Garand Ammo Recommendations

[Baxter]

Recently acquired a Korean War H&R Garand with a 2/2 Throat & Muzzle readings. I want to pass it and all my MilSurp along to my grandkids and would like to leave them a good store of ammo for it.

I've read about a few companies making ammo geared toward the Garand especially.

Has anyone tried it and how does it function? I ran a couple rounds each of Winchester WW2 & Korean War USGI ammo along with new commercial made.

The vintage ammo is definitely loaded hotter than the commercial made.

[Moleman-]

Be careful what ammo you run in a stock M1 as the op rods are prone to bend if run with ammo that gives a higher port pressure. I usually reload and if you do it a good way to get ammo tailored to the M1.

Some reloading books have M1 specific loads, the cmp site also has a good bit of information including this link M1 load data (courtesy of NRA) http://web.archive.org/web/200006200...rpo/M1load.htm

For the past 35 years I've always just used 47.5gr IMR4895 and a 147-150gr FMJ which was what a Camp Perry shooter told me he used. Going by M1 specific loads in manuals thats middle of the road.

[crankythunder]

Hey Baxter:

I have always purchased my 30 cal ammo from the CMP directly. Gotta be with a certified club and you have to renew your information annually but the CMP usually has M1 Garand ammo in stock and it is always the cheapest although you have to purchase a good quantity of it.

I place my order, couple days later it shows up on my doorstep. Awesome.

Regards,
Crankster

[JohnS624]

Federal makes FMJ loads for the Garand. Hornady used to. The standard 150gr Corelokt, Powerpoint, Powrshok loads should all work fine. Stay away from the Superformance and other hotter loads.

[BillR]

https://www.sgammo.com/product/30-06...d-ammo-pp3006g

[sfineone]

There is a guy selling some of that here... https://www.migunowners.org/forum/sh...tch-Added-more

[mtlucas0311]

When people ask about ammo for Garands the topic of what is “safe” almost always comes up. This has been hotly contested and debated for many years, I doubt anyone wants to see that argument repeated here. What is often overlooked or not mentioned is proper maintenance that should be performed to prevent wear and damage to the rifle regardless of what ammo you choose.

The first is the op rod spring. Most of the rifles I’ve purchased from the CMP have worn or flat out bad op rod springs. The spec for them is a length of 19”-21” (off the top of my head). In my mind though, many/most are at least 50 years old and a new hi quality spring is $8-$10 so I replace them on any of my Garands that I intend on shooting. This is the part that keeps the bolt from slamming into the back of the receiver and potentially destroying the heel of the receiver so it’s a big deal.

The other thing is to grease the rifle. Garands like and need grease. Most of the rifles I see new owners show up to the range with are sadly dry. When you cycle the action on a properly lubricated Garand compared to a dry one the difference is dramatic. A lack of lubrication will cause accelerated wear to all those moving parts. Regular gun oil won’t cut it. There are several products that work fine (plastilube, lubriplate, etc.), I use Mobile 1 synthetic grease. It’s cheap, available at any auto parts store, and outperforms many other lubricants that are much more expensive.

As for ammo recommendations, the best ammo I’m aware of is the Creedmore ammo sold by the CMP. You get Lapua brass which is excellent and expensive brass, Lapua match bullets, and the best performance I’ve seen from factory ammo. The link above to the Lake City Match is also a good option, a bit pricey in my opinion, but it is very good ammo.

Regards,
Mike.

[denniscoon@aol.c]

I don't have a Garand, but I use Mobil 28 grease on all my firearms, especially my 1911's. It is a aircraft grease worth searching for.

[VIGILANT]

Be careful what ammo you run in a stock M1 as the op rods are prone to bend if run with ammo that gives a higher port pressure. I usually reload and if you do it a good way to get ammo tailored to the M1.

Some reloading books have M1 specific loads, the cmp site also has a good bit of information including this link M1 load data (courtesy of NRA) http://web.archive.org/web/200006200...rpo/M1load.htm

For the past 35 years I've always just used 47.5gr IMR4895 and a 147-150gr FMJ which was what a Camp Perry shooter told me he used. Going by M1 specific loads in manuals thats middle of the road.

[MCPO_SOCM_RET]

Just don't go over 50,000 CUP ... and understand what CUP (Copper Units of Pressure) is vs MAP or PSI. That was the standard unit of measure for your Garand and the max pressure for M2 Ball.

Everything else is open to debate. Bullet grain, bullet type, powder brand/grains/burn rates, even which brand of primers has been argued over ad nauseam.

A guy on the firing line even at a CMP event could be shooting a USGI as-issued 70+ year old rifle OR one that has new manufacture replacement parts (barrel, springs, op rod, etc.) while still meeting CMP Competition Rule 7.2.4 (6). Big difference in what pressures those two examples can handle.

[soapbox]
As far as your 2/2 (TE/MW) it's not too shabby, and would still outperform 75% of guys behind the trigger - definitely still an accurate barrel...BUT a low TE/MW means nothing if the rest is garbage, like lands and grooves aren't sharp, there are pits, or frosting, or a crown that looks like it was used to open beer bottles.
How is your head spacing? The snobbish (not you) generality of TE/MW comparisons is important but head spacing is safety related - not the TE/MW butt sniff like dogs do. Improper head spacing can cause case head separation, unsafe chamber pressure levels, failure to function, etc.
[/soapbox]