Loads for garand with 311299

[69daytona]

Looking for some loads that will function in the garand with the 311299.
Have a few hindered cast from cow and monotype water dropped, they are hard enough to not deform feeding from magazine.
looking to shoot the local military silhouette match.
Thanks for any help.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Loads from an earlier thread are:

Start load of 34 gr. Imr-4895
IMR-3031 32 Gr. + 1/2 gr. dacron tuft

Robert

[Larry Gibson]

Start at 28 gr 4895 (H or IMR) and use a 3/4 - 1 gr Dacron filler. Work up in 1 gr increments until functioning is just 100%.....best accuracy will be there.

[69daytona]

Thanks guys

[zomby woof]

I was around 33 with Varget and dacron

[JMax]

34 gr of IMR4895 works in my M1 but I started at 28 gr and worked up in 1 gr increments until I got reliable operation like Mr Gibson stated. Each M1 is a study in taking your time.

[Streetwalker]

With the 311299 in my IH Garand, I like to use 40 gr. of IMR 4831 with a tuft of dacron over the powder. I use a standard Remington 9 1/2 primer in '69 Lake City cases. I set the elevation at 400 with two clicks of left windage and this load will out shoot ANY issue GI ball ammo that I have ever used in this rifle. Great load for reduced target CMP shooting at 100 yds!!

[labradigger1]

35 grains of 4895 here. I load them on a Dillon 550 so I don't use Dacron.

[upnorthwis]

You shouldn't have to worry about feeding from enbloc. Silhouette match is more than likely Single Load only.

[69daytona]

Thanks guys, my garand has all new springs, loaded 15 cases with IMR 4895 started at 30gr and worked up to 35gr, groups kept getting tighter the higher I went, still wasn't getting full function with all 8 rounds, would work perfect for 2-3 then not pickup next.
Have some more loaded with 36 and 37gr and 1 gr Dacron. Will post some targets next time I get to range, hope it keeps getting tighter groups too.

[goryshaw]

I started with IMR 4895 and a NOE 311299 in my Garand, but the groups blew up before the bolt would reliably lock back or pickup the next round from the magazine. I ended up going with 40 gr of IMR 4350 which will consistently feed and lock back, and makes a cool whoomph sound when fired. It's accurate but I do get a bit of vertical stringing, next batch I load will have a tuft of dacron added.

[OS OK]

Just watching...looks like this will be an interesting thread...

[Elkins45]

With the 311299 in my IH Garand, I like to use 40 gr. of IMR 4831 with a tuft of dacron over the powder. I use a standard Remington 9 1/2 primer in '69 Lake City cases. I set the elevation at 400 with two clicks of left windage and this load will out shoot ANY issue GI ball ammo that I have ever used in this rifle. Great load for reduced target CMP shooting at 100 yds!!

My Springfield needs 42 grains before it will reliably cycle all eight rounds. The slower powders are good performers IMO because you’re giving the bullet more of a push than a giant slap on the bottom. I was a little nervous trying this the first time so I started at 38 grains and was relieved I wasn’t going to blow it up when the first round didn’t even move the bolt back far enough to pick up the next.

[69daytona]

Today I went to the range with 30 rounds each for the M1 and M1A, loaded 36 and 37 gr of IMR 4895 15 rounds each with 311414-165gr GC spire point and 311299, each load copied for both guns.
Had so many problems with feeding the 311299 in both guns I gave up on it today, backed my coal down to 3.250 for m1 and 2.750 for M1a and still to tight to lockup bolt.
Switched to the 311414 and you can see the targets below, there are 30 rounds on each at 100yards, didn't have any feeding problems and bolts would lock back after last round. Felt more like shooting 168 j word but primers still have rounded edges.
Think I will stick with the 311414 for now and play some more with the 311299, need to get the coal down so it's out of the lands and maybe I will have better luck.
What COAL are you guys using with the 311299 in your Garands and M1As?

[Larry Gibson]

For magazine feed;

.308W oal with 311299; 2.810"

30-06 oal with 311/314299; 3.30"

[Pirate69]

I had a similar problem with a 311299. I found that the problem was not the COL but the boolit diameter. I am powder coating and the diameter, after coating is 0.312" plus. Mold is delivering well. I solved the problem by opening a Lee 0.309" sizing die to about 0.3115" and resizing after powder coating baking. Turned out to be just about a perfect fit. If I drop a round in the chamber and ease the bolt forward, it would go in full battery with just finger pressure. I found that I could load the COL longer than a loaded clip would seat in the receiver and it would still go into battery okay. I set the COL based on being able to use a clip. So far, so good.

After sizing, I sort the boolits by + or - 0.5 grains before I load them. I am getting about 3.5" inch groups at 100 yards with a scoped Garand. Wish I could say it is iron sights. Current load is 34 grains of pulled-down IMR 4831. No problems with feeding and ejection. Will be varying to powder weight to see if magical 2" group is achievable. It has been a journey of lessons though.

[goryshaw]

I lube with BLL before and after sizing to .310 in a Lee sizer, but still have to seat them with the front band just below the case mouth or it doesn't reliably go into battery.

[69daytona]

Maybe you guys can figure out what's wrong.
Here is my specs for my loaded 30-06 and 308.
30-06 coal with 311299 is 3.240"
308 coal is 2.80"
The 311299 measures .302 at bottom of olive, if you look at pic in both guns the boolits hits at .291 on the nose and make both guns stop from fully clambering right at .300 just before it reaches the diameter of the nose.
I have been using a fairly tight crimp as you can see from to boolits, yet they stick in rifling hard enough to pull them from the case spilling powder into the action.
For my melt I am using 15lbs cows 1lb pewter and 2lbs of Lino and water dropping.
Sounds like loose change hitting concrete when dropped but stays together when hit with hammer.
I'm thinking my boolits are to hard.
Please feel free to chime in on anything that might be causing this, last week they shot fine this week nothing but jams into rifling.
Glad the 311414s worked good, now to find a 6 cavity mold for it.

[Elkins45]

The good news is that your Garand has very little throat erosion. The bad news is that the bore riding section of your bullet is too fat. Looks like you need to squeeze down your bullet nose a bit, or try an alloy with more lead so it cools slightly smaller. My Garand bullets are cast from 96-2-2, which is relatively equivalent to coww. I don’t think you need all that extra stuff.

[69daytona]

That's what I was thinking but never hurts to ask the people that know. I use this melt for all my supermag and 44mag loads because I can drive them fast and they are accurate.