Reloading for M1 Garand

60DWLb4

I am new to reloading. Is there any difference in loading for an M1 Garand, than a hunting load for a bolt action 30-06?
Thank You

charliemeyer007

The operating pressure and timing of the pressure curve is important. Loading data specifically for your rifle is highly recommended or you will be bending operating rods at the minimum.
I like the 16something boatails.

http://masterpostemple.bravepages.com/M1load.htm

http://www.loaddata.com/members/search_detail.cfm?MetallicID=2713

60DWLb4

Thank You very much.

bpost

46 grains of IMR 4895 pushing a 165 grain hunting bullet was a great load in my Garands. It is safe for the operating rod and has enough power to plant what ever you shoot with it.

For a target load seat a 168 SMK on that same load and see how she shoots.

60DWLb4

Thank You bpost. Like I said I am new, what is a SMK? Also I have have
a few hundred military FMJ rounds. I bought them 15 years ago. Does anyone know what the most common grain for this type of round is? Are there any rules against hunting with them?

charliemeyer007

Sierra Match King. What military? Are they in the grand magazine? US likely 150 or 172. Hunting big game with them is usually forbidden, small stuff like yotes or bunnies is usually ok.

11b6r

M2 Ball milsurp 30-06 had (IIRC) a 150 gr bullet. Please do NOT use FMJ for hunting. It has a tendency to drill a .30 hole thru the critter, which will die- sometime later that day a couple of miles from where you shot it.

60DWLb4

They did not come with the Garand clips. I have several from a previous military surplus order. I had heard FMJs would just punch
a hole though an animal. I have shot coyotes with it years ago. My
wife wants a semi-auto to shoot feral hogs with and her dad just gave
us a reloader. My Garand is fun, very little kick and 5 quick shots. I figured it would be a good fit for her. Just looking for the most knock down power that will not damage my rifle. Would a 150 grain FMJ go through a 250 lb hog if shot in the shoulder? She is hunting with a 257 Roberts; most of the time they squeal as they are running off. Sometimes we find them the next day. Not always, but I don't look that hard. We want something that will drop them.

60DWLb4

The only lettering on these shells are L,K,A,3 each character is equally spaced around the rim.

charliemeyer007

Only 5 rounds? Soft nose will work better, FMJ for fur bearer's. Look threw the list for head stamp. Clean weapon properly if shooting corrosive ammo.

I try and only shoot one load in my firearms once I find what it likes. Autoloader's are trickery, you need weigh reliable functioning vs. accuracy most of the time. I like everything about a M1 except packing it around. Some will shoot as accurately as you can hold them, other not so much.

http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/?page=headstampcodes

bpost

You can pull the FMJ bullet from the military ammo and seat a 150 grain hunting bullet of your choice for your hunting needs.

I know hogs are hard to kill because of the shoulder armor but I assure you a 30 cal bullet out of the Garand will get the job done. A FMJ Military ball round will go through the plate blow out the lungs and exit the other side.

If you are going to use "hunting" bullets for hogs go with a tough one like Barns or Nosler Partitions.

As long as you stick to the Garand recommended powders and bullets between 150 and 180 grains you will get flawless function and never hurt the gun. The 180 grain bullet might be just the ticket for your hogzilla issues.

Since the government loaded billions of rounds of ball ammo with IMR 4895 it is the powder I have used the most in the Garand.

60DWLb4

After looking closer at the shell it is stamped 7 K A 3 . I loaded
a clip and it will hold 8 rounds. My wife was pretty excited when she saw that. Are there any factory rounds that will make it not function properly? I have a box of Remington corelock 180 grain that I bought
years ago to elk hunt with. Is there any problems with using the brass
from the military rounds to reload for a hunting bullet? I appreciate everyone's help.

charliemeyer007

Military brass is fine. Most need to have the crimped in primer managed in some way. After you de-prime them you can deal with the crimp by: cutting it out, reaming it out or swaging it out. Match military brass usually doesn't have a crimp on the primer. Hand tools for de-priming the crimped primes work best.

Loading data for the thinner commercial cases needs to be reduced for the thicker military brass. You will likely find it necessary to full length resize the fired brass for every re-loading.

If you are going pull bullets and put in soft nose ones, seat the FMJ at least 1/10 of an inch deeper in the case first. It helps break the bond of the sealer. I like a collet puller best. Some designs have the collet loose grip as you pull, better designs increase the grip as you pull - Forster. An impact hammer type puller works but...

Factory ammo not made for your M1 specifically is hit or miss. Will one round bend or break your rifle maybe, maybe not. As the round count of inappropriate ammo increases so does the likelihood of damage to your rifle.

Ambrose

Where to start:! I would advise against using your 180 gr. Rem. factory loads in your Garand. As has been said, the pressure curve is wrong for the M1. Factory loads generally use slower burning powders for optimum velocity and that leaves the pressure too high at the gas port for the M1, hence, bent op rod.

Make sure your wife is aware of the procedure for loading the Garand. "M1 thumb" is not fun and may turn her off completely on the rifle.

Military cases can certainly be used for reloads provided they were not origionally berdan primed. And the primer crimp must be removed before a new primer can be seated.

Good luck with your "new" rifle. They are much more fun to shoot now than they were in the 1940's.

60DWLb4

Does anyone have an opinion on accuracy or knock down power between:
Barnes Tipped TXBT 165 GR
Nosler Spitzer Partition 165 GR
or is there another bullet you would recommend for hogs?
Most shots between 75-150 yds,
Once again I appreciate everyone's help.

charliemeyer007

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/110882/barnes-tipped-triple-shock-x-bullets-30-caliber-308-diameter-165-grain-spitzer-boat-tail-box-of-50

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/793524/nosler-partition-bullets-30-caliber-308-diameter-165-grain-spitzer-box-of-50

At short range BT's aren't a real advantage as they are at longer distances. I think the longer all copper XXX will properly stabilize in your rifle. One real hunting load for any firearm, but you can get trigger time with almost any load. Partial boxes of bullets at gun shoes are my favorites for working up loads. Swapping with buddies works too. When you find your load buy enough powder primers and bullets to load your brass at least 5 times. For rifles I generally start with 200 new cases at a time, pistols get 1000. Light champher and flash hole uniform/de-burr. Bolt action guns - Fire form, trim to uniform length then champher inside and out. Neck size and load. I suspect you will get better reliability if you full length your brass every time - does depend on your rifle's chamber and your dies.

RobOz

Load up some Barnes TSX in that 257 bob.

rsnyder55

You can buy an accessory that will allow you to shoot other loads as it vents the extra gas. I believe it is call an adjustable gas plug and it allow you to adjust the gas to the op rod.

I leave mine all the way open so my Garand works as a single shot. I hate chasing brass at the range.

jonk

KA stamped military ammo is Korean and corrosive. Ok to shoot, just make sure you clean properly with hot soapy water. I saved the KA for my bolt guns as they are easier to clean.

Always FL size for a semi auto.

I like 50 gr of 4064 over a 150 gr bullet in my M1s for every day shooting, or 48 gr and the HPBT of your choice for target. For hunting, just substitute a good soft point and back the load off a few grains, working up to make sure that there are no pressure signs.

Search "garand loads" and you'll find a lot of good info.

60DWLb4

Thank You Jonk. what do you mean by FL size for a semi-auto?

charliemeyer007

Generally autoloading firearms will function more reliably if you full length size the brass every time.

The rifles manual can be downloaded here and lots of other places http://southtexasshooting.org/multimedia/text/m1_manuals.html

60DWLb4

The more I read your responses and other articles on the web, I have more questions. Should I use lube when sizing the case? Is crimping beneficial? I do not have a crimping die. Should I get one?
Thanks to all for your help.

charliemeyer007

Use case lube. I like the Lee stuff in the squeeze tube. It doesn't kill primers. I use a q-tip to lightly do the inside of the case neck when FL sizing.

I like the Redding Sizing Die Wax for really heavy duty sizing like case forming of autoloader with oversize chambers. It will grease dent cases if you use too much.

Crimping is for tube magazines or bullet pull in a wheel gun.

Have you read a loading manual or 2 yet. And good book will have a complete walk threw covering what and why plus how.

60DWLb4

I have read the Lyman Reloading Manual. Its says do not get any lube on the case neck or shoulder. I was shown to use Hornady OneShot, spraying the base of the case, then flipping it and spraying the neck. The directions say lightly spray at a 45 degree angle in the neck. The army manual for the M1 says use no lube or oil on the ammunition, but it also says do not use handloads. I watched a video where a guy waxed a case by hand then scraped the excess on his finger in the neck. There is some conflicting info out there. I don't
have any experience to know what works best for me or my rifles. There
is a lot of wisdom on this forum, so I am picking your brains to try and learn what I can. Thank You for your patience.

jonk

Don't worry about getting lube on the shoulder. If it dents, you're using too much. The dent is no big deal and will iron out on firing.

You should remove the lube from your cases after sizing to keep it out of the chamber.

charliemeyer007

I apply the Lee lube to my left hand pointing and the next finger, then I use my right hand to rotate the case on the two lubed fingers using the left thumb as a spreader/scraper. You really can hardly cause dents with this stuff, you do not need to use that much.

For the sizing die wax I use a saturated cleaning patch with the same technique as above. It does not take much at all, barely detectable on the case is usually enough.

I wipe every loaded round down from the loading block with a clean rag as I do the final inspection before placing it into the storage box.