M1 Garand Loads

M1 Garand 
I just received my Garand today from the CMP! And boy were they quick: total time from mailing my application to receiving my M1 was 4 weeks. It appears from the outside to be in good condition; a few dings and nicks here and there but overall better than I expected. I can’t wait to get it to the range, but it got here so quickly that I haven’t starting loading yet. I would appreciate any recommendations y’all might have regarding loads, powders, bullets, etc. Which bullet would be good considering my entire match shooting will be at 100 yards? Thanks in advance for your help. CAM

M1 Garand 
100-yard matches don’t require any less accuracy than full distance ones. I shot them for many years and always enjoyed them! I would recommend 47.5 grains of 4895 in a Lake City or IMI case with Winchester primers and a Sierra 168. I’m not saying there is no better load to be found out there, just that this one is very good in most rifles and will allow you to start having fun and learning about your rifle.

M1 Garand 
CAM, I’m rather new to reloading for the M1, and my loads are for the National Match course of 200, 300, and 600 yds but I did start at a 100 yd range to narrow down the choice loads. I found that primer choice made a huge difference in how an otherwise identical load worked. In other words, same brass, bullet, powder charge but different primer made a noticeable difference in group size. I found that so far CCI large rifle primer makes a much smaller group than Winchester large rifle primer. I was using Lake City brass, IMR4895, and Sierra BTHP 168gr match. The 168s probably aren’t what you need for 100 yd matches. Wideners has 1000 150gr FMJ M2 ball for $68, shipping included. That’s what I’m now working on for my 200 yd loads. Right now my M1 is in pieces as I refinish the wood, so it will be a while before I can load and test the 150gr bullets. Dan

M1 Garand 
I also received my H&R M1 on the 17th. Did you think to order either the ball or match ammunition when you ordered your rifle? You can purchase a can of each with you 1348 bill of sale from CMP. This will also give you a good reference point to begin reloading with. I pulled the bullet on the ball ammunition with the 150 gr bullet and it had 45.5 grs of what looked like xxx4895 powder. The only difference I could tell in the brass was the ball had a crimped primer.

M1 Garand 
Don’t forget that the Lake City plant did not use canister grade powders. They received a huge lot of powder, and then ran tests to determine how much to use to get the desired pressure and velocity. Trying to correlate the amount in LC ammo to a hand load may lead to problems. You can order the ammo on the CMP website.

M1 Garand 
CAM: You can do quite well at 100yds. With 125gr. bullets, and get reduced recoil in the bargain. I used to buy R-P 125PSP’s from Midway when they’d offer them on special for $62/1000. They’re not an attractive bullet, with a blunt, short ogive and a cannelure, but they work quite well for 100yd shooting in either the M1 or 308 M1A. Also, the Speer 125 TNT or Sierra 125gr.PSP will work fine at 100. Any 4895 works, as well as AA2520, if you like ball powders.