Extraction issues with 7.62

[SevenSixTwo]

Can anyone shed any (new) light on extraction issues with 7.62mm (sorry, .308) straight pull ARs?

I'm about to go for one but I'm picking up that a few people have had trouble. Is it a prevalent problem still?

[John MH]

Some do have problems some don't, it's mostly up to the ammunition you use. Lots of ammo shoots and extracts ok but some milsurp is hot, high pressure and uses thick brass which all effect the cartridge expansion and contraction. Lots of people have recently invested in LMT .308 Straight Pulls and love them so you may be alright as I've not heard anyone complain or moan about hard extractions with everything they have shot through them.

[SevenSixTwo]

Lots of people have recently invested in LMT .308 Straight Pulls and love them...

That's a relief! Anyone on here? I'd love to soak up some range reports.

I've asked LMT to provide some stats (I'm assuming they test them in straight-pull?) which hopefully won't be commercially sensitive.

Thanks. :)

[Andy632]

With my straight pull (M14), Most surplus 7.62 is OK as is commercial .308, RG basic Ball is OK, some of the RG155 can sometimes be a bit tight and the MEN is always tight/hard extraction.
Reloading solves the issues.

[SevenSixTwo]

Thanks. I intend to run her with surplus 7.62 / Ball. Mil spec anyway. Any suggestions for decent suppliers in the UK?

[Andy632]

One of the issues these days is the cost of milsurp if you can find it; most now costs more than reloads. My reloads come in under £40/100 and there's not much milsurp around at that price.
My particular killer is the carriage charges to the Highlands, which means those of us using milsurp need to join forces and make Bulk purchases to get it at a sensible price.

[SevenSixTwo]

Cost isn't much of an issue - for now. Reliability/availability is the main factor though. Any decent links to suppliers?

You see, I'm at "that point" in the decision process; do I go with the all-singing, all-dancing LM308MSW or just go with an LMT in 5.56 with cheaper ammunition... but much less accuracy at range. I fully intend to get into long range competition shooting at some stage so I suspect the 5.56 will be a waste in the long run. Getting a feel for the state of ammo availability is something I'm trying to do in order to settle my decision. :)

[Sim G]

A guy in our club got one of the first Imbel FAL straight pulls and bought RG ammo as it was plentiful then and he didn't reload. He had untold issues with hard primary extraction. He took up reloading to cure that and it did.....

[Andy632]

A guy in our club got one of the first Imbel FAL straight pulls and bought RG ammo as it was plentiful then and he didn't reload. He had untold issues with hard primary extraction. He took up reloading to cure that and it did.....

Yet, there's a certain young lady in the north east of Scotland whose FAL works very well with RG155, though she does have an extended cocking handle fitted.

[huntervixen]

I know it's a different beast, but GGG NATO ball works without fault in my L1A1.

Outstanding ammo!