What have you done in the reloading room today

[45/30-06OKIE]

If your shooting a garand then you should be in service rifle data... 55.5 is max in a bolt gun and Hornaday stops at 748 for win powders. Is 760 the right powder for the job???

Hmmmm interesting... I thought people were if the impression that as long as you run the M1 well lubed with grease it can handle just about anything. Like the CMP says anything about 175gr and less and 50K CUP which is max spec for 30-06 is safe??

 

[AJC1]

Hmmmm interesting... I thought people were if the impression that as long as you run the M1 well lubed with grease it can handle just about anything. Like the CMP says anything about 175gr and less and 50K CUP which is max spec for 30-06 is safe??

I'm going to lead off with I don't load for a garand, but I've read warnings, and sob stories about bent op rods. Their is an established burn rate window that makes the gun happy. Those guns are expensive and nice and I only speak out to save you grief and broken toys. Before you pull the lever read the writeup in any service rifle section. If you don't have a manual with it PM me...

 

[Ray P]

Hmmmm interesting... I thought people were if the impression that as long as you run the M1 well lubed with grease it can handle just about anything. Like the CMP says anything about 175gr and less and 50K CUP which is max spec for 30-06 is safe??

Yeah, I've heard that, too. But as I cherished my factory original op-rod, I tended to keep things in the military ball ammo range with IMR 4064 or Varget.

Maybe not very exciting, but certain adequate for an M1 at the High Power Range.

 

[Art30/30]

Loaded up some 308 ladder rounds, 5 each from minimum to max loads in .5 gr increments for evaluation using 165gr boat tail ballistic tip bullets. Headed out this morning for some shooting but don’t think Mrs has the patience for hanging out in the cold while I test these rounds & will save ‘em for another day.

What powder are you using? I love the 308

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Hmmmm interesting... I thought people were if the impression that as long as you run the M1 well lubed with grease it can handle just about anything. Like the CMP says anything about 175gr and less and 50K CUP which is max spec for 30-06 is safe??

I had a racing buddy back in the day who turbocharged a 2.0liter Pinto wagon. Said he wanted to see what it was like to race a 1/4mile in a Pinto wagon. It wasn’t very exciting until the drive shaft spun and dropped just before the white line. Then it got a little exciting.

Moral of the story is: Just because is a pretty stupid reason to do something.

 

[Ray P]

I had a racing buddy back in the day who turbocharged a 2.0liter Pinto wagon. Said he wanted to see what it was like to race a 1/4mile in a Pinto wagon. It wasn’t very exciting until the drive shaft spun and dropped just before the white line. Then it got a little exciting.

Hopefully, it was the aft end of the driveshaft that dropped.. Or both at once. A pole-vaulting Pinto is a horrible image.

 

[Bravoman]

Sad day at the bench for me. Down to my last 9oz of trailboss….317 more rounds of 45-70 with some berrys 350gr fp

 

[Charlie98]

What is the saying about 'well laid plans'?

My brother has been anticipating buying a hunting rifle for some time, I got him settled down and aimed towards something like a Bergara B14, some $800-1000 glass, in 6.5CM. I thought it would be a nice fit, and the lower recoil of the 6.5 meant he could get some trigger time in before the hunt, without developing bad habits from a heavier recoiling rifle. I picked up 8# of H4350, and 350 6.5CM bullets... 50 Noslers for hunting, and 300 SMK's for target shooting... and laid in a supply of 6.5CM brass.

Sooooo... we're at the gun show yesterday (Mesquite, TX) and he sees this Ruger American in a Magpul stock, all fixed up with a bipod and (el cheapo) scope... but it's in .308. Yep, he bought it. And that's all well and good, of course, I already handload for the .308, and my big bolt gun is in .308.... but now I have 8 POUNDS of H4350 setting under the bench... so I decided the AR-10 receiver set I have languishing on the shelf in the armory will be built up in 6.5CM, so I can put all that to good use.

We did go to the range today... his Ruger did well, with both 168grn FGMM, and my handloads (TAC and the168grn Nosler CC.) It didn't particularly care for my IMR4064/169grn SMK handloads, but that's fine, because my Savage 10TAC sure did like them. I finally shot a sub-Moa group with my Savage and my handloads! ...I put 8 rounds into .95" at 100yds. That's FGMM territory.... and something I've been looking for, for about a year now.

My first foray with the 169grn SMK did not go well... I had pressure signs right off the bat, and ultimately had to pull 75 rounds. I re-reloaded them at the standard 2.800", but backed the charge of IMR4064 down about 1.5grn, and worked back up.... no pressure signs, and fantastic accuracy. Victory. I'll have to run them over the chronograph next chance I get to see where they are at.

Patted myself on the back, put everything up, and threw the brass in the tumbler.

 

[Charlie98]

Hmmmm interesting... I thought people were if the impression that as long as you run the M1 well lubed with grease it can handle just about anything. Like the CMP says anything about 175gr and less and 50K CUP which is max spec for 30-06 is safe??

Technically, yes. A .30-06 rifle is a .30-06 rifle... either it is safe or it is not. I think the critical component is pressure at the gas port, not peak pressure in the chamber, although that is a factor, of course. The issue is how the M1 handles the pressure... at the gas port, and by default, the oprod. If you look at any standard Garand data, it almost all stops at IMR4064/Varget/RL12/BL-C(2)... and there is very likely a good reason for that. If you run a slow powder into the higher pressures, to keep the powder burn efficient, pressure at the gas port may be too high.

 

[AJC1]

What is the saying about 'well laid plans'?

My brother has been anticipating buying a hunting rifle for some time, I got him settled down and aimed towards something like a Bergara B14, some $800-1000 glass, in 6.5CM. I thought it would be a nice fit, and the lower recoil of the 6.5 meant he could get some trigger time in before the hunt, without developing bad habits from a heavier recoiling rifle. I picked up 8# of H4350, and 350 6.5CM bullets... 50 Noslers for hunting, and 300 SMK's for target shooting... and laid in a supply of 6.5CM brass.

Sooooo... we're at the gun show yesterday (Mesquite, TX) and he sees this Ruger American in a Magpul stock, all fixed up with a bipod and (el cheapo) scope... but it's in .308. Yep, he bought it. And that's all well and good, of course, I already handload for the .308, and my big bolt gun is in .308.... but now I have 8 POUNDS of H4350 setting under the bench... so I decided the AR-10 receiver set I have languishing on the shelf in the armory will be built up in 6.5CM, so I can put all that to good use.

We did go to the range today... his Ruger did well, with both 168grn FGMM, and my handloads (TAC and the168grn Nosler CC.) It didn't particularly care for my IMR4064/169grn SMK handloads, but that's fine, because my Savage 10TAC sure did like them. I finally shot a sub-Moa group with my Savage and my handloads! ...I put 8 rounds into .95" at 100yds. That's FGMM territory.... and something I've been looking for, for about a year now.

My first foray with the 169grn SMK did not go well... I had pressure signs right off the bat, and ultimately had to pull 75 rounds. I re-reloaded them at the standard 2.800", but backed the charge of IMR4064 down about 1.5grn, and worked back up.... no pressure signs, and fantastic accuracy. Victory. I'll have to run them over the chronograph next chance I get to see where they are at.

Patted myself on the back, put everything up, and threw the brass in the tumbler.

Now it's time to have him pony up for an order of srp brass. That way your not in the fight for lrp that are harder to get and more expensive.

 

[Charlie98]

Now it's time to have him pony up for an order of srp brass. That way your not in the fight for lrp that are harder to get and more expensive.

Yea, we were talking about that. At the gunshow, I was specifically looking for LRP's... and I found them... but they weren't going anywhere at $139/1K Truthfully, my 6.5CM brass is all LP brass, so it wouldn't make any difference.

 

[AJC1]

Yea, we were talking about that. At the gunshow, I was specifically looking for LRP's... and I found them... but they weren't going anywhere at $139/1K Truthfully, my 6.5CM brass is all LP brass, so it wouldn't make any difference.

Federal runs srp 6.5. I don't seem to find very much of it at all. Starline does have srp 6.5 available. A chance to use those srpm and 41s that don't play well with tac in 223 I really would love someone to re-release srp 30-30.

 

[lightman]

This morning I was storing away the tumbled and sorted brass that I've been working on when I found a 2.5# coffee can of 45 Colt brass, and a 2.5 and a 3# coffee can of 44 special brass thats neither been deprimed nor tumbled. So I deprimed all of it and will start tumbling it as soon as my elbow gets rested up!

 

[barnfrog]

Loaded 150 of the aforementioned 9mm rounds with Berry's 124-grain HBFPs and 4.1 grains of Universal. Was going to do 200 but ran out of brass.

The RL 450 feels like it's binding a bit, so I think it's about time to disassemble, clean and re-lube all the linkage and the ram.

 

[Charlie98]

This morning I was storing away the tumbled and sorted brass that I've been working on when I found a 2.5# coffee can of 45 Colt brass, and a 2.5 and a 3# coffee can of 44 special brass thats neither been deprimed nor tumbled. So I deprimed all of it and will start tumbling it as soon as my elbow gets rested up!

That's one of the problems of being so well organized... I don't ever find any 'surprises' in my loading room... I know where everything is, and how much of it is there.

 

[Charlie98]

Pulled the tumbled .308 brass out, sized it real quick while waiting for my bride to come back with my pickup, and sorted it by length. Since I've added a step to my case prep (neck brushing,) all of the brass, trimmed or not, goes into the 'To Prep' bin.

 

[Ray P]

That's one of the problems of being so well organized... I don't ever find any 'surprises' in my loading room... I know where everything is, and how much of it is there.

I sincerely doubt I've ever been that organized (to the point of no surprises ever).

Happily, as I approach 70, the likelihood of me ever being that organized decreases at a steady declining rate.

 

[Charlie98]

I sincerely doubt I've ever been that organized (to the point of no surprises ever).

Happily, as I approach 70, the likelihood of me ever being that organized decreases at a steady declining rate.

My actual reloading area is, literally, in a closet. If I was not organized, it would be complete chaos in that little space.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Technically, yes. A .30-06 rifle is a .30-06 rifle... either it is safe or it is not. I think the critical component is pressure at the gas port, not peak pressure in the chamber, although that is a factor, of course. The issue is how the M1 handles the pressure... at the gas port, and by default, the oprod. If you look at any standard Garand data, it almost all stops at IMR4064/Varget/RL12/BL-C(2)... and there is very likely a good reason for that. If you run a slow powder into the higher pressures, to keep the powder burn efficient, pressure at the gas port may be too high.

Technically, M2 Ball, Caliber .30 is not sporting ammunition spec .30-06Spg. The Garand was designed around the M2, not SAAMI specifications for sporting ammunition.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Hopefully, it was the aft end of the driveshaft that dropped.. Or both at once. A pole-vaulting Pinto is a horrible image.

No it was the front but he did reinstall the shaft loop - it was a requirement for the track in Bithlo so he had no choice. He wasn’t a complete idiot.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

I really would love someone to re-release srp 30-30

SRP 30-30 is called 30 American brass; much as SRP 308 had another name too: 308 Palma.

2 or 3 times a year I put in an email to Starline requesting some - SRP 30-30 that is. Perhaps if we all did they may run a batch.

 

[Ray P]

Technically, M2 Ball, Caliber .30 is not sporting ammunition spec .30-06Spg. The Garand was designed around the M2, not SAAMI specifications for sporting ammunition.

Went to the reloading room today to check my notes. My attempts at an M2 Ball clone settled in at a 150 gr FMJ projo on top of 45.1 grains of IMR 4064, in some nice PS (Puson) brass.

 

[irishlad]

Cleaned up (it wasn’t too bad) and reorganized a little.

 

[AJC1]

Sorted a few thousand pieces of 223 from my dad's collection. Pretty good amount of Hornaday, RP, and PMC for my 6x45 project. Purged a boat load of wolf, wwc and FC. There were 4 total Norma cases in that huge pile

 

[NR53]

Loaded 35 rounds of 6.8spc:

SSA brass
110 grain Hornady V-max
H322 powder
CCI 450 primers

Then loaded 100 rounds of 6ARC:

Starline brass
75 grain Hornady V-max
Leverevolution powder
CCI 450 primers