M1 Garand Accuracy Issues

Wiseguym70

Wiseguym70

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Saskatchewan
Hello!,

i just was out shooting my m1! i was noticing that the bullets were landing everywhere on the target and sometimes not even on the paper. i was using a lead sled and some american eagle M1 ammo, the thing is that i have shot some reloads my friend did and i was getting decent accuracy ( 2 inches out of a so so barrel) could it be just this batch of ammo or could it be that just my garand doesn't like it?
 
Could be the ammo. While I'm not a Garand guy, I am an M1A guy and the difference between reloads that your rifle likes versus commercial ammo it hates could be quite large. Double or triple the group size of the reloads would not surprise me.
 
Worn barrels like flat base bullets with plenty of bearing surface to contact the bore. As an example I had a 03-A3 with a worn bore and it shot the Hornady 170 flat point made for the 30-30 the best. I think the softer lead core and thinner jacket allowed the bullet to fill the worn bore better but they made a big improvement in accuracy. And boat tail bullets shot the largest groups, meaning the condition of the muzzle and the type of bullet has a big effect on accuracy. "Plus" I borrowed a friends lead sled and was not impressed with my groups and think it flexed or just didn't hold the stock like good sandbags rests do.

My 2 cents
 
There is many possible issues that could cause erratic performance of your M1. Have you checked your Oprod clearance. Is should not contact the lowerband or stock anywhere. Your gastube and front sight should be tight with no movement. Headspacing can certianly have an effect. Where does your barrel gauge (chamber and paticularly muzzle erosion). If all other things check out, stock fit and trigger guard tension can have a pronounced effect. The American Eagle M1 loaded ammo isn't specifically well known for accuracy, but it generally should shoot well enough out to 500 meters or so.
 
If reloads are shooting That much better than the American Eagle commercial ammo, then the "so so" barrel is not "so so". It would appear the barrel is substandard and the more refined ammo is taking up the slack. Scientific principal would have you shoot the ammo through a different firearm. If the results on paper are similar it would be the ammo. If rebarreling is not an option, check the crowning on the barrel. It is possible that you might be able to clean it up a bit and get a bit better accuracy.
 
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