M1 garand

[parallax]

my buddy, recently aquired an m1 garand. he took it out to shoot using 30.06 190 grain bullets. the 2 times he shot it both cases split and he had to physically remove the cases from the rifle. does anyone know what might be his problem?. has anyone else run accross this problem with there m1a1?.. thnxs

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[wayoutwest]

It sounds like he is using new commercial ammo which the Garand isn't designed for, suggest that he use surplus or ball ammo....OR perhaps a lighter commercial load

 

[usrifle]

my buddy, recently aquired an m1 garand. he took it out to shoot using 30.06 190 grain bullets. the 2 times he shot it both cases split and he had to physically remove the cases from the rifle. does anyone know what might be his problem?. has anyone else run accross this problem with there m1a1?.. thnxs

Those bullets are way too heavy!! ...and the "charge/powder type" is wrong too.
You will bend an oprod shooting those, if no serious damage was done he's lucky.
168's are as heavy as you want to go, IMR or Hodgdon 4895 is the powder to use. (there is a couple other acceptable powders, but just stick with 4895)
Garands are sensitive to powder "burn rate", DON'T shoot commercially loaded ammo unless it's described as s "30/06 Springfield" load...."Springfield" being the key word.
usrifle

 

[Jamie6.5]

I believe the original ammo was a 150gr spitzer loaded to 2700fps. No more 190gr commercial ammo in the Garand.
Not if he wants it to survive anyway!

 

[rusobr2]

just a bit of info. here - my dad used one of these mi-garand's for 20 yrs hunting.it had a new style stock on it,and i remember him telling me- that he planned on giving me the gun as i became older--to use 165 gr. for elk and 150 gr. for deer,his comment was it was not designed for killing elephants-just my 2 cnts,steven

p.s the gun was stollen, before i used it in my first hunt

 

[dario541]

There is a possibilty that the gun was assembled from a parts kit without doing a headspace check. If it was mine, I would not shoot it again until a competent gunsmith checked it out.

 

[torpedoman]

chamber could be shot out do a chamber cast and see. I do agree with the advice to avoid commerical hunting ammo. Mil brass is a lot thicker and stronger that commerical brass.

 

[smonk]

"There is a possibilty that the gun was assembled from a parts kit without doing a headspace check. If it was mine, I would not shoot it again until a competent gunsmith checked it out. "

I've used 190 Gr bullets in mine with no problems. That would lead me to suspect a functioning problem. I'd take it to a gunsmith for repair.

 

[smonk]

I Guess I should have clarified - my 190's were relatively mild hand loads.........

 

[NoOne]

Even though your 190's are mild handloads, if the powder doesn't have the correct burn rate, you risk bending the operating rod...and worse. As noted above, the rifle was designed for a bullet in the 150 grain range with a slow burning powder. This keeps the pressure curve where the rifle functions best.

You can get away with lots of things for a short while, but as with so many things, "getting away" with something risks damage. If it was my rifle, I would stick to bullets in the 147-168 grain range, with a powder like IMR 4895.

 

[trainsktg]

Simply put, the heavier bullet takes longer to leave the barrel and excessive pressure develop before it does so, moreso with a fast burning powder. Without the adjustable gas valve, you'll then have excess pressure forcing the op rod back which risks damage. This is similar to many military firearms built to fire a standard issue ball round...the PSL/ROMAK comes to mind, as it has no adjustable gas valve either. Use surplus ball ammo like Greek or Lake City (found at the CMP) or duplicate those rounds when you handload.

Best regards.

Keith

 

[jcs3]

I do agree with the advice to avoid commerical hunting ammo. Mil brass is a lot thicker and stronger that commerical brass.

You also want to be careful if you are developing loads taken from loading manuals that are generated using commercial brass. Because the military brass is thicker, it reduces the case volume and can also create higher internal pressures. If using Lake City or other mil brass, downloading by about 10% is not a bad idea.
I've had good success with 168gr Sierra Matchkings over 47.5 grains of IMR 4895 in my Garand.

 

[torpedoman]

take a unfired 30-06 round measure up the side of the bullet and make marks every 1/16 in up from the brass make 4 marks invert and stick in muzzle of any 30-06 and you have a muzzle wear gauge off the topic but info you can use to check those old m1's before you buy.