Need ammo advice for Garand

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7mmsavage

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I went out yesterday to try and find some ammo for the M1. I can usually find some kind of surplus at one of the local gun shops, but no luck this time. Finally, a guy at one of the stores, who seemed very knowledgable, told me I could use commercial ammo as long as I stayed under 150 gr. Everything I read about my Garand says use only military ball ammo, but I know that a lot of people handload too. My father and I and I are going shooting this weekend to celebrate fathers day, so I needed something quick, and bought a couple boxes of 147 gr. fmj. Does this sound OK to any of you Garand experts out there? Thanks
 
If I'm remembering right, M2 Ball pushed a 150-grain bullet at about 2900fps. So ammo about that spec or a bit below should be fine.

Only place I've seen non-corrosive .30-06 ball for sale for a while has been CMP.
 
Check out sportsmansguide.com. It not going to be an immediate solution but they have '70s production 30-06 coming in soon, very reasonably priced and packed in stripper clips and bandoliers. I believe they are about $56 for 196 rounds but i don't know if it is corrosive or not. Personally I don't really care about that since i clean dilligently after every shooting session so I put in a sizeable order.
 
Finally, a guy at one of the stores, who seemed very knowledgable, told me I could use commercial ammo as long as I stayed under 150 gr.
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I don't know about that. My understanding (limited as it is) is that the rate at which the powder burns is most important (although I do not know enough to state that the bullet weight does not effect it as well). The main problem with commercial ammo (as I understand it) is that the powder burns too slowly, and causes excessive pressure which can bend the op-rod. Get some expert advice on the ammo before you shoot it up.
 
Commercial ammo in a Garand

I used a few boxes of Remington green box 150 grain in my Garand without many ill effects. But there are many threads and a lot of commentary in the milsurp forums about pressure curves and how fast the powder burns in addition to the bullet weight. Most of it boils down to non-magnum 30-06 in 150 grain bullets is ind of OK - until it isn't - and that could be sudden.

When I was using the Remington ammo, I would get misfeeds where the round was literally bent. That suggested to me that maybe things were moving a little too fast and a little too hard for comfort.

So, I installed a Schuster adjustable gas valve, tuned it for the Remington ammo I like and it works like a dream. No more bent rounds. It's easy to adjust and get tuned and with it installed you can shoot darn near any 30-06 you want.
 
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