I'm looking to shoot for the first time an H&R M1 Garand I just got. I recently bought some Winchester "Super X" 150 gr rounds in anticipation of shooting it some weekend at the range. I've read that the rifle is one of the most sturdiest made semi-autos ever designed, but I have also read of unfortunate Garand owners who have had their rifles blow up in their faces because of the pressure generated by the powder, regardless of being of a grain like 150. Can somebody please tell me if this stuff is safe to shoot in this rifle? If not, what should I buy in terms of commercial ammunition and what am I looking at price wise? Reloading is not an immediate option for me at this time. Thanks.
M1 GARAND: Commercial ammo question.
- Thread starter Teppo87
- Start date
NB.nagantsniper
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- northern nb
you need ammo that replicates the same pressure / velocity of ww2 era military ammo.
i have an article on reloading for the m1 garand ( old but very helpful) scanned and will forward it to any who pm me with an email address.
its a reloading article but the info is useful for the question you ask.
from don
i have an article on reloading for the m1 garand ( old but very helpful) scanned and will forward it to any who pm me with an email address.
its a reloading article but the info is useful for the question you ask.
from don
No.
Usually the problem is out of battery slam firing, which is not something you would expect with factory ammunition. There are specific techniques used when handloading for M-1s, M-14s, etc, to avoid this.
An M-1 is a strong rifle from the standpoint being able to withstand pressure.
The problem is gas port pressure. Some commercial ammunition, using slower burning powders, can produce too much pressure at the port; this hammers the action.
I cannot tell your whether the 150gr Super-X is an appropriate M-1 load or not. If it were my rifle, I would shoot it, and observe the ejection, the fired cases. It is not as if you are going to run cases of this ammunition through the rifle.
The biggest danger of shooting factory loaded ammunition in your M1 is bending your op rod because the gas port pressure is too high.
Shooting Commercial Ammunition in your M1 Garand
http://www.garandgear.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106:shooting-commercial-ammunition-in-your-m1-garand&catid=39
Shooting Commercial Ammunition in your M1 Garand
http://www.garandgear.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106:shooting-commercial-ammunition-in-your-m1-garand&catid=39
If reloading is not an option, American Eagle M1 Garand ammo is the way to go. Box looks the same as regular box of AE ammo with a little pic of a garand on it. Duplicates the M2 ball load and is pretty easy to find, in Edmonton at least...$22/box of 20.
Kukri blade
Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland
I got one of Pocketfisherman's adjustable gas plugs for my '43 Winchester. If I'm shooting a really obscene load like a 180 pill I'll take out the gas jet completely and it functions as a bolt action.
- Location
- Beaverlodge, Alberta
Hornady M1 match is another option but after 4 or 5 boxes of that you would have been nbetter off to buy a lee 50th kit and run out your first 100 rds to boot. If you can afford even a hammered shot out Garand these days u can afford to hand load. Heed the warnings about primers though, use the hardest primers u can get and seat them as deep as you can.
^^^This^^^ is the answer.
Buy one of Pocketfisherman's jet kits and enjoy your Garand.
As was said, you can leave the jet right out and the rifle will just be a manual bolt action straight pull. Thus, even heavy ammo won't hurt it at all.
I picked up three boxes from P&D a couple of weeks ago. The guy wasn't sure if they had more in the back and I was good with the three I picked up. WSS or Cabelas's DOES NOT carry it. Haven' tried Milarm but next time I plan a trip downtown I will stop at both places to check...............may not hurt to phone ahead either.
Just got an email back from Milarm that they DO NOT carry AE .30-06 ammo for the M1 Garand.............but they assured me that I can shot any 150gr .30-06 ammo from it.
They are FOS on this one and most any other Garand related questions.
Commercial .30-06 ammo can indeed be shot in a Garand, but at the risk of damaging the op rod as commercial loadings use powders which are too slow for the gas system and carry a risk of damaging the op rod.
There are currently only 2 commercial loadings available for the Garand. These are the Federal/American Eagle 150gr loading in boxes marked specifically for the Garand and the Hornady 168gr match loading for the Garand. MILSPEC Garand ammo hasn't been available in quantity for 18 yrs or so, but it does sometimes turn up at a gunshow.
If you don't reload and want to use commercial .30-06 ammo, the only option is to use one of the after market adjustable gas plugs for the Garand.
If you do reload:
-use only IMR 4895,IMR 4064 and H4895 powder as these generate the correct gas port pressure pulse for the rifle and are capable of excellent accuracy to boot.
-use only 150, 165 and 168gr bullets.
-FL resize cases after firing and do not use brass for more than 5 firing cycles
-keep cases trimmed below max OAL.
-seat primers below flush with the case head.
Kukri blade
Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland
Also some commercial loadings, namely Federal have softer primers. Soft primers can cause the weapon to fire out of battery, potentially causing a lot of damage to the shooter and rifle.
It s good for rifle Garand this ammo
- Location
- Beaverlodge, Alberta
Prvi is a hot load. If it was me I wouldn't shoot it in my Garand. Seriously you guys reloading is not hard, it just takes some attention to detail and the price of about 10 boxes of cheap factory op rod smashing ammo to get going. Buy a single stage press, dies powder bullets primers and a manual and do it. You will never want to shoot factory crap again.
Prvi has good brass though!
Prvi has good brass though!
