My Garand load is HDY 150gr FMJBT, commercial brass, WLR primer, and 48.0gr-50.0gr or less of IMR-4064. I set my seater to the same length as commercial ammo 3.340". As usual I must issue the standard disclaimer that since I have no control over the means and manner by which others may do their reloading; I cannot accept responsibility for problems associated with another's handloading product.
Please note that military brass has about 1gr of powder's worth of less internal volume, and must be loaded with about that much less powder than commercial brass.
To fill the time during this past Spring's Covid lockdown, I completed a project of loading up 1000+ M2 Ball cartridges in En-Block clips for my own personal use. No, I will not part with them. Not for any reason.
M-2 Ball ammunition facts.
Ammograrand coupon codes.
My
source for all things Garand. You will need En-Bloc clips.
A must for the M-1 Garand shooter and competitor. The PPU Ammo is safe and the brass reloads well. If you can find any. Th Federal ammo that I use is the
American Eagle 150gr FMJ.
Warning; using ammunition that is not specifically marked for the rifle can and will eventually weaken and destroy the rifle's Operating rod. Nobody makes replacements, and the existing stock is damned expensive and gradually vanishing.
PPU/Prvi-Partizan. Sellier and Bellot.
Hornady.
Winchester. Ammo Shortage notwithstanding...
Proper, as issued,
Lube. It should be applied in a thin, light sheen directly over wear marks (bare metal work on Parkerized surface. Keep all lube out of the chamber. Do not over tighten the gas cylinder plug. In USMC ITR we were issued these rifles, and the key idea was that it was lot better to have to retighten the plug to a reasonable torque periodically, than to crack the gas cylinder by over torquing. They are gradually becoming unobtanium.
I maintain eight ceremonial Garands for my VFW Post. I have spent the last four years attempting to remove the last of the WD-40 gum buildup on them. I would never put WD-40 into any working mechanism. People always swear about WD-40, either for it, or at it.
The proper way to set up windage is to place the rear sight at dead center, then shoot at a vertical line, moving the front sight left and right until the POI falls consistently on that line. Secure the front blade well.
If you're not certain what you're doing, do not attempt to disassemble the rear sights; do serious research on the disassemble/reassemble first. Getting it wrong can ruin expensive rear sight parts.
Learn about how the
M-1 Garand Battle Sight adjustment is established. It is a generic (300yd) distance zero that works well enough for combat under nearly all rapid engagement conditions. All Garand training stressed holding aim on the oncoming belt buckle. USMC ITR training puts a premium on fast engagement.
I was trained on the M-1 and M-14, and have been an AR Builder and competitor with all three rifles. I was issued the M-14 for my tour in 'Nam. the magazine capacity was an issue, but not a big one. Proper fire discipline was drilled into us.
Hard to pick a favorite, but one thing's for sure; with my Garand, it will be a "cold, dead hands thing"
Greg
