For the 165 grain bullet, I've found Reloader 15 powder to give great accuracy with high velocity. For milder target loads I've used a lot of IMR-4064 with 165 and 168 grain bullets. I like IMR-4895 with the M1A because it was designed around this powder. Federal brass is extremely soft so only use it with very mild target loads, if you want to load them more than once. I will sometimes use Federal brass for heavier loads if I'm going to shoot them and let them lay. Even then I seldom use Federal Brass for this purpose. The stuff is so stinking soft I once had to use a hunk of 2x4 to hammer open my bolt WITH FACTORY LOADS! This pretty well scared me away from the stuff. I've noticed that even Federal factory loads often appear to have flattened primers. The primers aren't actually flat, the brass is so soft it is flowing to the edge of the primers making them look that way. I don't think Federal wants people to reload, or they would make better brass. Loads that are OK with Remington, Winchester, and military brass are often too warm with Federal brass, but only because of its softness. I use military brass for 7.62 NATO level loads in my M1A. For .308 level loads I usually use Remington or Winchester brass, with Lapua brass saved for special purposes (my most accurate rifles with the most accurate loads). By the way, there IS a difference between .308 Winchester and 7.62 NATO ammunition. Go here to see: 7.62x51mm NATO or 308 Winchester? What's the Difference?