Monarch ammo in cmp garand?

[jogar80]

Just got my garand from the cmp last week after 3 months of waiting. Itching to try it out but the only ammo i can find at academy is 150 gr monarch at 2900 fps and 150 core lokd at walmart. Are these safe to use?

 

[GRIZ22]

I don't know. It's more than bullet weight and velocity it's about the ammo having the proper pressure curve in a Garand. Call the manufacturer. Get an adjustable gas plug and once you set it up you can shoot most 3006.

 

[250-3000]

Lots of good info here:
http://www.garandgear.com/m1-garand-ammunition

Got one on my M1, but have not tested, still got Greek HXP let from when I bought the rifle from the CMP.

 

[cfullgraf]

Just got my garand from the cmp last week after 3 months of waiting. Itching to try it out but the only ammo i can find at academy is 150 gr monarch at 2900 fps and 150 core lokd at walmart. Are these safe to use?

Congrates on getting your Garand. Enjoy shooting it.

A general rule of thumb for commercial ammunition is "If it does not say it is safe for use in a Garand, it probably is not."

New powders on the market today burn slower than those deemed safe for use in the Garand. In commercial hunting rifles, you get a bit higher velocity than when using Garand safe powders. To get the higher velocity, the pressure in the barrel remains higher for a longer period of time. The down side in a Garand is that the port pressure is therefore higher than what the op rod is capable of handling without the risk of damage.

It is not like one or two rounds will blow up your rifle, but they could damage you op rod in as little as just a few rounds. Not really worth the chance as the op rod is getting difficult to replace and there are only one or two folks that can repair them properly.

There are two adjustable gas plugs out there, the Schuster and the McCann. Both have the same result but accomplish it in different ways. With the adjustable gas plug, the port pressure can be adjusted so that commercial ammunition can be shot safely.

Midway has the Schuster.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/77...s-plug-with-wrench-m1-garand-steel-parkerized

As a note, a properly adjusted op rod is bent by design. Without the appropriate jigs, you cannot duplicate the bend.

 

[salt&battery]

Just got my garand from the cmp last week after 3 months of waiting. Itching to try it out but the only ammo i can find at academy is 150 gr monarch at 2900 fps and 150 core lokd at walmart. Are these safe to use?

don't know about monarch but I would not use it. definitely do not use Remington core lok. powder is slow you need medium powder and have no way knowing what they use in the monarch ammo

 

[P5 Guy]

Just got my garand from the cmp last week after 3 months of waiting. Itching to try it out but the only ammo i can find at academy is 150 gr monarch at 2900 fps and 150 core lokd at walmart. Are these safe to use?

If you must go shooting and DO NOT have M1 safe ammo, pull the gas plug and shoot as a straight pull?

 

[22250Rem]

150 gr. bullets are an ideal weight for an M-1 but without knowing the burn rate of the powder they used in loading them I'd never put them in my M-1. If it were specified to be usable in an M-1 then you could be confident that the powder used is of the correct burn rate. If you handload or have a friend who does it's easy to duplicate U.S.G.I. specs for Garands with powder in the IMR-4895 class. Got my Garand in the fall of 1996 from CMP and to this day the only thing that's been in it besides G.I. spec handloads was some genuine G.I. circa 1957 M-2 (?) ball ammo that a friend had inherited from a family member and we chronographed for reference purposes against my handloads.

 

[GBExpat]

A general rule of thumb for commercial ammunition is "If it does not say it is safe for use in a Garand, it probably is not."

This.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Ditto.
Even late production Lake City .30-06 is said to NOT be Garand safe. It is loaded with 60gr of a powder similar to Win760, and is said to have damaged op rods. Besides not being accurate. Shoots 3-4"groups from my 03-A3 and Colt Lt. Rifle.
Hornady 150gr FMJ over 48.0gr H4895 shoots under 2" from all my '06's.

The Monarch is PPU packaged for Academy Sports. It's good ammo, especially at price. However, it's loaded to CIP specs and is DEFINITELY not Garand safe.

PPU does make a Garand safe load and it is labeled as such. Grafs carrys it but is presently out of stock.
The CMP is your best source for Garand safe ammo if you don't reload.
That, and the Shuster adjustable gas plug.

Actually, optimum bullet weight for Garand is 173-190gr . It's powder burn rate and load pressure that is critical.

Edited to add: mil spec primers; REAL risk of slam fire with Garand! Witnessed two!

My older brother did good Match shooting with the Sierra 168gr MatchKing over IMR4064.
Post WWII, there were even some Alaskan guides that used M1's with 220gr for back-up for clients hunting brown bears. I can think of worse choices.

 

[Cannibul]

I'm going to start loading powder coated or Hi-Tek coated cast bullets for my Garand. I've got two ammo cans of black tip in clips and bandoliers that I'd prefer not to shoot at this time.

 

[salt&battery]

Ditto.
Even late production Lake City .30-06 is said to NOT be Garand safe. It is loaded with 60gr of a powder similar to Win760, and is said to have damaged op rods. Besides not being accurate. Shoots 3-4"groups from my 03-A3 and Colt Lt. Rifle.
Hornady 150gr FMJ over 48.0gr H4895 shoots under 2" from all my '06's.

The Monarch is PPU packaged for Academy Sports. It's good ammo, especially at price. However, it's loaded to CIP specs and is DEFINITELY not Garand safe.

PPU does make a Garand safe load and it is labeled as such. Grafs carrys it but is presently out of stock.
The CMP is your best source for Garand safe ammo if you don't reload.
That, and the Shuster adjustable gas plug.

Actually, optimum bullet weight for Garand is 173-190gr . It's powder burn rate and load pressure that is critical. My older brother did good Match shooting with the Sierra 168gr MatchKing over IMR4064.
Post WWII, there were even some Alaskan guides that used M1's with 220gr for back-up for clients hunting brown bears. I can think of worse choices.

well I would say a semi auto loaded with 220's which penetrate the best of all bullets except to be barely beat by the 375 H&H is one of the best choices

 

[Sunray]

"...pull the gas plug and shoot as a straight pull..." Nope. The plug holds the gas tube with the front sight on the rifle.
2900 FPS is only 100 fps faster the .30 M2.
CIP and SAAMI specs are actually pretty close to the same.
http://kwk.us/pressures.html
Monarch, an Academy brand name, is not currently made by Prvi according to Academy. Made in Russia by Barnaul.
"...150 gr. bullets are an ideal weight for an M-1..." Nope. The rifle was designed and tested using M1906 ammo with its 174.5 grain bullet at 2,647 ft/s. No 150 grain ammo(that was a 152 grain bullet) until 1940. Best bullet weight for an M1 is a 168 grain match bullet with IMR4064.

 

[equin]

Lots of good info here:
http://www.garandgear.com/m1-garand-ammunition

Got one on my M1, but have not tested, still got Greek HXP let from when I bought the rifle from the CMP.

I got one of those plugs, too. So far, 150 gr commercial ammo and M2 ball cycles fine on my Garand.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Monarch = Barnaul?
Really? Bought these recently, just for the brass cases.
Maybe the steel case .223 and 7.62.
I won't let that stuff follow me home...