M1 Garand Accuracy

[pdh]

Hi Gents...

I am curious on the accuracy you can get from your M1s

I had my Garand redone by Roland Beaver a few years ago.

He did not do a complete accuracy job on mine...but put on a new Douglous Premium barrel....new wood and parkerizing job.

At the range today...she printed a 2.06"...5 shot group at 100 yds with my reloads.
I had 4 shots in the group that measured 1.6"

Thanks.......

 

[mustanger98]

Well, the gov't standard was 4MOA required to be accepted for service. Most are or were capable of much tighter groups. Mine came from CMP two years ago. With GI ball, I can hit clay pigeons from standing w/sling on the 100yd berm. I can do fist sized groups across the bench with GI ball or 165gr Hornady SPs (handloaded to 2600fps w/IMR4895).

With a handloaded 147gr BT FMJ running 2400fps, and I tested this load at 2400fps across the bench at 25yds, I got a real tight group. I really need to load some more and do some more testing at 100yds (which is where my club range maxes out).

M1's are another case of the rifle generally shoots better than we do.

 

[pdh]

mustanger98

My load 'fairly' similar to one of yours.....

IMR4895 powder pushing the 168gr Sierra Match at 2700fps.

I am load developing and going to try different bullets.
Going to load up some 150gr 'sierra match' and going to stick with the IMR4895.......

Thanks for the reply......

 

[enichols]

Mine'll shoot about 2 1/2" - 3" 10-shot groups, FWIW. Barrel MW is 2.5, TE is 3, pretty much a mixmaster rifle.

 

[Fingolfin]

On my first outing with my CMP Garand I was able to finish up with the following group shooting surplus Korean. This is very good for me, and I could see significant progress from my first clip to this last one.

http://img346.imageshack.us/my.php?image=m1junk0030as.jpg

Can't wait to take it out again and work on keeping those fliers down.

 

[Tom C.]

I have 2 Garands, one from the CMP and a Korean expat gun. The CMP gun originally grouped into about 3 in. After a complete accuracy job, with the original barrel, it groups into 1.25-1.5 in. with ball, and better with ammo it really likes.
The expat gun grouped into about 12-15 in. with the original barrel. It now has a new barrel, new wood, and accuracy job. Groups into something like 1.5 in.

 

[Khornet]

Took mine to the range yesterday

for the first serious shooting since I got it back from Roland Beaver. Before, average group was 6" at 100 yd with my best handloads. Now, with a Hornady 150 gr FMJBT she made 2 1/2" 10 shot groups.

Then I tried a load of M72 pulldown match bullets from Jeff Bartlett, with 48.5 gr of IMR 4895 and a Federal 210 match primer in LC and Korean brass, none of which had any special treatment other than removing the primer crimp. I was firing 5 shot strings and cleaning between. String 1, fired while quite cloudy, was 1.2". String 2 was fired after the sun came out, and was 1.2" but an inch higher, no change in windage. Unbelievable.

I've yet to chrono any of these loads, which I suspect are unnecessarily hot.

The trigger is marvelous, and is a big help.

Fingolfin, I reccommend you not disassemble your M1 that far. I know it's hard to resist, same thing happened to me, but mine went from a 3" gun to a 6" gun after I did that a few times, and never recovered. That's why I sent it to Roland. Probably thge biggest factor was removing the gas cylinder, thereby changing/losening the way the guards/cylinder/lock hung on the barrel.

 

[Dave P]

pdh, I would expect that you can improve those scores with better/differnt reloads, and more practice on your part. Might approach 1" groups some of the time?

Dave

 

[pdh]

Yes Dave....going to do some more load development.

The thing I may have going against me also is my eye sight.......

going through midlife crisses........

 

[TCW]

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=154174&highlight=garand