Cast Boolits and 4895 in Garand yesterday

[MikeSSS]

The load was Lee .312 155 gr Boolit made for the SKS and AK. They were cast from wheel weights, water quenched, sized to .309" with gas checks. Charge was 36.0 gr of 4895.

The action cycled, the M1 'case distributer' distributed the cases so that I lost two. There was one malfunction, a loaded case ended up stuck in the closed action with it's base outside the action. End of that case.

The rifle was very pleasant to shoot. I shot one group at a hundred yards off bags. The target is below, I expected better.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l57/MikeSSS_01/M1SACastBullets.jpg

Question: What level of accuracy are Garands capable of with cast boolits?

The first time I shot the rifle I used 16 gr of 2400 and the same bullets. I shot it offhand and the accuracy was excellent. But, as expected, the action did not cycle.

The next time I used 35 gr of BLC2 and shot offhand. It seemed that accuracy was not as good. The action cycled just fine.

Tomorrow I'll shoot some 16 gr of 2400 loads off the bench at 100 and see how they do. Most of the time I'll just use these light loads and keep the brass out of the sand or at leas where I can find it.

There are a few things to do: the gas cylinder which has the front sight mounted on it is a bit loose. I'll remove it and peen the splines a bit to tighten it up. Also got to set up a case activated system on the Dillon that uses an RCBS Uniflow. Finally there is checking for leading rates with both the 16 gr of 2400 loads and the 35 to 36 gr of 4895 loads.

The rifle was made in Sept. 1944, the barrel in 1946.

[Buckshot]

.............You need a bigger (longer-heavier) slug for the Garand to see it's full potential (IMHO) with cast. However you have a darn fine start there, and no doubt.

................Buckshot

[mosin9130]

Lee .312 155 gr Boolit cast from wheel weights, water quenched and 36.0 gr of 4895 is the suggested load from what I've started to develop for my Garand but, not having IMR 4895 and being it very expensive and hard to find here in Italy, I've switched to VihtaVuori N135 that has a burning rate close to IMR 4895. Now my load is of 34,6 grs of N135 for both the Garands I own (30/06 and 308). The Boolit is sized to .308 simply because I still haven't a .309 or .310 sizer but accuracy seems not to soffer.
IMO you're in the good zone , but have to reduce of a grain or two.
I've also tried the Lyman 314299 with no different results.

[Bob S]

Mike:

My old M1 load of 311284 and 42 grains of WW II surplus 4831 would reliably shoot prone groups @ 100 yards into 2-1/2 inches, sometimes into 2", but rarely better than that. That was in three rifles, all in excellent condition, but before any of them were "National-Matched". I'd say you're approaching Nirvana ...

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[kywoodwrkr]

Mike,
What is the Muzzle Wear value on the barrel?
In other words if you place a round of M2 ammunition in the barrel bullet first, how much of the copper bullet do you see?-Has to be M2!
Many of the imprted M1's had a blunderbuss type muzzle.
FWIW.
DaveP kywodowrkr

[MikeSSS]

An M2 bullet leaves about 1/4" exposed between the muzzle and the case mouth.

Is that good or bad?

Thanks.

[NickSS]

You have a good barrel as far as muzzle wear is concerned my brand new barrel has about the same bullet length showing when I put an M2 ball bullet in it.