M1 Garand Reloading Question

[VAPA]

Is the Greek ammo sold by CMP reloadable?

[Culina]

Yes, the Greek HXP headstamped 30-06 M2 ammo is reloadable

[Mike, SC Hunter]

Yes. I do it all the time. Just chamfer the case mouth after sizing. Check Widner's on line........They sometimes have good prices on 147 gr. ball(bullets).

[VAPA]

Any suggested load data, I understand care must be taken to prevent damage to the operating ror.

[mkk41]

Originally Posted by VAPA

Any suggested load data, I understand care must be taken to prevent damage to the operating ror.

Most loading manuals have a section for semi-auto service rifles. Stick with powders in the 4895/4064/Varget burn rate.

[Ron H.]

Originally Posted by VAPA

Any suggested load data, I understand care must be taken to prevent damage to the operating ror.

Sir, there are a few little "gotchas" to know about when loading for the Garand.

* Make sure your primers are seated below flush.
* Stick with powders in the IMR 4895 to IMR 4064 burn rate range.
* Stick with bullets from 150 to 175 grains.
* Don't hot-rod your loads. Keep 150s around 2,700 to 2,800 fps and 168s/175s around 2,500 to 2,600 fps.
* Full-length resize your brass after every firing.
* Know your brass. USGI .30 M2 brass and commercial .30-'06 brass have different internal volumes. USGI brass is thicker than most commercial brass, and so requires lighter powder charges, typically about 2 grains, than data for commercial brass. I haven't loaded any HXP, so don't know what its internal capacity is. When in doubt, start light.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

[Culina]

I load my HXP and Lake City brass with 46 grains of IMR 4895 using 147-150gr ball and 168gr HPBT's. I have gone up to 48-49 grains but I noticed no other difference than more recoil and stretched brass. Since I am just punching holes in paper, I didn't see any benefit to a few extra feet per second. Most of my Garands will still function with only 44 grains of IMR 4895

[MMA10mm]

In addition to the excellent info above, I'd also warn you, even with correct burn-rate powder (4895), never exceed 49.5 grs, even if a load manual says it is safe. The M1's gas system works on a combination of gas pressure AND volume.

Port pressure at 23" down the barrel is basically impossible to measure outside a lab, which is why we should stick by the axiom of 4895 or 4064 burn rate range powders. The labs have verified these powders produce the right pressure of about 10,000 lbs at the port. As far as gas volume, with most of the cannister powders available today (I'm not sure about the new triple-base powder), 50grs is the limit per Hatcher's Book of the Garand. That 50.0grs produces about all the gas volume you want to put into the system - regardless of how fast or slow the powder is, or what the reload manual says you can go to.

[HighPowerShooter]

for my blasting loads (150gr M2 loads) I run 48.0gr Varget which gets me almost right at 2800fps

For my target or match loads I run 46.0gr Varget with the 168gr SMK

both loads use CCI200 primers seated 0.003" below flush.

Got my first EIC LEG points using a Garand a few years back

[ArchAngelCD]

My current favorite M1 Garand load is a 150gr bullet over a charge of 46.4gr H4895 in Greek HXP brass. It's a very accurate load in my Garand...

[medalguy]

With the HXP brass there is a small 3-notched primer crimp that you may or may not need to remove before priming. Try a couple of cases and see if you can reprime it, it varies with the brass. If it needs to be removed, use a light twist with a chamfering reamer. The Dillon swager doesn't seem to work as well on the Greek brass as it does on USGI, for me anyway.

[Forrest r]

I’ve owned several Garands over the years; the last one was a tanker Garand in 308. That short bbl’d tanker was the most accurate Garand I’ve ever owned. That thing would easily shoot sub MOA with 168g match bullets.

The Greek ammo can be reloaded by using the same methods as any other military brass. I like to use a RCBS primer pocket swagger on the Greek brass or any other military brass for that matter. It just makes things easier & I get better/more consistent reloads with the uniform primer pockets.

There’s 2 ways to go when reloading for the M1 Garand, old school & welcome to the twentieth century.

The old school way:
You got to protect that fragile op rod at all costs & can only use a couple of different powders that will match the pressure needed to operate the rifle without harming/breaking it. So most people did the “standard” loads for their garands & hoped their rifles would like the loads & not spray them all over the targets. The “standard” loads are pretty simple
3.340 OAL
49g IMR4895 147-150 fmj
46g IMR4895 168g match bullet

Welcome to the twentieth century:
Buy one of the adjustable gas plugs & shoot what you want. These things flat out work allowing you to dial/tune the rifle to a load. These things are caveman simple, just open the gas valve open all the way. That turns the Garand into a single shot rifle & test your loads. When you find a load you can live with simple start to tighten the valve (allen head screw) in the gas plug until the rifle functions/ throws brass. You can adjust these plugs so that the rifle will throw the brass 6” away to a standard throw of a couple feet away. These plugs will aid in accuracy, adjusting the plug will adjust the bbl’s vibration changing the harmonics of the bbl. The only thing you have to worry about when reloading for the Garand & using 1 of these plugs is the OAL of the ammo.

I’ve used these plugs on different garands for years, they do work. No more chasing brass, no more limits on what powder/bullet combo I could use. No more worrying about damaging the op rod & exceptional accuracy out of a wide varity of loads. If you own a Garand you should get one of these, it’s the best money you’ll ever spend on that rifle.
DCM Adjustable Gas Plug Wrench M1 Garand Steel Parkerized

[SWKilroy]

Originally Posted by Forrest r

Welcome to the twentieth century:
Buy one of the adjustable gas plugs & shoot what you want.

Forrest is 100% right! I own one of those plugs and they really work. John C. Garand did not build his rifle with an adjustable gas system because he aimed at building a battle rifle designed to function under the most adverse circumstances, using standard military ammo.

But us Garand users of today have little reason to stick to his wisdom since we don't usually dip the rifle in mud just for the fun of it.

I have been reloading for Garands for thirty years, and because I acquired my habits back then I still cling to "the old way" most of the time. But that's just because I am old and old-fashoned. And, I own and shoot too many Garands to buy one adjustable gas plug for each one of them.

But if I had to use only one Garand or two as my shooters, I would develop my loads as needed (hunting, target, etc.) and would adjust the rifles to the load - using adjustable plugs -rather than the other way round.

Cheers, and may your ears forever rejoice hearing your eight-round clips singing their merry "piiing" at the end of another good string!

[VAPA]

Are the Small-Base RCBS dies required or can stanadrd Full-Length sizer dies be used?

[Ron H.]

Originally Posted by VAPA

Are the Small-Base RCBS dies required or can stanadrd Full-Length sizer dies be used?

Sir, FWIW, I've never needed small base dies for any of my M1s, and that includes a couple match rifles with Krieger and Obermeyer barrels. Standard FL resize dies (mine are RCBS) have been fine.

I do prefer a good micrometer seating die (mine are Redding) for match guns, but that's not really necessary for a service grade rifle. Think "nice to have" rather than "must have."

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, I have never seen a Garand which needed anything but standard dies to load ammo.

[MMA10mm]

Originally Posted by VAPA

Are the Small-Base RCBS dies required or can stanadrd Full-Length sizer dies be used?

If you still haven't bought dies, I strongly recommend you get the standard (not small base) X-die set from RCBS. Snce full-length resizing is basically mandatory for the M1, this die will make your brass last much longer by minimizing case stretching during the resizing step.

[dirty gary]

I haven't reloaded any of that Greek brass, but have some in shop. Just went and looked at several and noticed some (not all) have a SERIOUS bayonet-type crimp on the primer (3 slashes). May have to spend a little time making them uniform, but it looks good to go.