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Thread: Plinking load for Garand

  1. #1
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    Plinking load for Garand

    My old Lyman manual lists that 20 grs of 2400 with a Lee TL173 gr boolit is safe for 30-06, however is says nothing about being safe in the Garand.
    I am a new Garand owner and I want a safe plinking load. Are pistol powders too fast and I should stick to rifle powders? I will be casting up a batch of 311299 and 311284's for target work.
    Ore'mus
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  2. #2
    Boolit Master RU shooter's Avatar
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    I highly doubt that loador anyusing pistol powdersaregonna cycle the action just not enough gas .but you can work the action manually . Mine functioned with 32 grs of 4895 anda 185 gr Lee recoil is very mild in the heavy rifle .
    If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

  3. #3
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    I answered my own question by reading C E Harris' article in the sticky section. I'll shoot up all my 150 to 180 grainers using 16 grs of 2400 and when I get my target boolits cast, I'll switch to 4064 or 4895.
    Ore'mus
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  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    You can use pistol powders and much lower velocities for plinking in a Garand-- BUT as mentioned above it's not going to cycle the action. When I do light load plinking I open the gas plug and operate the rifle manually. Operating manually you can get some reasonable heavy cast bullets (170-200 grains range) down all the way to subsonic and still get pretty good accuracy.
    Hick: Iron sights!

  5. #5
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    Not a Garand, but with my M1A-
    I work up a heavy cast load with 170s or 190s and 4198 that will just cycle it.
    Then add 1 grain. They've done well for me holding about One Minute of soda pop can.

    Something I'd thought about, but never did was buy another operating rod spring, and trim it a little.
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  6. #6
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    Winchester 748 works very well in my Garand and meters very well in the Dillon.
    jim

  7. #7
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    7 grains unique with a 180 grain bullet! You said plinking round
    50 to 75 yards "Low Node" shooting
    " Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation: for it is better to be alone than in bad company. " George Washington

  8. #8
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    While you can get gas port pressures sufficient to cycle the action using 4064 and 4895 with cast bullets, I found that slower powders like 4350 and 4831 work better with the Garand.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master madsenshooter's Avatar
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    But if you go too low with powders like 4350 and 4831, you'll be cleaning the little bits of unburnt powder out of the chamber every 10 or so shots. I tried shooting an 88rd match with a too low dose of H4831SSC once and it's a good thing I took a chamber brush with me. There's also all the little yellow unburnt granules strung throughout the action. Sorry, it's been a long time, I can't remember the charge I was using, just know it wasn't enough. I found some loaded with 48gr of 4831SSC under a 193gr Eagan bullet, but I don't know if they were left over from my 88rd match, or loaded for the next step up!
    Last edited by madsenshooter; 08-13-2019 at 07:37 PM.
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    GMW -- with NO disrespect in any way!!! -- I can not think of a M1 Garand (or, any other gas gun) as a "plinkerable" firearm. We might be talking semantics here -- if, say, you just wish the lightest possible load to function the action and still reliably hit the target?
    As a "new Garand owner" I can readily see your desire to shoot it. As one who has shot a few through the years, I might offer the fact that the Garand was specifically designed to operate with a specific range of bullet weights, powered by powders in also a specific burning rate. "Tons" of books, manuals, and posts out there re this -- I do suggest you read some. If the load is too high, you may damage your op-rod and even yourself; they do sell gas plugs with different sized vent holes to enable shooting too-powerful loads. On the other end of the spectrum, if you're too light in loading -- not only will the action not function, but you chance there still being the bullet in your barrel after you pull the trigger.
    I'm most happy for you in acquiring a Garand -- I know I cherish the one I have -- but, again with no disrespect or possible weirdness -- many load manuals do list light loads for the Garand. The CMP has a thread on light/plinking loads, too, you may wish to explore. http://forums.thecmp.org/archive/ind.../t-174508.html
    Best wishes -- PLEASE be extra careful with "light" and "pistol powder" loads in your gas gun. Two Garands, both in the past three years, have been blown up at a nearby range -- both vis the attempt of plinking loads using cast bullets propelled by pistol powder.
    geo

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master Char-Gar's Avatar
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    IMHO Garands get standard M1 or M2 loads, either store bought or handloaded.
    Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Char-Gar View Post
    IMHO Garands get standard M1 or M2 loads, either store bought or handloaded.

    Char-Gar said in 13 words what I tried to convey in a long couple of paragraphs!

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy Nick Adams's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by georgerkahn View Post

    Char-Gar said in 13 words what I tried to convey in a long couple of paragraphs!
    True, but neither response makes much sense.

    Look, it's simple: asking for 'plinking' loads for the Garand is akin to asking for DOWNLOADED reload data that will, first, reliably cycle the M1's action, and secondly, still produce reasonably accurate and consistent groups at 100yds, minimum.

    What an M1 'plinking load' might do at 50-yds is irrelevant. That's .22-rimfire range.

  14. #14
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    30-06 2400 12 grn 165 grn 0.309 fun in a bolt action

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    In the end the gun is just a tool. It's up to you how you use it

  16. #16
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    My good load for my 43 Winchester is 32grn of 4064 it cycles just fine and it kills deer like lightningAttachment 246874

  17. #17
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    There was no disrespect taken in any way from your post. Thanks for your reply. I read that article by C.E. Harris and settled on 35.5 grains of IMR 4895 under a 311284 boolit which works the action and is way more accurate than I can shoot it.
    Ore'mus
    Flintlocks Rock!

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by GMW View Post
    There was no disrespect taken in any way from your post. Thanks for your reply. I read that article by C.E. Harris and settled on 35.5 grains of IMR 4895 under a 311284 boolit which works the action and is way more accurate than I can shoot it.
    You and I clearly share the same "inability" -- having firearms shooting much better than the shooter! The load you selected is very, very similar to mine! One item for your added thought is the primer you are using. I know I make a special point to ascertain primer pockets (in addition to being swaged, if necessary, using military brass) are CLEAN; and, I double check to make sure the top of each seated primer is a wee bit lower than the case surrounding it. As (if you haven't gathered) I'm a bit "OCD", I exclusively use CCI "military" primers for both my "gas guns". To wit, their #34 for Garand loading; and, the #41 for U S Rifle, 30 Caliber (M1) Carbines. You may wish to read on them at https://www.cci-ammunition.com/produ...ers.aspx?id=30. One of the two Garand blow-ups at a nearby range I'm a member of was a slam-fire -- not MY reloads, I can only write what was reported, that being an unnamed pistol powder ignited by Federal brand primers. Bion, the fellow who owned/shot the firearm is a very seasoned, FFL-holding semi-commercial loader. Perhaps from that incident, I've been extra cautious; in our hi-power league, the great majority of shooters use CCI plain-Jane primers, fyi, having shot >90 rounds each weekly match night for years, with no problems. However, I thought I'd bring this info to your attention. BEST wishes, and good luck. regardless!
    geo

  19. #19
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    I wrote a comprehensive write up on low powder doses and 311299 and marked my weather, accuracy, and function of the rifle.ill try to find it but I did a darn good job of putting that info out using h4895, imr 4895, imr 4064, and aa4064

  20. #20

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check