303 british and Garand @ 1000meters??

[Donpedro]

I have a no. 4mk1 That I have had for a couple of years. I mostly shoot 200 meters cause PoCo Is the range I tend to go to. I've handloaded with mostly using Hornadys 150gr. sp. At 200m it shoots just over 3" on a god day. Me and a buddy found a great spot for some long range shooting but we estimated around 800m to 1000m. Its one clearing to the next and safe to shoot but not at closer ranges. We were thinking of building a stand with a fairly large gong to shoot at. My questions are will the 150s that I shoot (loading data says 2600FPS) Reach out that far?? I am ordering the sierra 174HPBT but they will be a little while and I will have to see what load works well with them. My other question is a friend has a Garand with surplus ball ammo which we dont know the weight of bullet? anyone know what garands like for bullet weights?

Thanks for the advice and we are gonna try anyways just to find out the hard way.

 

[Obtunded]

Just givver! The 150's will get there... not quickly, but they'll get there.

In case you didn't know, John Parsons that runs the PoCo range is a reloading guru... good guy and he sells all manner of reloading stuff too.

 

[Mystic Precision]

I have shot a lot of 150gr Hornady's into far reaching clear cuts. It will work just fine. Wind drift will be higher then more effecient bullets but who cares.

My Lee's all shot this bullet well over H335 and CCI BR2 primers. I would look at Benchmark if loading today.

I never got time to but would suggest you try the 174gr FMJBT by Hornady over Varget and a match primer. You know this bullet diameter is working.

The Sierra is also a nice bullet but bore diameter may limit its accuracy. Only one way to find out.

For the Garand, stick to 150/155gr bullets with moderate pressure loads. There is tons of info on orig M1 specs on the internet (150gr at 2650 to 2700fps). Stay within these specs to keep these old rigs running happy and not breaking. H4895 has probably sent more lead down range in Garands then other powders put together. I would also test Benchmark.

Match primers matter when distances get longer.

Sounds like you are about to have way too much fun. If you can, find a boulder so you don't have to keep retrieving your gong at the end of the day.

Jerry

 

[sunray]

"...surplus ball..." .30 M2 ammo used a 152 grain bullet with IMR4895. However, the rifle was designed to use .30 M1 ammo with its 174.5 grain bullet. The M2 ammo came along in 1939 and was standardized at 2800fps MV to match the ballistics of the .30 AP ammo.
165 grain hunting bullets give good accuracy with IMR4064 powder. 168 grain match bullets with the same powder shoot exceptionally well. 150's will do nicely for general shooting, but the heavier bullet is more accurate. Especially at longer ranges.
Be very sure of what is behind your gong.