Off the shelf Ammo. ?

[APR]

Will Commercial load (off the shelf ) 308 Winchester over work the action on my DPMS  upper ? Is the burn rate on the powder too slow for the semi auto action ? Would the the commercial ammo cause the bolt to cycle back too hard ?  

[Matt.Cross]

Will Commercial load (off the shelf ) 308 Winchester over work the action on my DPMS  upper ? Is the burn rate on the powder too slow for the semi auto action ? Would the the commercial ammo cause the bolt to cycle back too hard ?  

 

The answer to all of those questions is a definite and emphatic NO. You should be far more wary of shooting handloads through your 308 AR than off-the-shelf ammo.

[APR]

Matt , Thank you for the quick reply .       I asked this question , because I don't know what powder they are using in the commercial ammo .  Some powder is great in 308 , and 3006 bolt action rifles but not in auto loaders . Powder like Hodgdon H 414 is great in bolt action rifles , but not auto loaders .   

[Matt.Cross]

Matt , Thank you for the quick reply .       I asked this question , because I don't know what powder they are using in the commercial ammo .  Some powder is great in 308 , and 3006 bolt action rifles but not in auto loaders . Powder like Hodgdon H 414 is great in bolt action rifles , but not auto loaders .   

 

The typical 308 AR isn't piston driven (though a select few are), rather are Direct Impingement systems and thus aren't as adversely affected by overgassing. Semi-autos like the M1 and it's variants can be sensitive to the issues you are talking about, but the average large-frame AR probably won't be unless it's a piston-driven system. I'd venture to say that outside of shooting suppressed, off-the-shelf ammo won't be a concern with regard to a DI gas system.

[APR]

Matt , Thank you very much for all your help . I feel a lot better now , about shooting off the shelf ammo. in my new AR .