Reloading M1 Garand - SO Much To Digest - Questions

[rcolarco]

Originally Posted by USriflecal30

Pretty much the same, H4895 feeds a lot better than IMR4895 tho. I used IMR once, and once only. I seem to have settled around 46.5 gr with whatever bullets I'm trying. Shoot same stuff out of all the Garands, M1903s, and M1917.

Darn. You're making this too simple.

I never knew reloading for the M1 was complicated until the Internet came along. I was reloading accurate ammunition for decades in blissful ignorance until all the experts told me I was doing it all wrong, I had to spend all my time endlessly tweaking loads. I always thought my time was better spent on the range.

[Kilo-Sierra]

Originally Posted by rcolarco

Darn. You're making this too simple.

I never knew reloading for the M1 was complicated until the Internet came along. I was reloading accurate ammunition for decades in blissful ignorance until all the experts told me I was doing it all wrong, I had to spend all my time endlessly tweaking loads. I always thought my time was better spent on the range.

I shoot the same load out of each wood gun. All of them shoot well. 46.5grs of any suitable garand friendly powder and damn near ANY bullet will outshoot most of the guys squeezing the trigger.

A guy at Talladega (200yds) the other day enlightened me with his superior handloading and shootin' skills. He told me he weighs each load down to the hundredths. His load was 44.25grs of Varget. He was shooting from the bench and could barely hold the 6 ring. He was pontificating to other shooters what a great accomplishment that was. He was REALLY annoying. I kept my mouth shut until I heard him tell a couple other shooters "I don't need no fancy shooting jacket like that guy". OK...now he involved me. I had just shot a clean with my 03a3 and 1917 and both scores were still on the monitors.

One of the new shooters came over and made a big deal out of my target on the monitors. He even shot my 03 a few times. I showed him how to use the sling. He loved it and I convinced him to get off the bench and learn position shooting and (hopefully) will start competing.

I throw ALL of my loads these days. I even throw my 600yd High Power ammo. I can still clean 600 with a good x-count using this method. Too many shooters get caught up in gadgets and internet BS....they forget the finger squeezing the trigger is THE most important piece of the puzzle.

cheers to all...!

Keith

[junnie]

Originally Posted by Unclenick

Did he regret it, or did he go down the poverty chute with a smile on his face?

took out several reverse mortgages to live on, 85 plus, so I guess he'll end up ok, unless he blows this too.... don't know how reverse mortgages work? Some ones going to get screwed....

[junnie]

above shooter, I assume you shoot off hand, kneeling, sitting and prone?

[Kilo-Sierra]

Originally Posted by junnie

above shooter, I assume you shoot off hand, kneeling, sitting and prone?

If you are referring to me...yes. Slow prone, prone rapid, and standing in our wood gun matches....all at 200yds (except reduced matches which are 100yds).

Standing , sitting rapid....at 200yds. Prone rapid at 300yds. Slow prone at 600yds in HP matches.

Keith

[britrifles]

What Keith said is undeniably true. I proved this to myself the hard way. I spent way too long playing with handloads on the bench and never learned to shoot that way. My shooting skills only started to improve once I got off the bench and stopped worrying about reload recipes.

Obviously, you should not exceed published data. In my M1, 1903 and several No. 4 Lee Enfields (in 7.62 and .303) accuracy shows no improvement in weighing every charge. The shooter is the biggest variable when you are dealing with the M1 and other Military service rifles.

[Kilo-Sierra]

Originally Posted by britrifles

What Keith said is undeniably true. I proved this to myself the hard way. I spent way too long playing with handloads on the bench and never learned to shoot that way. My shooting skills only started to improve once I got off the bench and stopped worrying about reload recipes.

Obviously, you should not exceed published data. In my M1, 1903 and several No. 4 Lee Enfields (in 7.62 and .303) accuracy shows no improvement in weighing every charge. The shooter is the biggest variable when you are dealing with the M1 and other Military service rifles.

Says the guy who owns the most accurate Enfield I have ever seen!

Keith

[rcolarco]

Some people are happy with the 6-ring. He probably cuts individual grains of powder in half to get his 1/100 of grain loads. Sure seems to pay off......

[britrifles]

Originally Posted by rcolarco

Some people are happy with the 6-ring. He probably cuts individual grains of powder in half to get his 1/100 of grain loads. Sure seems to pay off......

I get a laugh out of guys who weigh their charges to one hundredth of a grain. I think you would have to shave down the end of that last grain to get the weight with .01 grains. My scale only reads to .1 gr so I guess I’ll never be able to get an accurate load!

[Bullet Caster]

Well, I guess I'll have to chime in here since I've been reloading for over 5 years now. I studied the internet even before I got my press and researched what powder was THE recommended powder for the M1 Garand. I found even more information when I started pulling old military rounds down, saving the brass, powder and projectiles. I weighed every powder charge and projectile I've ever pulled down and the old M2 ball cartridges were nearly identical over the years I pulled down (from 1938 to 1958). Nearly all the projectiles were 150 grain either flat base or boat tail FMJ and nearly all the powder charges averaged 47.5 grains of IMR 4895 either short cut or long cut powder. So that's the specs I use for reloading for the Garand. However I cast my own 200 grain lead bullets that are gas checked and load them over 37 grains of IMR 4895. You just can't push lead as fast as you can FMJ projectiles. The 37 grains are just enough to cycle the rifle and don't throw the brass so far you cannot retrieve it. When I reload the FMJ I use the full compliment of 47.5 grains of IMR 4895 and I usually crimp the cartridges kinda tight. Don't want any moving bullets in my cartridges when using them. I know I'm gonna have to get me a Schuster adjustable gas plug when I go to shoot some of my commercial 180 grain hunting rounds. Don't want to bend my nice NM op rod that came on the rifle.