Hello Mule Deer

I read your article on the M1 Garand in the latest HandLoader with great interest. I had hoped you might have been able t o try some of the other new medium powders like IMR 4166. I realize that time and availability affect how much you can do. I am sure you know but would like to point to others who may want to reload for the their M1 that CCI makes a primer specifically for the M1 it is CCI #34. I did enjoy the article and my current load is 48 grains of H4895 with CCI 34 primers topped with either 150 Hornady SST and or Speer 150 grain soft point. Brass is Federal, Remington and Winchester. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in print and on this forum.

358win

I searched high and low until I found one within 100,000 of the serial number my dad carried in the Battle of the Bulge. She was a safe queen, all correct, and gets taken out, rain or shine, each Veteran's Day for her annual deer hunt. She will shoot inch and a half groups at 100 yards with Sierra 168's and 47 grains of 4064.

Can't wait to read his article.

I load 47 grains oh H 4895. They are fun to shoot. Mine’s an H&R

The only one I have left is one of the last made by H&R in the late 50s. I haven't loaded for it yet as I picked up quite a batch of British M1 surplus ammo for it. I did put an adjustable gas cylinder on it to attenuate the pressures somewhat, when using M2 ball I have to decrease the chamber area one click from the M1 ball setting for reliable cycling. One click up and factory 150 gr ammo works well. I don't shoot the latter much, just once to see if the settings would take into account the factory pressures.

I plan to take a deer with mine this year
Will shoot Speer 150 sp, over 4895
Can't wait!

My Garand is a 'plan B' option rifle.

In respect to the OP rod I have used the Garand Gear gas plug for maybe ten years.

http://www.garandgear.com/ported-gas-plug.html

This allows me to use normal commercial hunting cartridges with 180 grain bullets.
Mine is a CMP HRA, (2011?) looks new and shoots very well.
Good hunting.

358win,

Sorry I couldn't include every medium-rate powder in the tests, but as pointed out during my discussion of Vihatvouri N150, the pressure curve of double-based powders (especially newer ones) can be VERY different than the single-based IMR4895 the Garand was designed around. This can result in different pressures on the operating rod, even though the powder APPEARS to be about the same burn-rate as IMR4895. And IMR4166 is a new double-based powder, without much info on how it might affect Garands. If you want to experiment with IMR4166, feel free, but I was not about to risk damaging the op-rod on my friend's rifle by freelancing in that direction.

For those who haven't read the article, aftermarket gas-ports were explained and discussed. But the article was about loading for original Garands without them.

JB, I’m looking forward to seeing the article as I have several Garands I bought from CMP. I haven’t gotten my copy yet so I’ll be waiting.

Thanks. You might be disappointed that I didn't put a scope on it, to compensate for my aging eyes.

You get a pass for a Garand😊. That’s how I have to shoot mine too.

I, too, needed a scope for my Garand. So, I bought an M1A. Close enough and much easier to put a scope on.

Dammit! Yet another reason to visit the bookstore/news stand. Having owned four M1's in my life and swearing after disposing of each one that it was the last one, I feel the urge coming over me again. I swear I'll keep this one...

Just curious, but what characteristic was it that made you sell them?

I've had several, also, but the one that started it all is still here, I just thought it'd be neat to have two or three, then decided that one was enough....

Nothing so much as the old adage "I can't own them all, but I can own them all one at a time", causing an horrific turnover in guns over the last 40-50 years. Now I'm to the point of recognizing the stars of my previous lives and wanting to re-acquire some of them again.

It’s hard not to keep buying rifles, I like them.

I have suffered the same affliction, more so with handguns, though.

I have to quit buying .243s, it seems every one of them ends up as a highly accessorized .308 Winchester...

Mule Deer and others thank you for sharing pictures and thoughts on the M1. I did not realize that 4166 was a double base powder so I will stay with 4895.

My M1 is a Springfield Armory barrel dated 1955. I was a able to take a deer a few years ago with the 150 grain Speer soft point and 48 grain h4895. The deer was about 50-75 yards broadside. I shot deer through the lungs with complete pass through not sure how the deer ran considering the terrain but was not more than 80yds.

Since we are talking M1 I would like to thank all those who have served are serving and have family that have or are now serving.

358win

U.S. Navy Honorably discharged.

I find that loads suitable for M1's suit me just fine in all my .30-06's across the board.

For those that don't reload, a couple of years ago I boughtI some Privi Partizan ammo that was specifically for the M1 Garand. It shot as well as various loads I've loaded for mine It was in 20 round boxes labeled:

30-06 Springfield
for rifle M1 Garand
FMJ 9.7 g (150 gr)
Lot PPU 1407

As I recall it was reasonably priced for commercial ammo and had good reloadable brass.

What about Federal blue box 150 gr. loads from Wally World at about $12 per box? Would that be suitable in a Garand? Looks like my grandson and I may be about to "partner up" on one.

I wouldn't, not without knowing the characteristics of the powder charge or without benefit of an adjustable gas cylinder. Maybe ok, maybe not, but who wants run the risk of a banjaxed op rod when those things are no longer a dime-a-dozen.

I didn’t see it mentioned, but the damage to the operating rod is from slower burning powder that has a higher pressure at the gas port which can cause the operating rod to bend. The operating rod is quite long on a Garand and will suffer accordingly if that port pressure is too high...

You're right. One would assume that over the 80+ years of the Garand's existence everyone who messes with them would know that by now, and any newbies would verse themselves on the ins and outs of the M1 (20 minutes via Google). But, I suppose one needs to factor by the lowest common denominator.

150 FMJ Hornadys and 48.0grs of 748 work very well in mine.

And here I am still waiting on the latest handloader............. Looking forward to it even though I've settled on the tried & true IMR-4895 / 150 gr. stuff. Not gonna mess around with new stuff until it's in general use for a few years and gets a "A" rating. If I wanna take it hunting I just substitute a 150 gr, Accubond for the FMJ. Those peep sights are also just the ticket for aging eyes.

Kirk,

I went over the op-rod subject quite extensively in the article--but as mentioned there (and earlier in the thread), some recent powders (especially double-based) that APPEAR from published loading data to have about the same burn-rate as IMR4895 actually produce too much port-pressure.

The latest Handloader was in the box this afternoon. Great article on loading for the Garand, JB. I was surprised that Varget worked so well, but should not have been.

I've still got about 20lbs. of pull down 4895 that I bought for $8/lb prior to going over to the dark side. I still like to take one of my Garands out once in a while, even if for no other reason than to introduce new shooters to what is a truly great rifle.

you should have asked, i have a m1D in the herd.

i have quite a bit of that in one of the big containers hodgden use to store it in. Still as fresh as it was probably in the 40's.

I found, at a gun show, a can of original Lake City national match ammo.
I also bought some Greek HXP from a guy In Colorado.
They are a hell of a lot of fun to shoot-- peep sight, old eyes and all!

I found, at a gun show, a can of original Lake City national match ammo.
I also bought some Greek HXP from a guy In Colorado.
They are a hell of a lot of fun to shoot-- peep sight, old eyes and all!
Look forward to MD/s article.

Aalaska's Bear hunting Judge, Sam Folda used the Garrand on brown bears before that he used a semi auto in .35 Remington. Guess he was not into light weight rifles! I have the book on him and I believe he is credited with around 200 brown bear kills. I will read it again this winter.


My Dad carried a Garand in the Battle of the Bulge as did my Uncle Ed before he switched to the BAR. Uncle Ed is still kicking and sharp as a tack at 93, I will call him tomorrow.

I've shot everything from varmints to elk with Garand...

Hornady and Federal make ammo specifically for the M1.
https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/30-06-springfield-168-gr-eld-m1-garand#!/
https://www.federalpremium.com/products/rifle/american-eagle/american-eagle-rifle/ae3006m1

Sort the Lake City match by runout and the straight stuff may surprise you by how well it shoots. I shot a bunch of LC M852 Match for the "308" out of accurate bolt action rifles and the straight batches rivaled good handloads.

A friend of mine had a batch of banging ammo for his Garand, I believe it was the Greek stuff but I won't swear to it. The powder charges differed enough round to round so the variation could be heard by shaking each round and listening.

Nosler also makes ammo suitable for Garand rifles under their SSA brand. It's listed at Midway:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/5...etition-hollow-point-boat-tail-box-of-20

Prvi Partizan makes (made?) Garand-specific ammo. Many dealers show it discontnued or out of stock, but others, including Grafs, show it to be still available. It's about half the price of the other brands and is OK for function testing and informal target work. Here's another onl-line listing: https://www.targetsportsusa.com/prvi-partizan-30-06-springfield-m1-garand-150-gr-fmj-pp348-p-95.aspx. I bought a bunch of it for local club use.

--Bob

My Handloader just arrived today. The first article was on the M1. The M1 is a favorite of mine, though I’ve only used it on paper and steel.

The article answered a question I’ve had about MD’s seemingly preference of IMR4895 over my favorite H4895. My H4895 is evidently old as I don’t believe the powder I have was made in Australia. I don’t remember when I bought this batch of H4895, but I believe it was at least 30 years ago. It is the best powder for accuracy on a few of my rifles, including a 30-06 Springfield 03 and it is as good as any powder on other cartridge/rifles including my 350 RM 600. I have a bit of 150 grain loads for my M1 and it’s 150 grain bullets and that old H4895.

Now I can’t expect powder to stay the same over the years, but I will not squander my batch of H4895 cause “It can’t be bought.”

Bugger,

As you've apparently guessed, your H4895 is probably original military IMR4895--which was indeed good powder!

Hodgdon didn't start selling the made-in-Australia H4895 until around 20 years ago, if I recall correctly.

In between military surplus and Australian H4895 I believe Hodgdon sold H4895 made in Scotland. I'm pretty sure I have some Scottish H4350 and H1000 stashed somewhere too.

The second generation of H4831 was definitely made in Scotland, after the original mil-surp supply started to run out.

Shrapnel - I really like the elk pics

The latest issue of Handloader FINALLY arrived today...... Gonna do some serious reading in bed tonight. Been waiting on that since the 11th, when this thread began.

i have a bunch of the lake city national match from different years. the only problem with it is i can't bear the thought of burning it up.

cmp sold a ton of the greek hxp so i am sure there is a lot of it floating around.
they sold a bunch a few years ago in the spam cans from the various plants around the country too.

Kind of like having bottles of vintage single malt scotch on the shelf- you can be itching for a drink but darned if you're gonna crack the seal on one.

I would hate to admit how many garands might be around, but say from prewar WWII, to the early 50's.
Garands were one of my original addictions.
And the stuff that goes with them.
Among other things running across a sizable quanity of french m2 ball ammo.
wasn't any good corrosive primers brittle brass. It had been stored in a unheated/cooled garage in phx since the 50's.
we saved all the powder, not knowing what it was.
then reloaded it in new brass/primers started at about 40 grains and worked up. we were looking for 2750fps velocity which is what we gotl
then fired five shot groups with the stuff. neat part was there was about 20fps variation in velocity round to round.
I have a bunch of that national match too, my understanding right or wrong while the military had dropped use of corrosive powders, they were still used in some of this national match.
One of the odd garands i have is a built national match. The guy who put it together in the 50's for camp perry. at one time he was in the top 10nationally. an armorer built it near ft. bragg, i have the invoice for the work.
Prior owner hadn't had the metal out of the wood since the 50's. I tried to take off the gas piston, and found the screw had been cross threaded, intentional or not i don't know.
another thing is he had had a post brased in under the ramp where your clip went in to forcible make it a single shot. why, i don't know.
i removed that, put an original part back in, and it shoots fine.
my wife's springfield was built in 1941, and rebarrel in 1943. You can only guess where its been.
Dean is now passed away, but his wife is still running his shop, DGR. I sent him a gerbiled greek return which he converted to 7.62x51 with a douglas barrel, and french bastogne for the wood. Gorgeous gun when he sent it back to me.
You can still find a lot of WWII ammo still around. like a 720round spam can repacked in the early 50's in hawaii. leftover from the pacific.
My wife seeing the boxes they came in, thinks they are breeding where they are stored.

one of the things that came into country was when the danish garands under lendlease were reimported. A lot of high end danish ammo also for sale, it is darn near if not match ammo. Came in crates with ammo/clips in bandoliers.
I have never used the cci primer, sticking with winchester. but i make sure they are deep seated to avoid the firing pin slamming them.

if one is looking for a garand, might look for one of the danish reimports. they actually took good care of the ones they had. Many were rebarreld with a barrel stamp VAR. these are real good shooters.
garands were later made in italy after the war, on winchester equpment we sent them. They were the parts suppliers for the danes.
you can find recievers with the beretta stamp on them.

I killed my very first deer with my IH Garand in 1983. That's about the time the deer just started getting enough numbers to hunt around my area, and I didn't have any other gun to deer hunt with at that time.. I'm glad it worked out that way though.

"while the military had dropped use of corrosive powders"

It wasn't the powder, it was the primers.

The Greek HXP stuff I shot in competition did better than the LC. Most of my fellow shooters agreed.

Just shoot it and enjoy the moment, no point in having it buried with you.