I did not purchase this rifle direct from the CMP. I did, however, buy it from the person who did buy it from the CMP. I was informed that it was listed as a "Service Grade" rifle.Very nice! Did you get that one direct from CMP? What grade is it? My son and I are excitedly waiting for a rack grade order to be filled right now.
Ouch!! It hurts seeing an M1 got KB. Yeah, I'd stay away from Turkish ammo especially in a gas gun. I recall how the 8mm Turkish ammo is hotter than any surplus 8mm available back then. I think the poor storage environment caused the powder to break down thus increasing its burn rate resulting in higher chamber pressure.So, broke out the M1 to share with a bunch of Scouts and Scout Leaders this past weekend. First person up runs a clip through with no issues. No other immediate takers, so the first person starts in on another clip. He gets to the 7th round (15th overall), and he feels the stock push out against his trigger hand and then a sharp pain. He thinks his finger is broken. All that happened is that his hand got pinched between the broken stock.
Broken stock you wonder. How does an M1 stock break while firing? Well, you live and learn ... we all lived (only casualty was the rifle) and learned that Turkish surplus is some bad juju (MKE headstamp).
Working with the CMP to get the rifle repaired. Here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
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The culprit.
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Only found 13 of the 14 cartridges that were fired before the split case. Here's what they look like.
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Anybody know if I can pull the bullets on the remaining cartridges add some new powder and have safe rounds to shoot?
Part of the design. There is a vent cut into the bottom of the chamber that directs gasses down if the case fails.Wow i never knew the m1 would send the pressure into the stock. I'm glad no one got hurt and it sucks you'll have to get a new stock but it's impressive the systems they build in that you never really see.
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On with the testing i ended chrongraphing{ Lab radar chrono} the 51.5 gr loads and they were hot 2900 plus ft, dropped down to 49.5 gr and was right 2690, so yes you add the sealant and those loads would have been to hot for a garand. The mke 78 all passed the chamber gauge but it still was pretty hot out a mauser with a 30 06 barrel. average was 2930. Thee bullets are 151 gr and they are great for reloading with, i have used them in the past and will buy them any time i see them for sale. The brass is good for reloads but i still prefer lake city brass over others for semi autos.Update on the MKE ammo.
The fellow who I traded it away to finally got around to pulling it apart the MKE 65 ammo. He reports that the powder was fine and all weighed in at 51.5 gr. +/- 0.2. gr., the bullet sealant was broken down extensively, but the most damning item he found was that around 20 percent of the cases would not seat in a case gauge. Apparently the cases weren’t sized all the way to the base and protruded out of the gauge. Most around 1/32”, but some at almost 1/8”.
His conclusion is that the round that did in my rifle didn't get into full battery when fired. Given what the kaboom case looks like, I'm inclined to agree with this conclusion
He did resize some of the cases that didn't pass the case test, then reloaded using the same powder and charge and the same bullets and they fired fine out of his old 100 dollar beater Garand.
So there you have it … if you have any MKE ammo, I strongly suggest that you drop it into a case gauge before firing it. Pull apart any that don’t pass and resize the case before reassembling and shooting.
This might just be some good advice for any surplus ammo.
Honestly I'd shoot it out of a 1917, don't throw it out, just need to inspect rounds before shooting.Damn
Alot of guys won't use Turk ammo in semi autos. I would throw the rest of that ammo in the trash.