I spent several hours loading some BobS-type .30-06 loads for the Garand yesterday....and then went right out and fired them, plus a few dozen I loaded for the .303 as well. I say BobS "type" because I used different bullet designs where he used 311284. Also, instead of the old H4831 I tried earlier, I loaded 39.0 grains of IMR 4831 plus a small tuft of dacron. The bullets were 311291 and 311413, the first being a roundnose which works fine in my M1, and the second a spitzer design. Both are around 170 grains, and hence a good bit lighter than Bob's 284s. Over the course of eighty rounds, I had perfect function except for a single 311291 round which the bolt failed to pick up from the clip. The cycling was rather "soft" at this level, and I can easily increase the charge to speed up the bolt travel a tad.
I ended the M1 session with a couple of groups with some leftover REAL BobS loads, using 311284 and 42.0 of old H4831. They shot a bit better than the 291 and 314 loads, and also functioned the rifle with a lot more snap.
Boolits were water-dropped WW sized .311" with Felix lube.
Since I was purposely running both charges AND bullets lighter than Bob's original load, I was tickled to get such good function. I was looking for a lower-edge starting point, and I found it.
Shooting from the bench at 50 yards, the rifle and loads were definitely showing signs of promise. On NRA pistol 50-yard centers, I often had several rounds in the 1.19" x-ring, and on one 8-round string there were six 314s in that little circle.
I like the concept, using the slow-burning powder (NOT FOR JACKETED LOADS IN THE GARAND) and adjusting the charge to get the needed pressure at the gasport.
The rifle is showing a VERY pronounced first-round-flyer syndrome with these loads. Remember, these are compressed loads, so powder positioning is NOT an issue. However, on numerous occasions the first round would impact three or four inches low, and the second and subsequent rounds would strike right in the x-ring area. Something about the bolt lockup when chambering the first round is affecting the impact point....drastically!
Firing over one hundred rounds left the bore gleamingly-brilliant. No leading of any kind was visible, and only one or two granules of 4831 were left in the barrel on inspection.
With the .303 #4, I tried the same 39.0 charge of IMR 4831 with the Lee Bator 316-220. It too showed some promise, but tended to string vertically from 50 yards. This rifle has a Parker-Hale match sight with iris aperture, but my eyes were giving me fits and some of the stringing is most likely due to my inability to resolve the top of the post. I had some similar difficulty with the M1, but not quite as badly. Maybe eye fatigue was having its effect by the time I got to the .303.
A series in the #4 with the same 316-220 bullet and Re-7 powder (20-24 grains in 1-grain increments) and dacron fill yielded enough accuracy to warrant further work. On an earlier occasion, simply adding dacron to the load of Re-7 with this bullet reduced the 50-yard group from FOUR INCHES to 1.25"....everything was precisely identical except for the dacron tuft!
I'm awaiting a Merit iris aperture from Brownell's, which will be installed in the Garand's rear sight by just drilling and tapping the existing aperture. Hole size is #11 wire, and thread is 7/32 x 40, and returning the rifle to "stock" condition only requires replacement of the moveable sight element. The new M-14 will get the same mod when it arrives (which now looks like late August...woe is me!)
I've owned scores of military rifles over many years, occasionally having over 100 different examples on-hand at one time, and I extensively fired every one of them, from Sniders to Armalites. Out of all those many types, the Garand and the #4 Mk2, along with two others, are my "pick of the litter". The others are the FN-FAL and the M-14. Once the M-14 arrives, all that I need is the FAL...and a DSA-built example will be the next priority. Four great rifles, each in perfect condition, will constitute my "military collection"...plus the SKS, of course.
I do like military rifles.