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A friend of mine just bought a lakehouse from an older gentleman (retired military) who moved back West to live near family. He left pretty much everything in the house and shop. I have a house just across from it, my friend knew I was down there and called me over to check it out.
Unbelievable amount of stuff the guy left behind, including a box full of AR-15 and M14 mags. My friend gave me all of these, the blued ones are nos never used mag shells, still wrapped in paper. I unwrapped them and wiped off the cosmoline. The rounds in the basket are all .308, all in either LC or FA Match Brass, 57 to 59. I'm guessing they're reloads because they're all soft points. Thinking I'll pull the bullets and use the brass, not that I don't trust the old gentleman and I'd love to put them through the M1A, Just always leery of unknown reloads. And I believe this is very good brass.

Nice find. Pulling the loads is appropriate. I've found estate sale reloads that, when pulled, had powder quantities which exceeded every listed powder load for the bullet weight published in several reloading manuals.

Nice find. Pulling the loads is appropriate. I've found estate sale reloads that, when pulled, had powder quantities which exceeded every listed powder load for the bullet weight published in several reloading manuals.

Yes, I learned that the hard way, split the cylinder on a .44 SBH. I don’t recall the powder right off hand that was used, it was written on the box, but when I pulled them 22 out of 49 were double charged.

That saved your face and sight at least 22 times, if NOT MORE.

Nice. But be aware that those cases were made from .30-06 brass (at least the round in the pic). Frankford Arsenal and Lake City wasn't making .308 Match brass in 1957, the National Matches were still being conducted with M1's.

Not the best pictures, this was 20yrs ago, but here's what I found in 22 out of 49 that I pulled. The others were right at 9gr. same powder.
Scary stuff, just glad it was a Ruger.

I looked through them and all of the Frankford Arsenal brass is dated 59, Wouldn't that be 7.62x51 brass ? And what is the issue with the other, Made from 30-06 brass ?

I believe there was FA headstamped 7.62 Special Match loaded from 1956 to 1958.

I believe you’re referring to T275…the International
Match rounds which are relatively rare. 7.62 Match became widely available in 1963 with the intro of XM118…so yah, those are very likely reformed 30-06. Maybe shootable but not ideal. Probably thicker and stiffer in the neck vs true M118 7.62 brass.

I’m looking at the basket pic and believe I see least a couple full length 30-06 rounds…and the others don’t look like 308 or 7.62. Hard to say from a pic…but given than the 30-06 case is the parent of a plethora of other cartridges (factory as well as wildcats), I’d be sitting down with a caliper for each one.

Looks like 1957 didn't get a dedicated mark.

max loads in older Manuals were often 2 or 3 gns higher than the newer manuals... my old Lyman #45 from the 70's being an example, i have found some great accuracy up there... havn't blown myself up yet... got to work up to it with CAUTION! tho... found overpressure signs a few times before or when reaching max...

They're all .308 rounds. I pulled 5 of them, 150gr SPFB over between 43.5 & 43.7gr of a short stick powder, 4895 maybe. The necks seem really thin, one was split. (On the left in the basket)

Glad to see there's no drama there. It was the round in the bottom right corner of the basket in the first pic that got my attention. I'll chalk that one up to edge of field distortion from the lens (and I need to recalibrate my eyeball!).

Nice score on the mags!

Yeah the mags were the real score, how many m14 mags?.mb