1962 Lake City Match 30-06

[Bulletguide]

I found some of these in a box I had not opened for some time. I thought it might be interesting to dissect one round and see what it's made of. I know it should be a 175gn or so boat tail
bullet, not sure of the powder but probably 4064 or 4895. So, I took some measurements and here's what I found. Probably boring stuff to most normal people but I find it kind
of interesting. Maybe one or two of you will as well. Though it's hardly a mystery, here's what this one had inside.

The 1962 Lake City Match round. Not National Match, I'd be interested in seeing the headstamp for that year if a National Match round was provided for Camp Perry etc. I don't really know
how that decision was made, probably someone here does. I do have other rounds, not 30-06, that are stamped NM, some .45 ACP from 1967 for example. I know that came from Camp Perry
for sure. This round may or may not have been a Camp Perry round. There is mention of these being used by snipers with some popularity.
Full round. 3.323 OAL



The pulled bullet looks like you'd expect, no cannelure and weighs 175.7 gns.

The charge weight is 48.4gns. I'm not sure of the powder type.
Here it is in the pan- it appears to be stick type with a hollow center. 4064 or 4895?

[Bulletguide]

Here's a match up with 4064 outside the pan, close but not exact...

[Phil McGrath]

Lake City Caliber .30 Match M72 ammo used a 173grn +/- bullet.... But, like any Gov't entity there were up and downs... Take another look the powder it's smaller that 4064, NM/Match ammo made on Gov't machinery was loaded with a 4895 like powder. If you hand load you know that the longer 4064 is a pain too meter thru the powder measure it flows like Lincoln Logs lots of grain cutting and powder bridging. Can you imagine trying too load a few million rounds that's why they used a smaller stick so it could flow in the machines and they could crank out ammo.


Back in the day NM shooting was heavily subsidized. The cost of ammo was included with your Match fee and was issued on the line as well as sold too clubs and its members. The ammo pictured is stamped Match and was more than likely first sold too a club and its club member bought it for use for the local level, smaller Leg or Divisional/Interservice Matches. The very best ammo was loaded in NM head stamped case and was for use at the National Matches at Camp Perry. With that said that doesn't mean that there were not very good lots of Match ammo, they may have been good but not as good as the best NM ammo lot.

This was passed on too me by Ray Meketa.

[Bulletguide]

Thanks for the info Phil. That's why I mentioned that 4064 was not exactly like the powder from the round I pulled down. I ran out of time posting photos yesterday, here's the one
that shows both 4064 and 4895, which seems like more of a match for Lake City powder. The NM marked rounds I have did come from Camp Perry so I would imagine that what was used
in official matches there was pretty much all stamped NM. There are too many Match stamped brass cases floating around to be all from Camp Perry. I'm sure they varied the charge weights
from time to time, as they did at the Camp Perry matches. Hatcher's book has many of the earlier NM loads listed.
Here's both 4064 on the left, the Match powder and 4895 on the right.