30-06 Brass: The mollino dollar ($.50) question

[ilcop22]

Question.

I am a n00b 30-06 reloader for the M1 Garand, as prior posts have implied. To that end, I have a couple questions to pose to the older, wiser members.

First question:

I understand the general rule is to only reload brass 1-2 times for the M1. Does this mean a casing can be fired 3 times if reloading once-fired commercial brass, or does that first firing through a Garand count as 1 of (maybe) 2 reloads?

Second question:

Having received an answer to the above question, regarding the spent M1 brass, is it viable to reload the brass for a bolt-action rifle chambered in 30-06. Or does the M1 make the brass unsafe for all arms?

Thank you.

[SierraWhiskeyMC]

Gee, where did you hear the reload limit for Garand brass was just a couple of times? :eek:

Brass used in a Garand DOES have to be full-length resized every time, otherwise you risk having slam-fires. Repeated fire-forming and re-sizing will work harden the brass, and you'll eventually wind up with cracks, particularly in the neck and shoulder areas.

If your brass is getting beat up during ejection/extraction, that's something to look at.

If you don't have an adjustable gas plug, MidwayUSA finally has them in stock:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=777146

Once you find a good load, you can adjust your gas system to both operate reliably and not beat the dickens out of your brass.

All good things do come to an end. You might stop shooting them in the Garand after say, the 5th time, and then do one last full-length resize before shooting them in one particular bolt-action .30-06. After that, the cases will be fire-formed to the size of that rifle's chamber, and you can simply resize the necks.

Once you start getting cracks in the neck/shoulder area, all is not lost. Those cases can be trimmed and necked down to fire in a .308, and even in .45 ACP.

[ilcop22]

Great information!

I read the 2 time limit in a couple different reloading articles (online). So this is a pseudo myth?

Glad I asked. I did not know they could be trimmed to fire .45 ACP, the cartridge I most often reload.

[SierraWhiskeyMC]

I suppose it depends on what brass you start off with, and how well you treat it.

Practically all of my .30-06 brass is military surplus; from WWII through the early 1960's. The military brass is a bit thicker than commercial brass. It's pretty good stuff, especially the National Match brass; those primer pockets were never swaged.

If you anneal your case necks properly every several reloads, that will help a great deal to extend their life. It softens the brass and relieves the stress.

Some of the old-timers at my old rifle club would fire them in Garands 10 or 12 times, and then switch them over to bolt guns. We had a lot of WWII mil surplus M2 AP ammo that came through there in the mid-1960's from the CMP; most of it was made at the Denver and St. Louis arsenals in 1943. All corrosively primed. Most of the guys shot it first time around in bolt guns to avoid getting the salts in the Garand's gas system, then reload for the Garand.

When I was a young teenager, I would work the butts (pull/mark/score/paste/ targets) during hi-power matches. Everyone would get 100 rounds (5 boxes) per 1/2 day. After the supply started drying up, they cut back to 40 rounds per 1/2 day - but I still wound up with a decent supply of it.

[SierraWhiskeyMC]

Oh, if you want to get maximum life out of your cases, pick up a cartridge headspace gage, like one of these:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=685086

Using tools like that will help you set up your resizing die so that you're not moving the shoulder up and down a lot.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I learned several things many years ago about magazine articles and in the last 10 years about on-line "experts". Firstly, don`t take for granted the load data they extoll is correct. Remember typos do happen, believe a loading manual first and an article or on-line advice lastly or not at all. Secondly, if the writer is saying to discard your brass after 2 firings, they must work for an ammunition company.Robert

[Lead Fred]

Ive gotten 20-25 reloads out of brass, I only use military brass (have 1000s of them).

As long as you use them in the same firearm, over and over, then will last much longer than having to reform them to another chamber

this 1-2 reloads is pure rubbish

I load ultra hot loads for my 06 bolt gun, Ive not lost a case yet.

[ilcop22]

Now I'm especially glad I asked. I'm on round 2 of my loads and was a bit bothered by having to toss them!

I've looked at annealing articles, but I'm not too clear on the "best" home caster method. I've seen intricate designs as well as simple "Heat it and tip it over into the water" designs. Since this was mentioned, do we have any information on this? I quick search didn't yield immediate results and I'm too tired to dig. XD

Thanks for the above responses. Certainly saved me a ton of money.

[SierraWhiskeyMC]

Have a read on this page: http://www.lasc.us/CartridgeCaseAnnealing.htm

Long, but goes into a good bit of detail.

If you don't have Dean Grennell's "The ABC's of Reloading", you should get it.