Hunting ammo for Garand

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teCh0010

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Is there any commercially available 30-06 hunting ammo suitable for use in a Garand?

I don't reload and I am looking for a round to hunt deer / pig with a garand.

Some people have mentioned Black Hills Gold for match ammo, would their 165 Gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip ( Hunting ) Velocity 2750 FPS work? It looks like the ballistics are almost the same as their match load.

I would prefer a bullet with heavier construction than the ballistic tip, but I've heard the garand does not like any exposed lead like a soft point hunting round.

What about something loaded with the Barnes X like the Black Hills 180 Gr. Barnes X-Bullet Velocity 2650 FPS.
 
I understand that the Garand needs ammo loaded to military specs to be assured of reliable operation. Therefore, I'd look for ammo with a similar bullet weight (although, of course, an effective hunting bullet) and muzzle velocity to military ball. Given that, you should be good to go. On the other hand, heavier or lighter bullets, and/or a muzzle velocity more than a few percent different from the military load, might cause functioning problems.
 
Preacherman said:
I understand that the Garand needs ammo loaded to military specs to be assured of reliable operation. Therefore, I'd look for ammo with a similar bullet weight (although, of course, an effective hunting bullet) and muzzle velocity to military ball. Given that, you should be good to go. On the other hand, heavier or lighter bullets, and/or a muzzle velocity more than a few percent different from the military load, might cause functioning problems.
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Yeah, I've read that they don't like powder with a significantly faster or slower burn rate than the military loading.
 
My recommendation... and this is so you know what you're feeding your Garand... take up handloading for at least this one gun/purpose.

The load I recommend is Hornady's 150gr SP or BTSP over either IMR4064 or IMR4895 to run 2500-2800fps. Or, Hornady's 165gr SP over IMR4064 to run 2500fps. (I heard that too about not running a SP with exposed lead in the Garand, but mine had no trouble whatever.)

Deer and pig... I doubt either one will know the difference between these loads and factory.

Consult Hornady's 5th Edition load manual. Compare loadings between 150gr in .30-06 and M1 Garand- they have a separate section for the Garand even though it is '06. I arrived at my loads by comparing powders, speeds, and bullet weights and seeing what crosses up. Watch the pressures- too slow a powder will blow up a Garand.

Consult your local hunting regulations, because some states have laws against magazine capacities over 5rd in a semiauto.
 
I don't think they will mind getting shot with surplus
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Possible humor aside... check the state hunting regs. Many states have a law on the books that prohibits hunting with FMJ or other non-expanding bullets. It has to do with making a quicker more humane kill.

Also, I recall reading one of Elmer Keith's accounts ("Hell, I Was There") of shooting an elk with an '06 service load. It got up and tried to kill him.
 
Consult Hornady's 5th Edition load manual. Compare loadings between 150gr in .30-06 and M1 Garand- they have a separate section for the Garand even though it is '06. I arrived at my loads by comparing powders, speeds, and bullet weights and seeing what crosses up. Watch the pressures- too slow a powder will blow up a Garand.
Click to expand...

Mustanger98...... Your info is not quite on the mark.

The action of the M1 rifle is as strong as any bolt rifle out there and has been proven in destruct tests to be STRONGER than some. It's action can handle any ammo that any other rifle can. There is NO issue with the M1 rifle of "blowing up" .....

The M1's ammo issues are entirely related to the fragility of it's gas system design, which is designed around a very narrow range of gas port pressure (i.e. the residual pressure in the bore as the bullet passes the gas port) in military M2 spec ammo. Shooting ammo with slow burning powders that are made for hunting loads can cause the op-rod to bend or break, or batter the receiver heel with an over-accellerated bolt and crack out the heel. Bye-bye receiver. You now have a unitized parts kit.

To all,

If you are a handloader, the two "M1 gas system safe" rules are:

1) NEVER load bullets HEAVIER than 180 grains
2) NEVER load powder SLOWER than IMR-4320

The problem with commercial loads are that the powder type can change between lots of the same ammo. Commercial ammo makers don't use cannister grade powders with consistent burn rates from lot to lot like us handloaders do. They use bulk lot powder that varies greatly from lot to lot, simply changing the charge to match the muzzle velocity of the load they are making that day-week-month. This is no big deal at all in a turnbolt rifle, but causes widely varying gas port pressures in an M1.

Just my thoughts early on a Saturday morning.... ;)

Best to all,
Swampy

Garands forever
 
"...shot with surplus..." Hunting with surplus ball is illegal in most places. Ball ammo doesn't expand at all. It's ok for plinking or target shooting, but nothing else.
"...would their 165 Gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip ( Hunting ) Velocity 2750 FPS work?..." Yep. Most M-1's seem to like 165 grain bullets. This bullet weight will take any game in North America.
Any good ammo, with 150 to 180 grain bullets will do nicely. You'll have to shoot it off a bench to see how well it'll shoot out of your rifle though. Don't think I'd use Hornady's 'Light Magnum' ammo. Despite what their claim that it runs at the same pressures as like ammo.
 
150 Grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertips worked fine in my gun, only shot one tho.
 
Ditto on the 150gr Winchester Silvertip ammo...

Outstanding accuracy from my M1 Garands, too. (Reminding myself to buy more of the same.)
 
The M1's ammo issues are entirely related to the fragility of it's gas system design, which is designed around a very narrow range of gas port pressure (i.e. the residual pressure in the bore as the bullet passes the gas port) in military M2 spec ammo. Shooting ammo with slow burning powders that are made for hunting loads can cause the op-rod to bend or break, or batter the receiver heel with an over-accellerated bolt and crack out the heel. Bye-bye receiver. You now have a unitized parts kit.
Click to expand...

1- Who wants to damage or destroy an op-rod. They ain't cheap and they ain't found down at the local gun shop. Some are collectable.

2- I think the part about trashing a receiver with an over-accellerated bolt is what I was thinking of. As far as the receiver is concerned, it might as well have been a Kaboom. As far as the shooter is concerned, well, has anybody ever seen a receiver heel wind up in somebody's face? I've heard of it.
 
Why would a slow burning powder damage the rifle? Is it because the bullet is past the gas orifice when the pressure reaches peak instead of before?

I always assumed that military gas operated weapons were made with enormous tolerances for powder and bullet type. If a war is on and your factory only has nitrated dog turds to make gunpowder from, it shouldnt break your gas system or cause the gun to jam from fouling.
 
Slow burning powders are usually used to get higher velocities. They do this by being able to maintain pressure over a larger part of the bullet's trip through the barrel. (Basically "progressive" enough to burn faster as the bullet moves along to keep the pressure from dropping off.) For the Garand, this means that the gas pressuree behind the bullet will be much higher than its design specifications when the bullet passes the gas port, bleeding off gas to cycle the action. Be kind to your Garand, and it will return the favor by being a wonderful rifle to shoot for many years!

beerslurpy said:
I always assumed that military gas operated weapons were made with enormous tolerances for powder and bullet type. If a war is on and your factory only has nitrated dog turds to make gunpowder from, it shouldnt break your gas system or cause the gun to jam from fouling.
Click to expand...
Well, yeah, it would be nice for a combat weapon to be so robust, but it doesn't always work that way. Many gas operated weapons are fairly sensitive to some aspect of their use.
 
Get a Schuster's Nut so you can adjust the pressure, that's what I did! Haven't used it to hunt with yet though
 
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