PS 79 M2 Ammo

[wantabe]

I just pulled three bullets in PS 79 M2 ammo.
151 grain bullet- 59 grains of powder.
It is a ball powder.
I think it will be to hot for Garand.

Anyone know what powder they used?

Information

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[no4mk1t]

IMR4895 was the original powder for M2 Ball. The lots loaded at the end of production by Lake City in the early 70's was loaded with Ball powder. That fact by itself is of no consequence.
Chronograph the ammo. M2 specs call for 2740 fps at 78 feet from the muzzle. This is equivilent to ~2800 fps muzzle velocity. Commercial 30-06 with a 150gr. bullet is loaded to 2900 fps.
If the ammo chronos 2800, you can assume that is is safe to shoot in the M1. There was no Ordnance Dept. specification for port pressure.

Identifying the powder used in either commercial or military ammo is a moot point. Whatever powder is used will be a non-canister grade if it is a recognized brand/number such as 4895. In the case of foreign military ammo, it is likely supplied by a source not available to handloaders anyway. In either case, you can't get exactly what they used, so knowing doesn't matter. Even in the case of M2 Ball loaded with 4895, the charge weight is determined for each lot by the ballistic lab prior to loading a lot of ammo. That figure may or may not be usable with the can of 4895 you bought in the reloading store.