Garand me!

[TucsonMTB]

Nice looking Garand, sir! I have always been partial to WW2 milled trigger guards like yours.

Here's hoping it shoots as well as its good looks lead me expect.

Congratulations!

[DeaconKC]

I'll add a WOOHOO to that too! Very nice!

[ParabellumJ]

Garand me!

Awesome rifle. Congratulations.

[JohnR]

Picked up a box of Winchester .30-'06 for about $20 while last minute Christmas shopping at Wal Mart today. Probably won't get a chance to use it till January though.

[TucsonMTB]

Picked up a box of Winchester .30-'06 for about $20 while last minute Christmas shopping at Wal Mart today. Probably won't get a chance to use it till January though.

Danger, Will Robinson!

Does your rifle have an Adjustable Gas Plug similar to this one from Midway?

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/777...eel-parkerized

If not, you run the risk of damaging your rifle by firing modern hunting ammo. The most common damage is a bent, $175 (if you can find it) recoil rod. Edited to add: the proper term is Operating Rod, sorry!

Google it, if you like. But, I believe you have only a couple of choices for safe shooting of this marvelous old rifle. An adjustable plug like that in the link above or finding some surplus ammo. Greek HXP is often available from the CMP, but more quickly available on GunBroker.com. If you were close enough to Tucson, AZ, I would share some of mine.

Oh, and of course, you can hand load with the proper powders and projectiles. Most of us "Garand guys" do. Google that too.

[JohnR]

I'll have to check on that.

The manual has a stern warning about using reloads, namely that you really have to know what you're doing and be sure every parameter is within spec if you reload for it.

[TucsonMTB]

The manual has a stern warning about using reloads, namely that you really have to know what you're doing and be sure every parameter is within spec if you reload for it.

Yep! They have a whole forum devoted to the hand loading process: http://forums.thecmp.org/forumdisplay.php?f=94

Mostly, you need to use the right powders to achieve reasonable velocities without experiencing high impulse pressures in the recoil system. Oh, and the "recoil rod" I mentioned is properly called an Operating Rod. I was trying to hurry with that post . . .

I mostly use IMR 4895, as do many other Garand enthusiasts who reload. I bought a lot of HXP when I first purchased my rifle and that works at least as well as my reloads in mine. But, in theory, you can achieve the best accuracy by tailoring your load to your rifle. You can read all about it on the CMP forum that the link above will take you to.

[RRP]

At the risk of hijacking JohnR's thread, may I ask you, TucsonMTB, if the same is true for Garands chambered in 308?

[Bawanna]

At the risk of hijacking JohnR's thread, may I ask you, TucsonMTB, if the same is true for Garands chambered in 308?

Apparently so RRP. The link Tucson referred to specifically mentions it being even more important for the 308 version if you want to shoot heavier 06 bullets etc.

I have a small stash of surplus which I use sparingly. I'll need to study up and do some reloading when it's gone.

I've thought about getting that adjustable gas plug too. Probably a good idea anyhow. Most of our local ranges only allow one round at a time anyhow so I could just open it up and not have it cycle at all. They kick a bit more when the action don't soak up no recoil but that's probably manly?

[TucsonMTB]

At the risk of hijacking JohnR's thread, may I ask you, TucsonMTB, if the same is true for Garands chambered in 308?

No worries about hijacking, we are all friends here. And, yeah, the Op Rod is the same in the Garand chambered for .308 or 7.62x51, so to be safe, your loads need fast powder to prevent excessive gas system impulse spikes. Or, at least that is my understanding from exposure to the CMP forum and others. I do not have a .308 myself. Most people who do use an adjustable gas plug, which allows you prevent over pressure and bent Op Rods by venting some of pressure. As a plus, you can tune the plug with the ammo you have available to achieve good accuracy.

You really need to go to the source for this wisdom http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=73934

Edited to add: Oh, and I just saw Bawanna's post. As usual, he understands the issue well. 168 grain Sierra Match Kings are the bullet of choice for most 30-06 and .308 competitors.

[RRP]

Thank you, Bawanna and TucsonMTB. I appreciate the good information.

We now return to your regularly scheduled program.

[Bawanna]

No thanks necessary, it was a good reminder and learning experience for me too. I think we'd both benefit from getting the plug myself.

[JohnR]

So, anyone have some milspec 30-06 they wanna trade for deer ammo?

[BEARDOG]

I was looking at getting one of these for my Garand. My dad gave me a bunch of old 06 hunting ammo he accumulated over the years, and my stash of real M2 ball I have like Bawanna, I use sparingly. Anybody have any experience with it?

http://www.garandgear.com/m1garand/d...-plug?sef=hcfp

Sounds good, no adjusting needed like the Shuster plug.

[JohnR]

The M1's manual says commercial ammo 180 grain or lighter is fine and won't damage the op. rod. What I bought is 165 grain so there should be no problems.