M1 Garand target

[Steve in PA]

Trying out our new scanner......hope this works. If it does, its a pic from my last trip to the range with my CMP M1. The load is a 150gr Hornady FMJ-BT, Remington cases, 47.0gr of IMR-4985 and CCI LR 200 primers shot off the bench at 100 yards on a SR-1 target. Not too bad.....couple of flyers though.

 

[Steve in PA]

Hey it worked. Here's another pic.......first target I shot at. Was a tad bit high and right. Same load as before.

 

[DMK]

Nice

I wish my Garand shot that well.

 

[Steve in PA]

Thanks. My wife and I were the only ones at the range......we shot alot at thehand gun range, then moved over to the rifle range. Another guy showed up and was testing a used .30/06 rifle he just bought.

We all walked down to check our targets and the said......."a old military rifle, open sights at 100 yards........and your target looks better than mine. I'd frame them".

It does shoot pretty good for a rifle almost 60 years old. Its a CMP SA/SG.......all I did is punch the bor and take it shooting!!! Can't wait.......hope to get out this Saturday again!!!

 

[Steve in PA]

Heres one of another load. Same brass and primer only this time I'm using a 168gr BT-Match bullet and 47.5gr of IMR4064

 

[Grump]

Ah, so gratifying to get the sights regulated to center and then start nibbling that 10-ring!

Your accuracy level is similar to what I've seen from other rack-grade M1s. I accurized one step at a time, shooting test targets along the way...the biggest single-tuneup improvement was the first: tightening up the gas cylinder on the barrel. Done four of them now, IIRC. It sure is fun working the accurizing stuff.

 

[Khornet]

NICE

What's the diameter of the bull on that target?

 

[Steve in PA]

Its a SR-1 target......200 yard reduced for shooting at 100 yards. The diameters are as follows........

X-ring = 1.35"
10-ring = 3.35"
9-ring = 6.35"

You can check out the targets and download them at www.USPALMA.com. They are PDF files.....I just download them, take them to work and run a few hundred off

The rifle is a Service Grade M1....but I'm pretty sure it has the original barrel/receiver combination. The serial number is 2,728,xxx which outs it at April of 1944, while the barrel is a 2-S-A-11-43 which puts it at November, 1943. Only five months apart. I'll try and take some pics of it today if I go out shooting.

 

[Santa]

Curious - are you trying to replicate current M2 ball (e.g., LC66, LC-69, LC-72) with your reloads or trying to match the original FPS specs listed in the books?
The M2 ball I have purchased at CMP over the last couple of years chronies between 2575 and 2610 (5 shot averages at 20 feet) depending on which of the M1's I shoot it in. I think the Federal used at Camp Perry's John Garand match is also below the 2700 FPS.

 

[hps1]

M1 accuracy can be helped considerably by following the steps outlined in the NRA booklet on the M1. Have worked over 5 or 6 using this booklet as a guide and they all will shoot 1-1.5 moa if shooter does his part. Needless to say, the barrels on all of those rifles were as new but they started out as DCM (now CMP) rack grade rifles.

The garand has the potential of being a very accurate rifle, given the small refinements outlined in NRA booklet and, as Grump pointed out, it is very gratifying to watch the groups shrink as the various steps are taken.

Regards,
hps

 

[Steve in PA]

Santa -
I wasn't trying to duplicate a particular load. I checked around and saw that most people were loading the 150gr with anywhere from 45-48gr of IMR-4895. I worked up some loads in .5gr increments starting at 46.0gr and found that 47.0 was the most accurate. I don't have a chrono, but from what I've read I guess it will come in around the 2,700 fps/mv.



hps1 -
Maybe someday I'll re-barrel it but I'm happy with the way it shoots right now. The gas cylinder fits tight, no wobbles.

 

[hps1]

Steve:
I sure wouldn't be changing barrels, either. Your groups are great for stock service rifle & do not indicate anything wrong with your barrel. Sorry if my post left that impression.

Just to illustrate effect of minor problems, a loose gas cyl. can cause fliers out of the group and if sufficient clearance not present between cyl and upper hand guard, shots can walk in rapid fire strings as barrel heats. My son's DCM rifle would not hold 7 ring groups when he got it. I tuned it per NRA booklet and got it down to mostly 9 ring groups with an occasional 8. The gas cyl. was very sloppy. I removed front sight, drilled, tapped and installed a small set screw @ 12:00 o'clock (centered in top barrel spline) which pulled the cyl up tight against barrel and groups shrunk to X ring size on the SR1. I am told this "fix" is not legal in CMP competition but is is sure cheaper than a new gas cyl. if rifle not used in comp. Have seen CMP M1's come w/diagonal hacksaw cut across the male dovetail on gas cyl. in a manner so that when front sight allen screw is tightened it "crimps" cyl to barrel. I suppose this would be a competition legal repair since it was made by CMP armorers????

The booklet I mentioned shows how to maximize the potential for a service grade rifle and you are getting very nice groups for service rifle.

By the way, that 4895 load you have settled on is very close to M2 ball velocities in my rifle. It is the load I used with my M1 and POI is same as M2.

Regards,
hps

 

[Khornet]

Everything I've read

says that best M1 accuracy comes at around 2600-2650 fps. I too lack a chrono, but I load for what the literatue says will get that velocity in M1 and sure enough that's been my best accuracy so far.

I got the M1 booklet from NRA and tightened the barrel splines, removed the spacer from the front guard, made sure the gas port was in the right place on the cylinder, filed the rear of the bayonet lug so it doesn't contact the front guard, made sure there was no op rod rub or bind, and then set up my dies so that the bolt will just close snugly on the sized brass with no slop. That's as far as I could go without better skills and tools, and I've been able to get 100 yd groups down to 4" now with 150 gr Ball-type bullets. 'Course, I can't see for beans, so no telling what could really be done.

Just got an adjustable gas nut. It replaces the issue gas plug, and has a small bolt in the center which is drilled through so that gas can bleed out the front of the plug. There are several bolts with varying diameter orifices. The idea is to vary the amount of gas bled off thereby changing the timing of op rod movement, ideally to have it begin after the bullet has departed. Some folks say this makes a difference, including Swampy if I recall. Mine is a McCann unit. This job thing has kept me from the range to try it out so far.

Steve, thanks for the link! Downloaded the targets.

 

[hps1]

Khornet

and then set up my dies so that the bolt will just close snugly on the sized brass with no slop

Be very careful in sizing brass for the gas guns. The M1 (as well as the M14 and M16 and their clones) has a floating firing pin that "pecks" the primer each time the bolt slams shut. There is a bridge in the receiver that has a slot cut for the firing pin tail which is supposed to keep this from happening until bolt is in battery. Having sai that, be aware that slam fires can occur due to anything that causes the primer to be "high". Too little headspace can and has caused such slamfires in gas guns.

A good friend, who is an experienced reloader and gas gun competitive shooter wrecked a match grade M1 at a state match a few years ago. He is a careful reloader and it took us quite a while to figure out that he had set up his dies with new brass for minimal (but safe) headspace as determined by a micrometer case gauge. The batch of brass he was firing that day had been reloaded numerous times and had work hardened and consequently it had sprung back to a larger dimension than did the new brass which caused the bolt to stop short and the slam fire.

He took a piece of schrapnel through the sweatband of his shooting cap resulting in a 1/2 cut on the forehead. His rifle had a bent op-rod, nicked the receiver where the bolt lug had barely started to close (about a 1/8" rounded corner of the receiver notch for lug), blew extractor and ejector out of bolt. Fortunately, both he and the rifle survived, but he had to work on his trigger control for a while after that incident.

I would not reload for a gas gun without a good case gauge and make it a practice to keep all my brass in lots (based on number of firings) and at least spot check every few rounds for headspace.

Nothing wrong with fitting the case to your chamber, just be sure to have ample clearances.

Regards,
hps

 

[Steve in PA]

I'll be keeping the rifle just as is is. I'd like to shoot some highpower matches.....maybe next year.

I use the RCBS X-dies for reloading with my M1......no complaints.....and have several firings through the same brass. I have about 300 rounds loaded for my next trip out.

Khornet.... glad ya like the targets. I've got a couple more links to some free targets........one has osa bin laden with a bullseye on him....if I can find them I'll post the links.

 

[Steve in PA]

www.mytargets.com more free targets.....still trying to find osama

 

[Steve in PA]

I found Osama!!!!

and some more free targets.......

http://warhammer.mcc.virginia.edu/ty/targets.html (this one has osama)

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/TPHaller/page3.html

 

[Khornet]

I use case gagues

every time I set up. The cases gauge within spec-AFTER resizing. With the oprod spring out and the extractor and ejector out, letting the bolt fall on a chambered case causes the lugs to settle nicely in their seats with almost no fore-aft play in them. All my primers have a 'peck' as you call it, from being chambered, but that's normal AFAIK. And slam-fires are mainly a phenomenon of single loading without a clip, which I never do for that reason. It's a perfectly viable setup technique, but you have to keep in mind a few rules. But then, that's reloading, eh?

 

[hps1]

The slam fire experienced by my friend was in the middle of rapid fire sitting string.

Single loading without a clip can cause slam fire as well as anything that causes a "high primer". A soft primer cup can also be a problem.

The primer indentation will be on any round chambered in a gas gun and not fired. GI primers have a harder cup than many civilian primers in order to help prevent slam fires (and for use in MG's) and even GI ammo shows the primer mark from chambering. Recently, CCI came out with their equivalent of the GI primer, their #34. Before that primer was available, many competitors used Win. primers as they were said to have a harder cup than some of the others. I have used Fed., CCI regular primers and Win. primers without incident in my gas guns but have been told the Fed. primers are on the soft side.

Regards,
hps