davidblythe,
Welcome to the truly addicting world of the M1 Garand. I've been using/rebuilding/reconditioning these things for about a decade now. It is a wonderful rifle and you will grow to love it.
My 4895 load for 150gr is: 47gr H4895, 150gr FMJ or SPT, CCI34primers, LC match or IMI cases. OAL=3.30". I try to load at least 48 rounds at a sitting for consistency sake and will often do a couple hundred at a time. I use Redding dies and a Redding turret press.
Couple of other recs regarding loading for the M1:
Use the Sinclair Intl primer pocket uniformer:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=RECPUN&item=UN-8002&type=store
The biggest contributor to slamfires in these (or any military rifle with free floating firing pin) is not having the primers correctly seated just below flush. When properly seated you should be able to feel that the top of the primer is below flush of the case head. I personally use the uniformer with each reload to ensure the pocket is always clean and uniformed to assist in making sure I don't have one sticking out proud. I use the uniformer chucked in a cordless drill with their power screwdriver attachment:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=RECPUN&item=UN-8005&type=store
You can also get a kit with both large and small uniformers and the power adaptor for $48 which saves you about 15 bucks if you also reload for small primer rifles (223, m1 carbine):
http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=RECPUN&item=UN-8KP&type=store
Lee Auto Prime Tool:
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=807875&t=11082005
Be sure to get shellholder as well; I'd recommend the complete set so you always have the option for most common calibers other than 30-06 (the "holy grail" caliber
). The link for the shellholders is near the bottom of the page linked above. This makes priming a whole bunch of cases pretty painless after you size, trim , and chamfer them. I actually keep a couple of these on hand because the piece you apply pressure to is a pretty cheap pot metal type casting and can break (I've broken 2 over the last 5 or so years).
Regarding the rifle itself:
rg1 above correctly notes you should strip and clean all of the gunk out of the rifle. I've gotten some rifles that were so full of cosmoline it was amazing they could be successfully test fired at CMP. The manual from CMP is great and shows you step by step how to dissassemble it. For grease there are a bunch of options. I've used many different types and they all work. Moly axle grease is cheap and a single tin will last a whole long time. My previous favorite was a blue synthetic grease NLGI-2 from Brad-Penn (local to me) origninally formulated for oil drilling machinery in wet and freezing conditions. Now I use
ONLY XF7 from MD Labs. It works in hot/wet/rain/cold/ice & freezing nearly arctic western PA mountains flawlessly. It makes cleaning easier and is an awesome anticorrosion agent. In fact, when a "new" rifle makes its way to the shop, I detail strip, clean, inspect, gauge the parts. Then degrease and apply thin layer of XF7 to
everything except the inner gas cylinder and op rod piston. Then I lube with additional XF7 per the directions you'll find in the CMP manual. Further XF7 info here:
http://www.tacticalforums.com/cgi-bin/tacticalubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000569
Get an Orion 7 Op rod spring:
http://www.m1garand.com/Garandparts.htm Item G28a. I put these springs in every rifle I deal with if possible. I have one rifle that has been firing using the same one of these springs for over 4 years now. Thousands of rounds (stopped counting after 1st barrel shot through) and still going. It is well worth it. They also carry a spring kit with all the necessary springs in it which is quite convenient.
CMP Scout Mount:
http://estore.odcmp.com/store/catal...pmax=¬e1=¬e2=¬e3=¬e4=¬e5=&max=
I consider this a nontraditional but very useful "option" to add to your M1. I use/used these to mount optics (primarily Eotech or Aimpoint) but can be used for scout type scope or handgun scope as well. The Eotech and Aimpoint both work great on the garand and can help give you low light capability. The ones CMP has are true picatinny type rails and are excellent. They are manufactured by Amega Ranges and are availble in a weaver configuration from them. The CMP price is less than what I've seen them for most other places.
Any other questions just holler. There are a whole bunch of very knowlegeable Garand folk here and I've learned a bunch from them over the years. Hope this helps
Regards,
Bob