ammo for new Garand

[Ed]

I ordered a Garand yesterday from the CMP..My First.. I know nothing of them yet. What grain bullet shoots best? What ammo can I get cheap that will shoot best? I may reload for it in the future so what to do then? Powder bullets etc. But for now I need to get something to shoot so when She arrives she will get tried out fast. Thanks. And thanks to everyone on here who motivated me through different post..not to me ...to get one.

Ed

 

[Matthew_Q]

so begins the plethora of answers....


Try to stick to M2 Ball equivalents. If you use anything else, stick to around 150gr projectiles. Most of the heavier hunting loads will stress the op rod way too much.

LC surplus is harder to find, but you can find PMC and Korean stuff, and some Danish surplus that all work great.

AIM surplus has 400 rounds of Korean M2 in an ammo can for $89 shipped.

If you handload, stick to using IMR4895 or 4064 and use 150gr to 168gr bullets.

 

[hondo68]

Don't be TOO quick to hit the fireing line. Clean and lube everything real good, including the clip release button etc., and the inside of the tube where the spring rides in the operating rod. Enjoy!

 

[ACP230]

The CMP has just put commercial Greek 150 grain .30-06 up for sale. It is going for 400 rounds for $96 plus about $13 shipping.

I haven't used it but I think someone posted that it is about as good as the Lake City 1966 that the CMP was selling a few years ago.

 

[Steve in PA]

I'm reloading for my CMP M1........right now I'm getting some real nice groups using......

Hornady 150gr FMJ/BT
Remington cases
47.0gr IMR-4895
CCI 200 LR primers

I aslo used some hunting ammo I had on had.....

Hornady 165gr BTSP
Winchester cases
48.3gr IMR-4064
CCI 200 LR primers

If you are reloading IMR-4895/4064 are probably the best.

150/168/172gr bullets all work well. Some people like to use military case as oppsed to commercial.......however, since I had a ton of commercial .30/06 brass.....that is what I used.

You'll also hear alot about using CCI 34 (military spec primers) as opposed to the CCI 200 (or equal) because of "slam fires". I've always used CCI primers for all my reloading......and haven't had a problem.

 

[Fatelvis]

Make sure any surplus ammo you buy is Boxer primed. (If you intend to reload for it later).

 

[Frohickey]

the only problem with the Greek ammo is that it is Berdan-primed, which means it would be difficult to reload. But its fine for shooting.

i wonder if there is any chance of having the CMP start offering M14 rifles and receivers. And after that, M16 rifles and receivers. Might need to change Congress and maybe the President.

 

[Johnpl]

Ed-
Go to jouster.com (click on the M-1/M-14 board) for answers to all your M-1 questions. They've helped me out so much. You learn alot just by reading the posts.

 

[DamnedDirtyApe]

The best factory ammo I've tried in my Garand was PMC 150 grain FMJ's, which are said to be loaded to mil-specs.

This reloadable ammo was cleaner/more accurate/better than the Danish mil-surp, and also WAY better than the Korean military goobage that's still floating around, even though it probably came from the same factory.

Reloads: 47 gr 4895 or 50 gr 4064 under M2 ball 150 gr pulldowns that I bought from Wideners for $46.00 per thousand.

The Garand is a VERY fun rifle to shoot. My SA was built in March/April 1944....truly a year to remember.

 

[David Wile]

Hey folks,

You can also use hard cast bullets in the Garand. I have two SA M1s and a Win-13 that all work real well with a 150 grain gas checked Loverin design cast bullet.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[othermarc]

mmmmm..... military surplus ammo .... glaahaagaahagghaa...

keep an eye on http://natchezss.com/ and www.ammoman.com . when you see some military surplus, buy it. Picked me up 1000 rds Lake City and have never had a prob.

Also... to start I bought 280 rd ammo can from CMP. Not sure if they still do that, but the ammo came on clips, which is pretty key.

happy shootin'

 

[foghornl]

Southern Ohio Gun frequently has the danish Mil-Surp ammo already loaded in the Garand en-bloc clips. Visit the website

www.SouthernOhioGun.com

or call 1-800-944-GUNS (4867)

Right now, it is listed as $143 for 624 rounds, in bandoliers & clips.