reasons the military spec is specific about achieving a certain velocity WITHOUT exceeding pressure spec, you'll find that a typical military round has pressures that are invariably 10 to 20 percent lower than a commercial loading.

I know I'm sounding like an old granny here, but you need to get a large amount of brass from ONE manufacturer made on ONE date, then work up the load. I would not mix/match for my open bolt 1919 as robust as they are, it's too expensive a mistake.