30-06 load for M1 Garand

S

Schavox

Inactive
I have a Garand from the CMP with the original gas plug, and i'm avoiding replacing it with an after-market and shooting commercial. I'm trying to make the best load for it, brand new to reloading i'm using a friends machine. So far this is what I came up with:

Bullet : Hornady 30 Caliber 150 gr FMJ
Primer : CCI 7.62mm NATO-Spec Military Primers #34
Brass : Once fired .30-06 brass (federal in this case)
Powder : IMR 4895 Smokeless Powder

I've got just about everything and going to start reloading soon. I've heard people use about 46-47 grains of 4895, what do you guys use? I was going to start with 47 and see how it goes. I'm using a Dillon XL650 with the Dillon dies. I was also wondering about how far to seat the bullet into the brass. I read on a review of the bullet i'm using to not seat to the cannelure. How far do I need to seat the bullet and is the grain amount good? Overall how is my load?
 
Your components look good. 4895 is the appropriate powder along with its near twin brother 4064 and 46 to 47 gr is an ideal load, some go to 48 and even on the lower side to 45. If you would use 4064, the charge amounts as indicated above still apply. Some report that they prefer 4064 over 4895, sort of like six of one and half dozen of the other. CCI primers are recommended due to their hardness which can help prevent slam fires, meaning that the primer is ignited by the momentum of the free floating firing pin as the bolt closes without pulling the trigger. What is worse is an out of battery slam fire which means that a slam occurs before the bolt locks. That can be a disaster. So hard primers and proper seating depth are the dynamic duo against slams.

I prefer the Federal brass due to its heavier weight over most other brass, but it is also softer and primer pockets can become enlarged and should be discarded. You won't realize thr looseness until repriming the fired brass or primers are ejected from firing. Bullets can be a matter of choice; I prefer the Sierra 168 gr Matchkings. With that bullet I seat to about 3.25" OAL. With the 150 gr bullet the OAL will probably be slightly less.

Become familiar with the Redding primer pocket uniformer tool for the purpose of uniforming primer pocket optimal seating depth for helping to prevent slam fires. Using the tool will ensure that the primers are seated some .003 or more below flush. High primers are to be avoided.

This is a favorite topic so you should be receiving a lot of good information. And, Oh yes, don't get clobbered with the dreadful M-1 thumb when closing the bolt on an empty chamber.
 
Last edited:
Great, glad to know i'm getting some good advice. I'm 19 years old so just now getting into firearms so i've picked up my favorites (from video games since i was young). Here's a picture of the Garand with another one of my favorites, 1939 Kar98k RC.

http://i.imgur.com/lrtjSjp.jpg
 
I have two M1 Garands and both rifles have the gas plug from Garand gear. The plugs IMO make a difference in the action/recoil of the rifle, it smooths it out. I don't shoot commercial ammo its either M1 specific ammo or my own.

The Hornady manuals have a M1 section, might be worth picking one up.

I would agree with the Redding primer pocket. I was amazed at the sheer amount of inconsistency of the depth of the pockets, vast majority were to swallow.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/664266/redding-primer-pocket-uniformer-tool-large
 
Federal does have ammunition specifically for the Garand. It is boxed in the familiar American Eagle red and black box. They are loaded with a 150 gr bullet that does have a cannelure and are seated to the middle of the cannelure with an OAL of 3.185". The cases are date stamped with crimped primers a la military. The crimped primer pockets must be swaged or cut out for reloading.

You've no doubt heard the warning not to use standard commercial ammunition in the Garand on the possibility of bending the operating rod due to excessive bleed off pressure to the op rod. However, if this is something to be concerned about, it would be for heavier bullets and slow burning powder maintaining higher pressure at the muzzle, opposed to lower pressure with medium burning powder like 4895 and 4064. I can't recall any reports of bent op rods because of using commercial ammunition but there must be something to the warning.
 
My hunting load for my Garands is 150 grain Core-lokt and 46 grains IMR4895.
Safe for the gun and easy on the shoulder. Max loads are not not always the most accurate. Jump on the CMP forums and you'll have more than enough info on reloading for the M1.
 
Here is a link to an old article that was published in the American Rifleman on loading for the Garand.
There is good information,but I offer it with a caution.
Powders designated by a military data number,such as 4895,4064,may well still have been reclaimed WW2 surplus powder. I don't know.
These powders are being newly manufactured today but you cannot assume the powder of today,H4895,for example,uses the same charge weights published in older source material.

Using H4831 in a 7mm Rem mag as an example,an old data load that I used was 70 gr.max. Today,that max is about 63 gr. No,its not lawyers!!
So I strongly suggest you NOT boldly take old data as good.This article is,I believe,30 yrs old.I WOULD NOT TRUST THE CHARGE WEIGHTS.

These powders aren't being made by the same factories,in the same countries,or by the same methods.But they still call it H-4895,or IMR 4895,etc.
Use modern ,current data.
https://www.scribd.com/document/40852596/Reloading-for-the-M1-Rifle-J-Clarke

What I would do,is read about the general practice of loading for the Garand.
 
"Bullet : Hornady 30 Caliber 150 gr FMJ
Primer : CCI 7.62mm NATO-Spec Military Primers #34
Brass : Once fired .30-06 brass (federal in this case)
Powder : IMR 4895 Smokeless Powder "


Your load should be fine in the M1. I've used 46.5grs. of IMR4895 with a 150gr. FMJ as my standard target load for years. Mostly use HXP Greek ball ammo as my cases of choice. FWIW, I don't seat to the cannelure but my LOA is 3.275". This load is quite accurate in my M1's and is very comfortable to shoot in matches.

FWIW, I've also used the Sierra #3190 Matchking 150 FMJBT with the same components and while they're a bit more accurate than the Hornady's, but not enough to justify the added cost. The Hornadys will still clean the HP targets if your hold is there.
 
I don't know if they are still being made or not,
BUT,
There used to be 'Single Caliber' load books out there, and M1 Garand was one of them.
Nice heavy glossy print pages with spiral wound binding.
When I got a few 10 years ago, they covered about all available powders, primers, bullets & specific loads for the different regulating bodies in match competition.

I was surprised how complete & throughly the information was researched & presented.

If I can find mine, I'll post up the ISBN # (or whatever), I'm sure it's still available used on Amazon if it's not still in print.

That book also has some REALLY interesting information about the M1 development & tuning the rifle, stuff I hadn't found anywhere else.
 
While I was waiting for my Garand 6 years ago I did a lot of research. My "go to" info is the Hornady reloading manual "M1 Garand" section. I also used the info as HiBC noted, but I dropped the NRA loads by one grain as starting loads. I couldn't find IMR 4895 so I use IMR 4064. Most of my reloads are using HXP brass as I also purchased 400 rounds from CMP, and I use Hornady, Sierra and Nosler 155 gr. bullets using the bullet manufacturer's data for OAL...

Lots of good info available from the members here; http://forums.thecmp.org/forumdisplay.php?f=94
 
Schavox -

The Hornady reloading manual has a complete section dedicated to M1 Garand specific loads (and other military rifles as well).

It's a treasure trove of infomation for anyone who's reloading for the Garand.

Just FYI -

Bayou
 
CCI 7.62mm NATO-Spec Military Primers #34 are magnum primers and nothing more. You really don't need 'em. They have absolutely nothing whatever to do with NATO either. A regular large rifle primer will be fine. Literally millions of rounds of .30-06, .308 and other military cartridges were loaded long before CCI's marketing department came up with calling a magnum primer 'Milspec'.
Partial to IMR4064 myself(mostly use 168 grain match bullets but any 150 to 180 grain bullet will do nicely. 165 grain hunting bullets work especially well for any game in North America.), but either IMR4895(the original M1906/.30 M1/.30M2 powder) or H4895(close but not identical to the IMR), Varget or a bunch of other powders work too. The most important part of loading for an M1 or any semi-auto is that you must FL resize every time plus check the case lengths and watch the OAL. Isn't a big deal otherwise.
Lot of unsubstantiated, internet invented anecdotal, rumours about loading for an M1 too.
Go here for the TM's and FM's. Free .pdf's. Note the need for the provided UN & PW. http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/
"...OAL of 3.185"..." Too short. 3.340" works with any bullet weight.
"...from video games..." TV and movies for us older types. snicker. There is no rifle that is quite like an M1 though. I've shot all kinds of battle rifles and not one is quite like an M1.
 
As was mentioned the Hornady 9th Edition has a service rifle reloading section which is pretty good. This is what it looks like. The suggested primer for these loads was WLR (Winchester Large Rifle). The link is the Hornady data. Another interesting source for the M1 Garand is the NRA Master Po load data. Unfortunately I just tried the Master Po link and it didn't work. Maybe just a temporary outage.

Ron
 
I too, used loads from Master Po's site (the only time I got load data from a web site!) and the site has been gone for a while now, several months ago I tried to find it...:(
 
CCI 7.62mm NATO-Spec Military Primers #34 are magnum primers and nothing more. You really don't need 'em. They have absolutely nothing whatever to do with NATO either. A regular large rifle primer will be fine. Literally millions of rounds of .30-06, .308 and other military cartridges were loaded long before CCI's marketing department came up with calling a magnum primer 'Milspec'.
Click to expand...

Mr O, I do not have credible information sourced officially to CCI to confirm or deny your statement.
Could be true.
But unless you can provide a traceable source for this information,its a bad idea to post it.

The primer is in answer to the floating firing pin inertia potentially causing a slamfire.The slamfire would occur in an out of battery condition.That can wreck a gun and cause injury.
The Armalite AR-10 has a different bolt and striker with a spring to retard the firing pin.My DPMS LR-308 has no spring.Rifles such as M1-A's and Garand are also subject to this problem.

I suggest MAYBE CCI uses a magnum cup. Maybe CCI uses a magnum cup and less sensitive compound for the Mil-Spec.

I can't say. I don't know.

But magnum primers vs standard primers,there typically IS a difference in the ignition characteristics. Substituting a magnum primer for a standard primer will generally result in some pressure increase.

I'd appreciate it,if you are going to put this interchangability out there as fact,that you reference traceable verification to CCI or reputable independent testing.

And to those who read and believe this stuff,as I said. It could be true,or not.
Don't believe everything you read on the internet.
Its your face,your gun. Take good care of both.

Another approach to Life in general, would be to appreciate that our component providers do what they can to provide good products to meet our reloading needs.
Instead of seeing a sinister plot by CCI to screw over naïve and stupid reloaders who would buy mil-spec primers,
I'm grateful CCI offers them.
 
Last edited:
HiBC:
Mr O, I do not have credible information sourced officially to CCI to confirm or deny your statement.
Could be true.
But unless you can provide a traceable source for this information,its a bad idea to post it.

The primer is in answer to the floating firing pin inertia potentially causing a slamfire.The slamfire would occur in an out of battery condition.That can wreck a gun and cause injury.
The Armalite AR-10 has a different bolt and striker with a spring to retard the firing pin.My DPMS LR-308 has no spring.Rifles such as M1-A's and 7.62 Garand conversions are also subject to this problem.

I suggest MAYBE CCI uses a magnum cup. Maybe CCI uses a magnum cup and less sensitive compound for the Mil-Spec.
Click to expand...

Actually CCI is very good about responding to both email and telephone calls. I generally suggest people call CCI rather than take everything they read on the Internet as gospel. I was not going to bother commenting but as long as you mention it I will.

The question posed was:
Would the CCI BR-4 Primer be classified as a Standard or Magnum small rifle primer? Likewise the CCI #41 primer, would it be Standard or Magnum classified?

Thank You
Click to expand...

The response from CCI was:
Ronald, primer specifications are below.


Small rifle primers
#41......................................Mil. Spec. primer, thick cup, magnum primer charge, angle of anvil change.
BR4.....................................thick cup, standard anvil and standard priming mix held to a tighter tolerance.

Justin M./Technical Service Rep.
2299 Snake River Ave.
Lewiston, ID 83501
Alliant/Blazer/CCI/Speer
(800)379-1732
Click to expand...

Now while it can be argued this was a CCI response Justin who replied is actually a Technical Services Rep and not a marketing rep. I have actually spoken to Justin several times and he has always been spot on in his information. The phone number is there for anyone wishing to ask questions and they are very good with email response. Generally within a few business days.

Mil-Spec Primer simply means the primer is made to Military Specifications meeting military specifications. MIL-P-46610E(MU) is likely the last Mil Spec for small arms ignition primers. Most of the Military Specifications over the years have been replaced or superseded by newer aerospace manufacturing specifications and other commercial engineering specifications. Heck, the last revision to the Mil-P primer specification was the late 1970s.

Anyway there is more to it than just being a magnum primer but I am not about to tell people who or what to believe. It may be JeepHammer in this forum who uses a tagline of "Information on the Internet is worth exactly what you pay for it". :)

Ron
 
HiBC & Ron

Good follow up to the CCI 34 and 41 primer issue that I guess was the result of Mr. O's statement that they are just magnum primers. True, CCI 200s can be used in place of the 34s with the Garand loadings, but I'm not sure how the hardness of the 200 cup compares with that of the 34. Do you happen to have that information? I use whichever I have at the moment.

I indicated in a post that the OAL for the 150 gr Federal M-1 Garand load was 3.185 that Mr O seemed to take exception to as being too short. However, connecting to the Service Rifle Reloading Section link (post #14) the 150 gr OAL is also shown as 3.185.
 
Last edited:
condor bravo, when I load for M1 Garand I generally use 150 grain FMJ C.O.L. 3.185 to 3.250". Using 168 grain HPBT bullets between 3.240 and 3.340" and finally when loading 175 / 178 BTHP I look for about 3.340" as a C.O.L. Actually I try to use whatever the bullet maker suggest. As to primers? I have used Winchester, Federal, CCI and others in regular and magnum varieties. I have had some good results using the CCI BR primers and the CCI 200 and CCI 250 primers also. I try to align my primer with my powder. Powders like IMR 4895 and IMR 4062 get a standard large rifle primer while powders like IMR 4831, Win 760 and H414 I use a magnum primer. In general work from good published load data and things will go fine. Again, when anyone has a question I suggest calling the company for advice or help, a call or email is pretty simple.

Here is some trivia. The IMR 4895 has been a darling powder for the 30-06 Springfield cartridge for decades and decades. Yet in the Hornady 9th Edition, service rifle loading, they make no mention of IMR 4895 for the classic 150 grain FMJ? They show the similar but not the same H 4895. I have not called to ask why but there it is in black and white.

Ron
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top