M1 Garand Ammo?

[sabot_round]

Do that and you won't have your M1 Garand long. The Garand isn't designed for the newer powders, and you'll either bend or break your op-rod. Same thing applies for heavier bullet weights. The rifle is designed to shoot 150gr to 165gr loadings with military ball powder.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
This!! Do not exceed velocities of 2700 fps.

 

[1911user]

I don't quite understand when they say the powder burns to Hot. I think they meant too fast. a fast burner like IMR 3031 burns too fast and builds pressure fast which bends the op rod.

Just the opposite, it's the slow rifle powders (along with heavy bullets) that are the problem. The op rod doesn't see pressure until the bullet has almost exited the barrel. The gas port is at the end of the barrel unlike more current designs.

You might check, but I recall the 150gr federal American Eagle 30-06 ammo was ok for a Garand.

30 M2 Ball military ammo is/was loaded to a lower peak pressure than many commercial 30-06 offerings.

An adjustable, vented gas plug is the easy solution to using a wide range of factory 30-06 loads. It's like the gas adjustment on an FN-FAL.

 

[Shriner]

M1 Garand perfured powders Imr 4895,4064,H 4895 or any powders between Imr 4065 and 4895 . Perfured bullets 147 to 168 ,or up to 180 based on the CMP link to a M1 garand info site.

 

[cowadle]

Hey thanks, read the reviews on midway about the plug. Have you used one on a garand, and if so did it help?

thanks
spamby

all you have to do is1.decide on the ammo of choice. then 2.adjust the plug to vent all of the gas. 3 single load one shell at a time while you sight in your rifle. 4. after every shot adjust the plug closed a little bit until the action lock back. you are good to go with that ammo. if you change to a different ammo you will need to sight in again anyway so repeat. keep a log of the different ammo and plug settings and you can return anytime.

 

[spamby]

Hey I just want to say thanks to everyone for the great advise. Hopefully soon I can get back to enjoying my M1 Garand. I'm going to order the gas plug, and start shooting my Garand.

all you have to do is1.decide on the ammo of choice. then 2.adjust the plug to vent all of the gas. 3 single load one shell at a time while you sight in your rifle. 4. after every shot adjust the plug closed a little bit until the action lock back. you are good to go with that ammo. if you change to a different ammo you will need to sight in again anyway so repeat. keep a log of the different ammo and plug settings and you can return anytime.

 

[Buzzdraw]

I've fired 1000's of reloaded rounds from a .30-06 Garand without problems. Here are my "golden" rules:

• Shoot only jacketed bullets in a Garand. Bullets between 150-168 gr work best. Bullets as light as 130 gr will work in a pinch.
• Avoid Cast Lead bullets in the Garand; they will gum up the gas system quickly.
• Powders such as 4895, 4064 and 3031 are best. Ball C(2) will work as will 748. These ball powders will exhibit deteriorating accuracy over a match, due to barrel fouling, I suppose. Of the above, for shorter distance shooting, a reduced charge of 4064 is my choice. I prefer 4895 for longer distance.
• The Garand action has a floating firing pin, like many military rifle designs. The use of soft primers, such as standard Federal Large Rifle can be dangerous due to the possibility of the rifle discharging out of battery.

 

[1911user]

The Garand action has a floating firing pin, like many military rifle designs. The use of soft primers, such as standard Federal Large Rifle can be dangerous due to the possibility of the rifle discharging out of battery.

A very good point and one well worth repeating.

 

[cowadle]

[*]The Garand action has a floating firing pin, like many military rifle designs. The use of soft primers, such as standard Federal Large Rifle can be dangerous due to the possibility of the rifle discharging out of battery.
[/LIST][/QUOTE]

very good point. you should field strip her first and make sure the firing pin is free. you shouldn't have any problems with slamfire when loading from a clip but if you are single loading a round make sure you only let the bolt fall from half way.this way your bolt does not have enough inertia to activate the primer.

 

[MBB]

Anyone used the McCann gas system? It ports excess pressure like the Schuster, but comes with 5 screws and therefore only has five settings. If you change loads a lot, it seems like the McCann system might be easier to manipulate if you remember which screw when with which load. The Schuster has two screws in parallel that seem to require more care in adjusting. However, the Schuster has many more settings and allows for better fine tuning of your ammo/rifle combo.

I haven't used either system, but would like to hear of any OSA member's experiences.

(I don't mean to hijack and I don't think this is hijacking, as I'm asking a more detailed question that the replies to the OP have lead to.)

 

[Bobrob]

The Garand design was designed to prevent "early ignition", or "out of battery" events. The firing pin while floating, has an "L" shaped "heel" that must pass through a notch in the receiver web, before it can move forward far enough to strike the primer. Additionally the hammer has a "spur: on the face that must align with a notch in the rear of the bolt, before it can contact the firing pin. That's how the system was designed. Now add in wear (some are 70 years old)
and or "modifications" by well meaning, yet uninformed ex-owners, combined with a high primer, and you may suffer an "out of Battery" event.

Over on the CMP board, some of the "greybeards" recommend loading up a primed case, and holding the oprod back out of battery and trying to fire the primer. Move the oprod closer toward full lock(battery) until you determine at what point the actual ignition will occur. If you find the primer can be fired at anything less than 99% of the bolts rotation, consider the rifle unsafe to fire.

Slamfire on the other hand is more like doubling, Hammer/sear enguagement is too light or excessive wear, where the hammer falls immediately after lockup. When this happens the whole clip or the remainder may be dumped.(fired) I don't think this condition is caused by primer brand.

My definition of "slamfire" usually doesn't do further damage to the rifle, although it is dangerous.( muzzle always pointed in a safe direction)

Out of battery fire on the other hand is the stuff nightmares are made of.(did I mention eye protection, yes ALWAYS)

Best regards and enjoy. The M1 Garand is high up on the list of lifes simple pleasures.