M1 Garand Ammo: Is It Going Extinct?

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Amadeus

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Many of the posts I read regarding .30-06 ammo for the M1 Garand have two themes.

The first is that modern factory ammo is not well-suited for the M1. This comes as a surprise since my M1 has always functioned well with 150 FMJ grain Federal American Eagle and FMJ 150 grain PMC. I hope I haven't damaged my rifle!!

The other theme is that the surplus ammo for which the M1 was built is quickly becoming less available.

So now I'm all worried. Seriously I am concerned. The M1 garand is a legendary rifle. Is it possible that the day is approaching when there will no longer be .30-06 ammo suited for use in the M1?

Please help comfort me here.
 
As far as I know, most "normal" 30-06 with bullets 165gr or less should work fine, no danger to the gun.

Sometimes I shoot 180gr or heavier, but then I use a gas plug with a hole drilled through it. It turns the M1 into a straight-pull bolt-action, not a semi-auto. It just dumps the gas pressure out the hole, doesn't push on the op-rod.

There will always be 30-06, at least through my grandkids' lifetimes. Plus, I got my Rockchucker press, so I'm rolling my own 30-06.

There's also the option of rebarreling in .308 (7.62x51 NATO).

Regards.
 
The M1 was made for fast burning powder. One can reload or buy surplus.
Most commercially made ammo does not have the correct burn rate fr the M1's gas system.
Just my thoughts.
 
I would think once the surplus runs out or becomes very scarce, some manufacturer start making some designed for it. There would be demand for it then. Right now, it's probably difficult to compete with surplus. I see Korean M1 ammo from AIM, etc. No telling how much more there is of that stuff.
 
The CMP has large amounts of the Greek .30-06 ammo available and it is supposedly as accurate (if not more so) than the Lake City milsurp.

As long as you can get cases, FMJ bullets and the right powder for M1 loads, you should be able to reload your own for as long as you need ammo.
 
The CMP sells this - .30-06 Federal 150 GR FMJ 500 Rd/cs, so I doubt that you have to worry about shooting it out of your M1.
 
hso said:
The CMP sells this - .30-06 Federal 150 GR FMJ 500 Rd/cs, so I doubt that you have to worry about shooting it out of your M1.
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I have no apprehension about shooting milsurp out of the M1. My question is how long it will last before we no longer have any ammo for this model of rifle.
 
The Federal "American Eagle" 150 grain 30-06 is commerical ammo that works fine in my M1 Garand. The only thing is that it costs twice as much as surplus 30-06 ammo. When the surplus ammo drys up, I'm gonna be shooting my M1 a lot less than I do now unless I learn to handload.

However, an M1 rebarreled to .308 win is an idea worth considering down the road. My buddy has a USGI M1 he had a gunsmith install a commercial Wilson Combat M1 .308 win barrel onto. It works great and shoots very well. HTH.
 
M1 safe ammo will always be available via companies like RCBS, Redding, Dillon, Lee, and Hornady.
Click to expand...

The ammo store is always open where I live, heck even suitable hunting loads are available here:D

The other theme is that the surplus ammo for which the M1 was built is quickly becoming less available.
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Not my fault in any way. My M1 has not fired a single round of surplus ammo since its been in my possession.
 
Buy a bunch of the cheap Korean ammo and save the cases. It is reloadable and comes with en bloc clips. By the time it is all gone you will have a lifetime of brass saved to reload.
 
hso said:
The CMP sells this - .30-06 Federal 150 GR FMJ 500 Rd/cs, so I doubt that you have to worry about shooting it out of your M1.
Click to expand...

I thought I had read somewhere (maybe the CMP Forum??) that the Federal ammo sold thru the CMP Store is a special run made by Federal that pretty closely matches the military round so it will cycle the rifle properly and not cause any problems. Federal makes the ammo for the John C. Garand matches at Camp Perry and is not available in any stores.
 
The stuff the CMP sells is M1-safe and is made by Federal that way. You can buy it from other places if you can find one that carries it.

M1's are designed for a medium rate powder I believe not too fast, not too slow, most modern powders are too fast if my recollection is correct.... Heavier bullets will also increate the pressure in the gas system and can damage the op-rod assy. I can't fund the reference docs right now though so I am not 100% certain.

Commercial ammo is not often recommended for the M1 because of this but many laoding manuals do list loads for M1's. It should be noted that loading for a semi-auto expescially an older type like and M1 much care should be taken regarding case length etc. (Ref. http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/dos_donts.htm also http://www.fulton-armory.com/ReloadingThoughts.htm )
 
Interesting responses but....

No one has yet really answered the original question. Sure sure. Reloading is an option....for SOME.

What about those of us who do not reload!?! Are we looking at a day in the near future when all that milsurp stuff will be gone?

If so will a thoughful manufacturer begin making .30-06 ammo at an affordable price for the M1 garand?
 
thoughful manufacturer
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There's an oxymoron if I ever saw one. Manufacturer's are in business to make money, not to be "thoughtful". If you can't be bothered to protect your interests by learning how to reload, don't expect some company to do it for you out of the goodness of their heart.

Don
 
What about those of us who do not reload!?! Are we looking at a day in the near future when all that milsurp stuff will be gone?
Click to expand...

By definition, surplus is more than is needed. If the excess is being sold, eventually the supplies at hand will equal need and the surplus situation will not exist. The only way you can insure you have adequate ammo for your M1 is to reload and make sure you have enough components (brass, primers, bullets) on hand should one of those components get in short supply.
 
I don't know that M2 Ball ammo is going to run out any time soon, there is a lot of it around in the world still I am sure. Even if it did I am sure some commercial 150gr ammunitions are actually within the specifications of the original ball ammo pressure curve specs. Just without certain information it might be hard to determine which they are. MV isn't necessarily the only determining factor. Neither is bullet weight.

However I am guessing should the time arise that should the time arise someone will put more time into determining which factory loads are indeed OK for an M1.

Other than that the biggest answer is that nobody can tell you what will happen or when so the original answer cannot be answered with any certainty.
 
USSR said:
There's an oxymoron if I ever saw one. Manufacturer's are in business to make money, not to be "thoughtful". If you can't be bothered to protect your interests by learning how to reload, don't expect some company to do it for you out of the goodness of their heart.

Don
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Let me clarify. When I describe a manufacturer as being thoughtful I am referring to their ability for thought not their level of caring. It is my HOPE that an ammo company somewhere will notice the potential market and begin manufacturing M1 suitable ammo.

Moreover, it is not that I "cannot be bothered to protect my interests". Actually I would love to learn how to reload but cramped living quarters and initial financial outlay prohibit my involvement in the activity. Thus the need for already manufactured ammo.
 
What about those of us who do not reload!?! Are we looking at a day in the near future when all that milsurp stuff will be gone?
Click to expand...
Someone jump in and correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know there isn't a single miltary weapon in active use on the planet today that uses 30-06. That means NO ONE is making military 30-06 for use by any military. The surplus represents what is left over when the militaries of the world stopped using it. Mil-Surp ammo is cheap because the military doesn't need it, wants to get rid of it and it is of a type that your average run of the mill 30-06 shooter has no need of. In other words - despite what some in the gun world would like to believe - there just ain't that much demand for it and price is a function of supply and demand.

MILITARY SURPLUS 30-06 WILL EVENTUALLY RUN OUT! It is literally that simple.
If so will a thoughful manufacturer begin making .30-06 ammo at an affordable price for the M1 garand?
Click to expand...
Just like the movie said If you build it they will come. In other words if there is a demand for 30-06 ammunition that works the way it is supposed to in an M-1 and it can be sold at a profit - wellllll - I garohntee that someone will make it. Just expect to pay an arm and a leg and maybe promise a night a week with your wife to get it.
 
This is America. If ammo makers see a market unfilled, they will fill it. If not a major one, then a smaller one. With as many M1's as the CMP is putting out,there WILL be a market for the appropriate ammo.
SKIP
 
Thanks, Skipper. Good response.

You gave the answer I was hoping to hear. I know that milsurp means milSUPR. I am fully aware that it will eventually run out. What I am wondering is WHEN and if there will be someone in the wings to take up the challenge of offering M1 ammo to the shooting public.

It appears that some of you think so while others think it will be too expensive. I really should have done this thread as a poll.
 
Amadeus said:
Reloading is an option....for SOME.

What about those of us who do not reload!?!
Click to expand...
I gotta ask--why is reloading not an option for you? The quality of ammo you can generate via reloads is as good or better than any milsurp you can buy.

Owning an M1 is an excellent "excuse" to learn to reload!!!
 
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