NEW Ammo in Garand

[garyc]

In 1926 the Army specd a 172 grain boat tail at about 2700 fps but difficluty in getting it to shoot in the Garand led them to go back to the 150 grain bullet at a reduced fps.

One of the newer reloading manuals ( I think it was Hornady) has a section specifically for the M1 Garand so if you can beg or borrow one you can check out the bullet wieghts and pressures they recommned for the rifle.

As I recall, the Spec for WWII 30-06 M2 Ball ammunition was a 150 Grain Spire Point flat base bullet at about 2640 FPS..

I have done handloads for the Garand and there is a little leeway but anything too far off the M2 ball Spec can result in feeding problems since the cartridge may not generate the right amount of pressure to either fully operate the action, or in the case of a hotter load generates too much pressure such that the action operates faster and with more force than the normal timing. The latter is the most dangerous. The Garand receiver is pretty strong but the return spring, operating piston and clip feed etc were designed to operate the action within the pressure levels of the M2 Ball Cartridge. Changes in the operation of action timing can cause problems like a bent operating rod, feed problems or worse.

You can check the specs on the cartdiges you have and see how close to the M2 pressure range they are. If they exceed it by much I would think twice about it. Assuming the cartridges you have left were very expensive and cost $1 per round one has to ask if $16 (two clips worth) is worth damaging the rifle. Op Rods are pretty expensive. Since it sounds like the first batch you shot worked ok you could chance it but it only takes 1 round to cause a problem.

I tend to be pretty conservative when it comes to loads in my Garands but thats just me. They came up with the M2 ball because the heavier bullets and pressures caused some problems with the Garand unlike the '03 which could digest a much wider variety of cartridges.

Thats my 2 cents worth , am sure you will get info from folks more knowledgable than myself.

G