Reloading .30-06 for the M1 Garand

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

As I believe, the powder used in original M2 150 grain ammo was IMR4895. So I only use that powder and load in all my WWII rifles. I forget what charge weight I use, I would have to check my records. Good luck!

[@GuitarGunner]

Yes you can use IMR4895, however more modern powders can like H335 and VIHT N-135 can allow you to reach greater velocities while maintaining a lower pressure. Using H335 I can reach 2700 FPS using 45.1 grains with a pressure of around 35,000 PSI. To get the same velocities with IMR4895 I'd need to increase the charge to around 48 grains and then I'd be running pressures at closer to 40,000 PSI.

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

@@GuitarGunner that’s cool, you can use anything you desire. I just want to use exactly what the rifles were designed to use, I shoot them for fun and entertainment, not for performance so I like sticking with the authentic ammo. I know you have to be very careful deviating from the pressure curve or the op rod can be damaged and I worked hard and spent a significant amount of cash getting all the correct parts that are the correct number for my 2/43 Springfield. I have an 8 lb jug of surplus WCC846 powder which is supposed to be very close to H335! Have a great time with your rifle!

[@deniscleaver7544]

Invest in a powder trickler for fine tuned powder measures. Set scale to register below specified load and then trickle until balance beam is at "0" Takes longer, but the results are the best.

[@GuitarGunner]

I actually just picked one up a few days after I made this video ;-) But to anyone else reading.... YES! Get a powder trickler, especially if you're using a magnetically balanced analog scale. I picked up the Hornady trickler for about $25.

[@jasontorre3267]

@@GuitarGunner Should you desire better powder control use an automated powder dispenser with a built-in scale. I to have a 550 press, and have found that Dillon powder dispensers don't do well with stick powder. They do very well with ball type. BLC-2 works great. I have had best results with a cheap Lee powder dispenser used beside my press. Also Case length no go gauges can be a big help. Use them after resizing. They also work well to see how much Brass drift you have. With a tight chamber and only using the same brass in the one rifle case length issues should be minimal. Also only military Brass requires primer pocket swedging. I use Dillons' swedging set. No grinding it presses the metal out of the way. Good luck and happy shooting

[@luckyshotammunitiongunsllc2369]

The danny trickle 2 is worth the 100 $

[@michaeldickerson873]

Luckily I found some Vihtavhouri N135, IMR 4064 and IMR 4895 and have worked on ladder loads in the moderate M1 published data range. Have not got out yet. Moderate so as to not risk damaging the op rod.

[@michaeldickerson873]

Hey GG, last year I picked up a M1 Garand a Springfield Armory made in Feb/March 1943. I too am reloading just moderate loads for it. Did you modify your gas plug?

[@GuitarGunner]

Hey there! Nope, I didn’t modify my firearm at all whatsoever. I’ve put hundreds of rounds through it (both factory and reloads) without any issues. How light of a load are you going for? I keep mine above 2500 fps but I can imagine tuning the gas plug if you are planning on going slower / lower pressure.

[@macy725]

I tried that load with a 150gr Hornady fmjbt. I was having trouble cycling so I'm upping the charge to the max to see if it works.

[@GuitarGunner]

Really? Interesting. I've never had any cycling issues with these rounds. What kind of M1 are you running it through?

[@macy725]

@@GuitarGunner just a standard Springfield M1. No modifications. I'm going try a slower powder to see if that will have enough energy to cycle the op rod.

[@nycboy2q]

Great video, Im a proud owner of an m1 garand and I know m2 ball is expensive and hard to find. I don’t have any experience in reloading except the few videos I’ve watched but I would be very interested in starting. Problem is I don’t know where to start, I don’t know what equipment specifically I would need. Could you do a video on your setup, that would be awesome ?! Or email me too, thanks !

[@GuitarGunner]

Thanks for the comment, Andres! You're right about M2 ball being a pain in the butt to find... However you can usually get some military surplus m2 Ball at a local gunshow, or PPU makes brand new factory loads specifically for the M1 and they run great through my rifle. Anyway - I'd be happy to do a video on my setup. Until then, here's a rundown of the equipment that I use. It's not a complete list but it's a start: Presses: Dillon RL 550 Progressive Reloading Press Lee Challenger Breech-lock single-stage press Die sets: Carbide Die sets for .223, 9MM Steel Die sets for .308, .30-06, 30-30 Other equipment: Hornady case gauges for .223, .308, 9MM & .30-06 Frankford Arsenel Impact Bullet-puller Other equipment for case prepping: Cabelas vibratory case tumbler w/ Lyman corn-cob media Cabelas media separator Hornady Cam-Lok case trimmer Lyman Brass Smith Xpress case trimmer (this one is motorized and is a must-have for trimming volume) RCBS Case Prepping Center Lyman Case prepping hand tools Powders that I use: Rifle: Hodgdon BLC2, CFE-223, H335, H4895, Alliant Power Pro 2000 MR, IMR-4895, IMR-7828 Pistol: Alliant Power Pistol, Alliant Bullseye (I use Power Pistol for all of my 9MM loads, it's amazing). Bullets that I use: XTreme Bullets in the following calibers: .223 (55 gr & 62 gr), .308 (147 gr, 150 gr, 168 gr, 180 gr, 200 gr), 9MM (CPRN @ 115 gr, FMJ @ 115 gr) Hard cast lead bullets in 9MM @ 124 gr and 147 gr respectively I also use an assortment of Hornady brand bullets for loading .308 caliber cartridges such as .30-06, .308 Winchester and 30-30. Feel free to reach out with any questions! Thanks for watching!

[@nycboy2q]

Thanks awesome, awesome reply keep consistent at your KZbin you’ll make it big! @guitargunner

[@nycboy2q]

Oh and as far as m2 ball locally I live in Florida where ammo tbh is not too bad and there is lots of gun stores but there’s few that carry it and the one that does has m2 ball boxes of 20 from the cmp for 50$ a box of 20 … cmon -____- can’t support that !

[@timnavarrette3274]

Why not use a lube pad? Just wondering. I use latex gloves also. That's just me and messes.

[@GuitarGunner]

When I made this video I didn't know those existed, hah! I still lube using my same method though. I don't use gloves because I like to feel the brass for any imperfections, burrs, etc.

[@brianbelliveau5551]

I load my rifle loads on a single stage and I find it’s easy to use and and gets better results I also have the 550 RL I do my pistol cases on it

[@GuitarGunner]

Since I made this video I actually bought a Lee Challenger single-stage - Now I do all of my .30-06 and 30-30 loads on that press instead, as well as all of my depriming / resizing. So now I have my RL550 setup up for .223 / 5.56 and my single stage setup for 30-30.

[@brianbelliveau5551]

@@GuitarGunner cool I thought about setting up the Dillon for 223 but the dies are a lot of money so maybe In the future but for. Now I’ll stay with my hornady

[@GuitarGunner]

@@brianbelliveau5551 You can get steel dies for a lot cheaper and in my opinion they run just as good as the carbide. Literally the only difference between steel / carbide from Dillon is that the carbide resizing die just has a lining of carbide inside of the resizing chamber. I talked to a Dillon rep and they told me that steel would last just as long as long as you used case lube when you resize. So right now I have carbide .223 and 9MM dies but for .308 , 30-30 and .30-06 I have steel.

[@brianbelliveau5551]

@@GuitarGunner ok cool I’ll look in to it thanks for the come back

[@GuitarGunner]

@@brianbelliveau5551 Yep you bet anytime!

[@luckyshotammunitiongunsllc2369]

No lube on the neck and shoulders when sizing? Be honest bro, how many pieces have u had to remove from your dies with a removal kit.. you do you and all bet dang.

[@GuitarGunner]

I have never had a stuck case with .30-06. I don't know about others, but I typically don't encounter much expansion on my expended casings. They will usually drop right back into the case gauge just fine after being fired, I still resize them anyway. That being said there are plenty of people that reload .30-06 that don't use lube on the shoulder. Primarily because depending on the type of lube it's easy to use too much and cause excess pressure inside of the die, resulting in unwanted indentations on the shoulder itself. I thought I had touched on that issue in the video but I may have not been clear. Also, the shoulder and neck do get a little bit of lube on them just from my handling the cases with my fingers. Sometimes I will spray a little bit of one-shot on the shoulder / neck if I feel it's necessary, but I have no trouble resizing with lube just on the case body and a very, very minimal amount (if any) on the neck & shoulder. This works fine for me, and like I said - I'm not he only one who does it this way. I've been reloading .30-06 like this for the last 2 years and I don't encounter any resistance on the up or down stroke, and since I've stopped focusing on lubing the neck / shoulder (or at least just using too much lube) I've stopped getting indentations on the shoulder when resizing. As an added note, I've not encountered much expansion with .30-06 brass compared to .223 / 5.56 brass. The only brass I've ever had stuck-case issues with was military 5.56, and that's because I was using Hornady one-shot and my Dillon's shell plate doesn't grab hold of the case rim enough to pull it back out with the force it needs if there's a particularly deformed casing that doesn't have quite enough lube on it. That's one reason I now do all of my resizing on a Lee single stage press, with RCBS / Hornady shell plates that grip the casing much harder than a Dillon shellplate.

[@luckyshotammunitiongunsllc2369]

@guitarGunner Lubing the neck and shoulder of bottle neck brass it the most important area, not that the body isn't important. Thats where the majority of the sizing is happening whether you are neck sizing or full length sizing.. if to much lub is added there it will dent the shoulder for sure always a good idea.. any reloading book or load data manual will tell you the same brother.. when you clean your dies (I love my RCBS ultrasonic #2 with the gun cleaner) and all the lub is gone from that area you might run into a few issues.. have a good day..

[@macy725]

What are you smoking lol? Lube should never be on the shoulder, you'll get dents for days

[@luckyshotammunitiongunsllc2369]

@ makarov kid, you only get dents in shoulders when you A) Use to much lub and, B) use to much lub.. you can use hornadys "Oneshot" or Reddings "Imperial case wax" or a 1000 other things and not damage the necks.. Also I would tell you about 99% of the reloading community lub there cases. If you don't, thats ok but getting one stuck in your dies is an eventually if you full length size.. (neck sizing is a thing of the past) ask all the pros. So I ask you sir, are you smoking the wacky tobaccy, cuz its puff puff pass my guy

[@macy725]

@@luckyshotammunitiongunsllc2369 yeah I lube my cases, just not the shoulder because you'll get dents.

[@brianbelliveau5551]

What powder are you using I’m using cci#34 large Rifle primer with 2520 and Tac powder

[@GuitarGunner]

For these loads I'm using Hodgdon H335 powder @ 45.1 grains and CCI # 34. For larger grain bullets like 180 grain SST's I use Superperformance powder.

[@brianbelliveau5551]

@@GuitarGunner that’s funny I have a 100 rounds that a old guy made me years ago with H335 didn’t know it was still available he made me some 52 gr with 110 gr bullets some spear points and round nose they are 35 years old but when I put them in my ruger American 3006 they go bang

[@GuitarGunner]

@@brianbelliveau5551 That's awesome. Yeh H335 is what I use because it's pretty much the same formula as the military's powder (I think it's WC834? I can go find out if you're curious) that they use for all the larger caliber loads. I Have a NATO cartridge guide that lists all of the NATO cartridges and their loading specifications - including powder charge.

[@AmericaNeedsWeed]

@@GuitarGunner cci 34 primers I can find say for 7x62. They still work?

[@GuitarGunner]

@@AmericaNeedsWeed Yes CCI #34 will work just fine.

[@comodice905]

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