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I love my M1A National Match Model. I put an SA rangefinding 308 compensated scope on it and it's just wickedly accurate with handloads. Anything out to 500 yards or so is toast with that rifle.

I've been using the Sierra 168 gr Match Kings, but I bought a box of those 'environmentally friendly' copper solids from barnes. Same bullet weight and design, so I'm expecting good results from it. I'm trying to find a range that has something longer than 500 yards but there aren't many of those in Illinois.

I'm going to try to hit the range in the next week or so. I'll let you know how the preliminary loads work.

The only problem with the Barnes bullet is their cost. The Match King is like 20 bucks a hundred but the Barnes are 60 bucks.

Oh well, if they hit as hard as they claim they'll be worth it when deer season opens next month.

I picked up one of those Ishapore SMLE rifles in 308 and have 'sporterized' it just a bit The whole thing from soup to nuts set me back less than 300 bucks. I'm going to see if I can bag a whitetail with it. I don't even think they were ever fired. They're available on the net for about 120 bucks or so.

Now, I'm saving for a .50 cal. DPMS makes a pretty nice looking one, but any advice is appreciated. my budget for the rifle is 5 grand and under a g for the scope.

Regards,

Remember that the screw-type ejector of the British Service Model Lee Enfield upon which the Ishapore 2A and 2A1 .308 Bolt rifles were based [they're not a *pure* #1 Mk III S.M.L.E., though Ishapore previously made some fine ones] was meant to be used with the rimmed .303 cartridge, and may give much less satisfactory results with rimless .308/ 7,62 NATO cartridges, depending on which of the very many versions of .308/7,62 brass is used- The cartridge is loaded in a bewildering variety of variations in many different countries and at many different periods in the last six decades, and rim dimensions may differ. And when the British were searching for a similar conversion for their #4 Mark 1 [T] rifles converted to 7,62mm as L42A1 sniper's rifles, they went to a very different arrangement, with a seperate ejector permanently welded to the body of the magazine instead.

For additional info, check out Njaneer's Ishapore collector's info or one of the several Enfield owner/user/collector's sites. Or freepmail me.

But I far, FAR prefer the Enfields in their original chambering, not only for reliabilities sake.

-archy-/-

I have a old TRW M1A that was built up for me by a Marine Armorer in 78. It is my favorite rifle. I recently purchased a new NM from SA in their loaded version as I fell that they are an endangered species and wanted a few more lying around the country available to me if the balloon should ever go up.

All my M1A's are fed mexican match from Lake City or Federal Match 168gr commercial. I reload for hunting and IDPA competition but stick to commercial or issue for working guns.

My goal righ now is to find an brookfeild M1A scope mount. Ebay had one a few months ago but at 300$ I had to go to work and lost the bid. Every see one laying around scream at me ! Alledgedly Smith Inc has the mount closest in make to the Brookfield version but I haven't tried it yet.

The early SA scopes (1987-88 timeframe) were actually made by Burris and used their RAC technology. Who makes these for SA these days ??

Stay Safe and reload safer !