I just got an M1 Garand in .30-06 and I am thinking of doing handloading for it does anyone have a special recipe for Garand Loads they can share? I have IMR 4895 powder (i hear this most closely replicates the original M-2 powder in USGI issue rounds) I also have 150 grain soft point bullets as well as 180 grain soft points, however I am not sure if I should use the 180 grain in the garand without a adjustable gas port (to avoid damaging the OP Rod). I appreciate any information that could be supplied.
M1 Garand .30-06 Handload Recipies
- Thread starter mookiie
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NCsmitty
Member
47gr of IMR4895, using a 150gr bullet should give you around 2700fps and the proper port pressure, to actuate the OP rod safely.
In the interest of common sense, you might consider a start load of 45gr and work up to 47gr.
Match ammo loads for the Garand consisted of 47.2gr of IMR4895, under a 173-174gr government match bullet for 2640fps. Many use that charge along with a 168gr SMK to improve the accuracy potential.
If you add the adjustable port to your rifle, you can use any standard saami load without worry, as long as you allow just enough pressure to work the action.
Of course you need to use these loads at you own risk.
NCsmitty
In the interest of common sense, you might consider a start load of 45gr and work up to 47gr.
Match ammo loads for the Garand consisted of 47.2gr of IMR4895, under a 173-174gr government match bullet for 2640fps. Many use that charge along with a 168gr SMK to improve the accuracy potential.
If you add the adjustable port to your rifle, you can use any standard saami load without worry, as long as you allow just enough pressure to work the action.
Of course you need to use these loads at you own risk.
NCsmitty
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Hornady reloading manual has a chapter on 30-06 M1 Garand loads.
IMR-4895 Powder
168 grain
39.6 Start --- 47.1 MAX
178 grain
39.8 Start --- 46.1 MAX
rc
IMR-4895 Powder
168 grain
39.6 Start --- 47.1 MAX
178 grain
39.8 Start --- 46.1 MAX
rc
ReloaderEd
Member
Loads to Duplicate Military Ball Ammunition
You are correct new reloader. 49.0 grs. of IMR 4895 for 150 gr. bullet jacketed.
47.0 grains for the 168 gr. jacketed bullet.
46.0 grains for the 173 grs jacketed bullet in the national match 30-06 round.
IMR 3031 is also listed if your interested. Be safe wear safety glasses when testing ammo rounds.
You are correct new reloader. 49.0 grs. of IMR 4895 for 150 gr. bullet jacketed.
47.0 grains for the 168 gr. jacketed bullet.
46.0 grains for the 173 grs jacketed bullet in the national match 30-06 round.
IMR 3031 is also listed if your interested. Be safe wear safety glasses when testing ammo rounds.
NCsmitty
Member
rcmodel's 178gr load range should give you the parameters to the shoot 180gr without bending your OP rod, just stay on the safe side.
NCsmitty
NCsmitty
USSR
Member
Yep. No problem with the 180's as long as you use proper amounts of a powder in the burn rate range of IMR3031 to IMR4320.
Don
jr_roosa
Member
Load up a set of 5 rounds of several loads from low to high. I did one grain increments and 5 different weights. Somewhere in the middle will have smaller groups than the rest. I went from a 4 MOA generic load down to 2.5 MOA just by doing this. If I was a better shot and had a trigger job, I might be able to get 1.5 MOA or so out of a rebarreled Garand.
-J.
-J.
ReloaderEd
Member
Personally I have never seen a bent operating rod, have any of you actually seen one? The only article Ive read is use of 4831 and heavy bullets.
Wireman134
Member
46.5gr. AA2230C or AA2460 under a 150gr. pill in a LC cases works fine for my needs. 44gr. of same AA2230C with the M118 match bullet, is also safe in my Garands. I like these Accurate powders for the Garand, burn clean and economical.
Wireman134
Member
See grasshopper, there is a need for knowing how to duplicate military loadings. I got some WC846 loads for my "Special Ball" M118 projectiles.
Idempotent
Member
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Is the HXP Greek surplus ammo reloadable? And I assume the usual caveat about dropping the powder load by 2 grains for military brass applies.
Wireman134
Member
Greek cases weight the same as LC GI cases, so reduced charge same.
Wireman134
Member
Military cases are thicker over all and have less capacity hence higher pressure will develop compared to lighter thinner case walls.
essayons21
Member
I always heard that it was IMR4064.
I use 46.7gr IMR4064 with 168gr BTHPs in my Garand
Lots of info about reloading for the Garand in this thread
http://www.snipercentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26602
Maj Dad
Member
4064 works great in 30-06 Garands and I use it a lot, but 4895 is the powder loaded in the big WW, Korea and on into Vietnam (govt may have used 4064,too, but I am not knowledgeable of that). I believe Joyce Hornady & others bought vast quantities of it post war & sold it by the paper bag until they fully got into the business and put in cans. Of interest is that AA2520 is described as the ball equivalent of 4895, in charge weight and burning characteristics. I heard that here and from other sources (AA), so I tend to think it is correct, but load data for 2520 should be that which AA puts out and in no way inferred from 4895 published data. Caveat loader, so to speak. I have excellent results with it in 308/7.62 and 30-06 in Garands & my M14 semi.
NuJudge
Member
ArchAngelCD
Member.
You should NEVER use a powder as slow as 4831 in a M1 Garand. Yes, that powder is good for heavy bullets in bolt action rifles but not semi-autos although I personally wouldn't use a powder slower than 4350. Just because you have never seen a bent op-rod doesn't mean it won't happen. The last replacement rod I saw at a gun show was priced @$134 so you really don't want to replace one.
NCsmitty
Member
Accurate 2520 is sandwiched between IMR4064 and IMR4320 on two burn rate charts, Hodgdon and Ramshot. I was under the impression that it is a ball powder version of IMR 4064.
Accurate 2495 is an extruded powder and is Accurate's equivalent to IMR4895.
NCsmitty
Accurate 2495 is an extruded powder and is Accurate's equivalent to IMR4895.
NCsmitty
ArchAngelCD
Member.
NCsmitty,
A2495 is Accurate's IMR4895 AND A2520 is the ball powder equivalent of both.
A2495 is Accurate's IMR4895 AND A2520 is the ball powder equivalent of both.
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