Reloading for M1 Garand

[Skeptic13]

I recently purchased a M1 Garand Service grade from the CMP. This is my first Garand and my first attempt at reloading 30-06 for a Garand. I looked up M1 Garand Service Rifle load data on hodgdonreloading.com and for a 150 gr bullet and IMR 4895 they show a powder charge of 49 gr – 50.5 gr and a COL or 3.25”. I loaded 20 rounds with 49.5 gr of IMR 4895 at the suggested COL and a 150 gr FMJ with a cannelure from Everglades Ammo and took them to the range. All of the rounds cycled in the rifle just fine and once I got the sights aligned were as accurate as my old eyes can be at 50 yards with open sights. But here are a few questions for those of you more knowledgeable about M1 Garands and reloading for them:


1. When I loaded these rounds at the 3.25 COL the rim of the cartridge was below the cannelure. Is there a problem if I seat the bullet lower and shorten the COL or should I leave it and not worry about the cannelure?

2. Is there a different bullet that would be better to use?

3. I got some weird ejection patterns. Most rounds ejected at 4 oclock but there were 4-5 that ejected straight in front. Is that normal?

4. Is there any other words of wisdom you can give me for reloading for this rifle?

 

[badkarmamib]

1. My Garand had a VERY generous chamber. Couldn't get the bullet to touch the lands and the case at the same time. If it feeds as-is, and is accurate, I would leave it, but some fine tuning could improve things.

2. Mine liked Hornady SP 150s.

3. Front ejection is due to the op rod hitting the case during forward travel. Part of the reason I sold mine; it is a reloader's nightmare. Half your brass is lost forever, half of what you recover is dented or split beyond repair. My sample of one, with erosion gauges of 2 throat and muzzle.

4. Patience, as with anything else, take the effort to see what your rifle likes, as time and budget allow.

 

[Chief TC]

Ahhh, the fun of Garand reloading. It will be an adventure. I'm still trying different things and seeing what powders work well. A few things I've read and learned so far:
- Always FL resize brass for proper feeding
- I use 168gr Hornady BTs - they seem to perform much better than 150s. And you can get factory seconds from Midway and other sources for a good price. (at least in today's prices).
- I mainly use Varget, 46gr seems to be the sweet spot for this powder. Many other powders will work but follow the reloading data for M1 Garand specifically to stay within the right pressures to protect your op rod.
- You don't need to crimp
- Always best if you can measure your OAL and then see what works best and you need to stay within what the magazine will tolerate for length. You know the general rule is the bullet off the lands around .015-.030 to perform best but using the 168s, I could go as long at 3.34 but my rifle seems to like about 3.27, so that standard does not always hold true.

I have had zero problems reloading for my M1 Garand and I've been able to achieve excellent accuracy..

 

[Alaskamike]

Hodgdons data always seemed too hot for me. My Garand load using 150 grain bullets is 47 gr IMR4895. I would absolutely never go up to 50.5 grains, no matter how safe Hodgdon claims it to be. The Garand can handle chamber pressure just fine--however high gas port pressures are what damage op rods, and I want a healthy margin of safety for my M1s.

I also really like 168 grain Sierra Match Kings with 46 grains of Varget. That's an excellent and very safe load.

 

[.38 Special]

I've used mostly 150 FMJ in mine, and when there is a cannelure I use it, with a mild crimp. That doesn't help accuracy or case life, but the 150s haven't been terribly accurate for me to begin with, and as mentioned above, the Garand is hell on cases anyway.

I also have avoided warm loads and think Hornady is on the high side. The only reason I can think of to advance much past starting loads for the Garand is long-range competition. For plinking and casual target work - especially at fifty or a hundred yards - a few extra grains offer no advantage at all, so why beat on an old rifle?

 

[KY DAN]

Lube your ammo with a case lube such as rcbs sprat lube when you shoot. (It will be much easier on your brass)

Uniform your primer pockets so the primers seat .006 below the surface. ( I was worried about slam fires)

If the cartridge seat the cartridge is fired.

Stay within the pressure and velocity of M2 military 30 cal ball ammunition and no damage should occur to the rifle.

It's a special needs rifle but one which will bring much joy.

 

[rg1]

Military M2 -150gr FMJ bt’s the cannelures are in the correct place for 30-06 Garand loads. I load Hornady 150gr FMJ’s a lot. Older Hornady Manuals listed tested OAL at 3.260” which puts the cannelures out in front of the case mouth. Later Hornady manuals list OAL as tested at 3.185” which puts the cannelures at the proper place for crimping. I’ve shot them at both lengths and they cycled fine and couldn’t see a difference in accuracy. Crimping isn’t totally necessary but I like to crimp. Chambers in Garands tend to be long so watch your cases for stretching. May want to check your fired cases for shoulders with a headspace gauge and not oversize the shoulders? All my 150 grain bullets with IMR 4895 use the same loads at 47-47.5 grains. I wouldn’t load any higher than 48 grains of IMR 4895 with 150 gr bullets. Working up loads, no need to go below 45 grains and no higher than 48 with IMR 4895.and 150’s. Like mentioned Garands are rough on cases. Have fun with your Garand!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The OAL in the data is not written in stone. They are only reporting what they used and for that bullet. If your bullet comes hairy a cannelure, similar to cast bullets that is the proper crimp placement for THAT bullet. Since you are not loading at the top end of the load range excessive pressure should not be a problem. When I was lucky enough to find several thousand 150gr M2 bullets the OAL I loaded to is 3.300" because that worked well in my M1. When loading a 168gr bullet my OAL can be 3.225" to 3.235" depending on the bullet brand.

 

[rg1]

Now it’s hard to find true M2 bullets. One source are Prvi Partizan 308” M2 150 gr FMJ. They duplicate the look of Garand loads with the cannelures correctly placed for 30-06. Available at Graf and Sons.

 

[cfullgraf]

Just because a bullet has a cannelure, it does not mean you have to seat the bullet to the cannelure. I frequently use match bullets in my Grands which usually do not have a cannelure.

I do not crimp any bullets I use in semi-auto rifles, AR-15's (numerous different cartridges), Garands, M1A's. But you do need to insure you have sufficient neck tension.

If you can spread a drop cloth out where you shoot, it makes finding cases easier. As said, sometimes the op rod catches the case on ejection which disrupts the ejection pattern. Garands can be hard on brass at times but I rarely lose a case to damage or the Bermuda Triangle.

The load you are using is a bit higher than I use. Mine are loaded a bit slower (30-50 fps) than the specified velocity fir M2 ammunition.

Enjoy your Garand.

 

[mdi]

When I started loading for my Garand I used a lot of HXP brass I fired, I bought a couple 200 round cans from CMP. Being new to semi-auto rifle reloading I found some 147 gr pulls and used Master Po's data. I wanted plain "white bread" loads more for function than accuracy. Most seemed a bit hot so I used the data pretty conservatively. Commercial 30 cal bullets held side by side with mil pulls showed cannelures location varies, so I used book OAL as a "guideline". I did a bunch of testing and found my Garand didn't need crimped ammo (CMP Special Grade w/Criterion barrel) so I quickly disregarded cannelure location on all bullets. I found ejection patterns varied considerably with loads/pressures and experience all directions tossing brass from 12 o'clock to 4-5 o'clock.

 

[1KPerDay]

I also ignore the cannelure, load as long as will function/chamber properly, and don't crimp. Hornady's data is notoriously conservative. But it's not a bad idea to treat these old girls with kindness and not try to hot-rod them. They're not making them anymore.

 

[Jeremy2171]

Your ejection pattern is probably off if you haven't lubricated it with grease properly.

The correct ejection pattern is 7 rounds out near 1 o'clock and #8 back around 4 o'clock.

Check your oprod spring and ensure it's at least 19.5" long.

Hornady data is definitely weak and hogdon is closer to milspec numbers.

Garand specific data only is somewhat misleading. You will be hard pressed to cause damage to your if it's properly greased and springs in spec.

There is no limit on bullet weight either. I just shot some 220s and other than the kick the rifle acted like it was any other ammo.


Ignore the cannelure...seat to what gives you the best accuracy.

 

[Chief TC]

Now it’s hard to find true M2 bullets. One source are Prvi Partizan 308” M2 150 gr FMJ. They duplicate the look of Garand loads with the cannelures correctly placed for 30-06. Available at Graf and Sons.

The PPU ammo for M1 Garand that I have used never had cannelures

Your ejection pattern is probably off if you haven't lubricated it with grease properly.

The correct ejection pattern is 7 rounds out near 1 o'clock and #8 back around 4 o'clock.

Check your oprod spring and ensure it's at least 19.5" long.

Hornady data is definitely weak and hogdon is closer to milspec numbers.

Garand specific data only is somewhat misleading. You will be hard pressed to cause damage to your if it's properly greased and springs in spec.

There is no limit on bullet weight either. I just shot some 220s and other than the kick the rifle acted like it was any other ammo.


Ignore the cannelure...seat to what gives you the best accuracy.

A second the greasing - super important. Hornady is super conservative but their 46gr of Varget with 168s makes mine perform to the best of its ability.

 

[MutinousDoug]

My Garand load is 48.5gr IMR4895 and Hornady 150gr fmj; cartridge length is 3.30" and bullet not crimped. These easily hold the 10 ring and eject at 4-5 o'clock (most of the time).

 

[Jeremy2171]

eject at 4-5 o'clock (most of the time).

Correct ejection is ~1 o'clock.

If all your brass is going back and right your rifle is running slow.

No lube... Gas issues...etc.

 

[Chief TC]

Correct ejection is ~1 o'clock.

If all your brass is going back and right your rifle is running slow.

No lube... Gas issues...etc.

Mine eject around 1 o’clock as well and a good distance too. But I know some people actually like to run them slower and the brass falls closer to them.

 

[Thomasss]

As you can see there are several ways to shoot a Garand. If you want to use the cannelure, trim your cases a little longer and use it. I don't. I trim near 2.480 and come out just below using 165 grain Interlock SPBT and these do bullets shoot nice with my old eyes using a national match peep. Although I usually shoot 46.4 grains 4064 or Varget. I got an old can of 3031 and am loading it at 43.6 grains. I had to raise my sites quite a bit, but the groups are fantastic seating my bullets at 3.248.

Notice in my 100yard target as I was sighting in with the 3031, the very top hole has 2 bullets through as does the second hole from the top and in the middle 4th & 5th holes has 2 bullets nearly touching.

 

[Skeptic13]

Hodgdons data always seemed too hot for me. My Garand load using 150 grain bullets is 47 gr IMR4895. I would absolutely never go up to 50.5 grains, no matter how safe Hodgdon claims it to be. The Garand can handle chamber pressure just fine--however high gas port pressures are what damage op rods, and I want a healthy margin of safety for my M1s.

I also really like 168 grain Sierra Match Kings with 46 grains of Varget. That's an excellent and very safe load.

Thanks everyone for the comments. One of the main themes I am getting from all of your comments is that the Garand will operate at much lower pressures than Hodgdon publishes. I am going to work up a latter starting at 46.5 and go to 48.5 at .5 increments and make sure that the gun still functions and that it retains suitable accuracy. Then settle at the lowest charge weight that produces acceptable performance. I will also track the changes in the ejection patterns.

My original load was based on the CMP warning not to exceed 50,000 CUP which is 57,898 PSI. 49.5 gr of IMR 4895 should produce pressures below 51,000 PSI or 45,500 CUP. But if going lower helps protect the rifle and gives me longer brass life I am all for going lower.

The gun seems to be very well lubed at this point.

 

[Jeremy2171]

50k cup is 60180 psi

These numbers are both SAAMI spec for max pressure just measured with different equipment.

Many milsurp ammo is near the 60k psi and it's perfectly fine.

Your biggest concern is properly greased (not oiled) and proper oprod spring length.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

For me, since I'm not building ammo for combat so I'm not worried about squeezing the last FPS out of it.

I load a 150gr M2 bullet with 46.4gr H4895, not up near the max which is listed. (when I can get that bullet lol)
That ammo is accurate in my guns and cycles the M1 perfectly.

 

[Skeptic13]

50k cup is 60180 psi

These numbers are both SAAMI spec for max pressure just measured with different equipment.

Many milsurp ammo is near the 60k psi and it's perfectly fine.

Your biggest concern is properly greased (not oiled) and proper oprod spring length.

Well I am certainly not a physicist or even a mechanical engineer so I had to rely on research to come up with my numbers. From what I can tell there is not an exact translation between CUP and PSI as explained in this Wikipedia article.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_units_of_pressure

So I relied on what seems to be the most consistent formula which was published:

PSI TO CUP = (PSI + 17902)/1.516

CUP TO PSI = -17902+(1.516*CUP)

But actually I used an online converter at:

https://calculator.academy/cup-to-psi-calculator/

And I understand you point to be that I shouldn't worry as much about the pressure as long as the gun is properly greased and the op rod spring is the correct length. Thanks.

 

[GooseGestapo]

OP

I recently purchased a M1 Garand Service grade from the CMP. This is my first Garand and my first attempt at reloading 30-06 for a Garand. I looked up M1 Garand Service Rifle load data on hodgdonreloading.com and for a 150 gr bullet and IMR 4895 they show a powder charge of 49 gr – 50.5 gr and a COL or 3.25”. I loaded 20 rounds with 49.5 gr of IMR 4895 at the suggested COL and a 150 gr FMJ with a cannelure from Everglades Ammo and took them to the range. All of the rounds cycled in the rifle just fine and once I got the sights aligned were as accurate as my old eyes can be at 50 yards with open sights. But here are a few questions for those of you more knowledgeable about M1 Garands and reloading for them:


1. When I loaded these rounds at the 3.25 COL the rim of the cartridge was below the cannelure. Is there a problem if I seat the bullet lower and shorten the COL or should I leave it and not worry about the cannelure?

2. Is there a different bullet that would be better to use?

3. I got some weird ejection patterns. Most rounds ejected at 4 oclock but there were 4-5 that ejected straight in front. Is that normal?

4. Is there any other words of wisdom you can give me for reloading for this rifle?

There’s a lot of good info here at THR. I also suggest you look over at the CMP forum. Shooting and tinkering with the M1 is a fascinating rabbit hole!

My M1 loads are as follows.
1. Match (M1 vintage military@200yds):
Hornady 155gr Amax, 48.0gr H4895; OFB, match prepped, 3.33”OAL, CCI LRP , .003” below flush.
Runs 2,775fps and from my CMP special will shoot <2”@100yds. Near 1-hole from my ‘43 Remington’03-A3

2. Range burner #1, alternate match; Speer 168gr BTHP, used -prepped brass; CCI LRP, 46.5gr of H4895 (IMR4895, 4064, Varget, AA2520, SWPrecisionRifle, SW Match rifle - can be substituted.). @3.30”OAL.
3. Range burner #2; Substitute above bullet with any 147-155gr .308” FMJ or SPT. OAL should be 3.150-3.333”. These are your budget rock busters…. Most will shoot under 5” at 100yds… PPU M2’s shoot about like ARMSCOR, blasting grade only..

#4. Short range practice, cheap blasters (yeah, I know, these are CAPABLE loads!)
Lee 160gr .312” PTGC @.311” w/NRA or SPG lube, Hornady.30cal Gaschecked. Over 34.0-36.5 any above listed powder. These will cycle the action and NOT lead up the barrel/gas system. 13.0gr of RedDot, or 20gr of #2400 can be used, but will require manual operation.
Another favorite is the Lee 200gr RNGC over 34.5 gr of H4895. This duplicates the .30-40 Kraig original ballistics @2,050fps. Also, the Lee 170gr FNGC at same powder charge, is excellent short range hunting load. Duplicates.30/30, .303Savage, etc….
I cast the Lee 160gr PtGC in a 6-cavity mold, and size/lube in a Lyman #450. I can do 500 in an afternoon. I don’t care for Powder coat as I don’t see the accuracy I get from conventional lube.

Added: I seat cast to cannelure, and crimp with a Lee factory crimp die.
Pic’s….
O3A3; 155gr Amax match load, 1 sighter shot at left. 200yd battle sight elevation.

 

[S.Crockett]

“.4” …. Per the top M1 Pros-in-the-Know at Camp Perry, 46-47grns of Varget is the M1’s sweet spot with the 150-155grn and 168grn bullets.

 

[edwardware]

The M1 ejects somewhat violently. . . where somewhat means obscenely.

I quite enjoy having a Schuster Adjustable Gas Plug. While it's advertised to let you safely run non-M1 commercial ammo without damage, that's not what I do with it; I run low-end M1 spec ammo, and open the plug to relax the ejection cycle. This results in way less brass damage, gentler cycling, less wear and tear, and less brass in the next zip code. I'm probably missing out on a more authentic experience, but this rifle is twice my age so I'm ok being gentle on it.

Disregard the cannular on your bullets.

If I regularly anneal necks, resize carefully to ~0.005" under chamber, and load at the low end of the charge range, I can get 10+ reloads in brass before the pockets loosen. I do use CCI hard primers too.