M1 Garand brass questions..

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tcoz

tcoz

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I'm going to order a couple hundred rounds of Greek HXP surplus from the CMP when my M1 Garand arrives, just to get me through until I'm comfortable with it and start handloading. I'll also be buying some brass so I have a couple questions about it. I'm going to use IMR4895, CCI34 mil-spec primers and Hornady 150gr FMJBT projectiles...

1. Is the HXT brass good for reloading? I'm assuming it is but would like confirmation.

2. Is it advisable to use military (Lake City) brass rather than regular 30-06 commercial brass?

3. What are some sources for good reloading brass for the M1?

4. Assuming an average load of approx 46.5-47gr, what is an approximate number of times I can expect to reuse the brass. 1-3, 3-5, 5-10? I know that this varies, but I'm just curious so I have an idea how much to buy.

Im pretty experienced reloading pistol, .223 and 300 BLK, but the M1 is a slightly different animal and I want to have my ducks in a row.
 
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Greek HXP cases from CMP is good brass and a good source of cases.

Lake City is also good brass.

I have used commercial cases in my Garands without issue but I do have a large supply of various military cases.

Buying HXP ammunition from CMP is a good source of cases. The price is a little elevated now but the ammunition used to be the same price as commercial empty cases and you to "unload" it in the process.

I forget the case life I was getting, I have not shot my Garands in a while. Probably more than 4 or 5 but less than 10. There is a great difference in case life between different folks. The Garand can be hard on cases during the ejection process--torn rims, bent necks, etc.

Hope this helps.
 
I've loaded both commercial and Lake City brass in my Garands with good results. I just started using HXP and it seems to be similar to Lake City.

Like Chuck said Garand's beat up brass pretty good but I still get 10 reloads or so before I scrap it. Neck cracking is generally the reason.

The HXP brass has stab crimped primers that could cause you a little problem when seating new primers. I just gave mine a twist or 2 with my chamfering tool to smooth up the crimps a little bit. Its definitely not as intense as Lake City crimped pockets.

Laphroaig
 
I load the same charges of IMR 4895 in LC, HXP, RP, and Win 30-06 brass all with RP 9 1/2 primers.
 
For the Garand I only use LC and HXP brass, not commercial brass. It's not that the commercial brass isn't suitable for the M1, I just keep it for my bolt action rifles. It's easy to keep the brass separate that way. I like the Greek brass and it can be used for any 30-06 loading.
 
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I use HXP brass in my Garand and it works fine. I have not reloaded any more than 3 times but it seems to be holding up fine. You will have to deal with the swaged in primer. I use a Dillon super swage to remove the crimp.
 
tcoz said:
I'm going to use IMR4895, CCI34 mil-spec primers and Hornady 150gr FMJBT projectiles...
Click to expand...

Ball M2 uses flat-base spitzer bullets: unless you're planning on shooting them past ~ 500yds, you'll get better accuracy w/ the spitzers & there's not enough difference in trajectory to matter between them. The boat tails help maintain velocity down range & help out at longer ranges.
 
Are you saying that as a general rule, FB spitzer bullets are more accurate at shorter range (100 yd) than BT bullets? I use BT's in all of my rifles mainly because they're much easier to load. I knew they were more accurate at long distances, but I didn't know they were less accurate up close.
 
tcoz said:
Are you saying that as a general rule, FB spitzer bullets are more accurate at shorter range (100 yd) than BT bullets? I use BT's in all of my rifles mainly because they're much easier to load. I knew they were more accurate at long distances, but I didn't know they were less accurate up close.
Click to expand...

Flat base bullets are typically more accurate [smaller figure of merit] than boat-tails because the bullet tends to leave the bore more evenly [no tipping on exit.] Yes, BTs will be easier to handload, that's the nature of the beveled base.

Out at long range, the BT bullet will have better accuracy because it stays supersonic longer, and doesn't have as severe of buffeting during the sonic transition that the FB does.

These are generalizations; if you've got a satisfactory set-up w/ the BTs, don't change anything on my account! ;)
 
Prvi Partisan is now making special M1 Garand ammo for $13.95. The cases are brass and the few I've seen would be perfect to reload. The brass is brand new and might even be easier to come by.
 
As to the brass I have used plenty of LC and other GI brass as well as commercial to include Winchester, Remington and Federal. All of it loads and shoots fine. Once you start rolling your own just follow good loading practices and load for the rifle. The Hornady 9th has a good section devoted to loading for the Garand. The NRA also has some good load data out there.

Ron
 
I have a lot of the Greek ammo and the brass is GTG. I reload the Greek, LC, and commercial brass without any problems. I also use IMR4895 for the 30.06 as well as other rounds.
The CMP ammo has gotten expensive lately. What's interesting about the Greek is it shoots good but I have seen differences of 200 FPS on my Chrony from one round to the next.
 
I was lucky enough to fall into 500 pulled M2 bullets just before the shortage. I have only 50 left and I'm going to try to find some more. They shoot well enough in the Garand but of course can't compete with a real match bullet.

My current M1 load is:
HXP brass
CCI #34 primer
46.0gr H4895
150gr M2 bullet
I don't have my notes in front of me but I set the OAL to match the Greek HXP ammo.

A charge of 46.4gr H4895 will match the velocity of the HXP ammo but for me 46.0 is more accurate.
When using IMR4895 I bump the charge to between 47.0gr and 47.5gr with the same OAL.
 
ArchAngelCD said:
A charge of 46.4gr H4895 will match the velocity of the HXP ammo but for me 46.0 is more accurate.
Click to expand...

Something to bear in mind is that due to manufacturing variations, esp. due to slight variations in volume of the gas cylinder, everyone's "my rifle's favorite load" is going to be somewhat different.

Now that the CMP is no longer issuing ammo for the JCG "as issued" match, everyone can be on the same footing wrt to "luck of the draw" [ie, the competitor's particular rifle "liking" the particular batch of HXP the CMP might have issued] when it comes to ammo. Moreover, since the JCG is shot @ 200 yds only, you can come up w/ a load that shoots nicely AND doesn't have to beat you up in the process.

Personally, I liked the old way, esp. when the CMP issued the Hornadgy GMX ammo, since the price of the ammo easily exceeded the cost of match entry fee! ;)
 
Surculus said:
Something to bear in mind is that due to manufacturing variations, esp. due to slight variations in volume of the gas cylinder, everyone's "my rifle's favorite load" is going to be somewhat different.

Now that the CMP is no longer issuing ammo for the JCG "as issued" match, everyone can be on the same footing wrt to "luck of the draw" [ie, the competitor's particular rifle "liking" the particular batch of HXP the CMP might have issued] when it comes to ammo. Moreover, since the JCG is shot @ 200 yds only, you can come up w/ a load that shoots nicely AND doesn't have to beat you up in the process.

Personally, I liked the old way, esp. when the CMP issued the Hornadgy GMX ammo, since the price of the ammo easily exceeded the cost of match entry fee! ;)
Click to expand...
I'm quite aware all rifles are different and I never said that load was my rifle's favorite. It's a fact that charge will match the velocity of the Greek surplus ammo within normal variations.
 
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