Why my M1 Garand Blew up

[@auburn886]

As a Garand owner, that breaks my heart.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@curtislarson1487]

Mine had the m84 .modern loads are much higher then the 150 grain rounds. But the steel round was like looking at a dudes butt

[@jeffadams9807]

Mine To...

[@1999glock]

Soon as I saw the gray steel case in the chamber I knew what happened.

[@richardolsen6570]

phil lamonica , I thought the same thing

[@PT5BASSMAN98]

Same here, had the exact same issue with my Ishapore 2A1 on several occasions. Luckily the only issue I’ve had the extractor spring came out of the extractor

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@Andrew-jm4tp]

I had steel case Russian .308 stick in my gun so bad that I had to remove it with a hammer. Never again.

[@anthonylee6322]

Steel Russian ammo

[@RVN-DS-AbnVet]

I've seen rifles that have come apart, and done serious damage to the shooter. This video is actually a testimony to the strength of Mr. Garand's design.

[@henryofskalitz2228]

None the less it didn't blow up it cracked the stock and made the case stuck

[@HHH100]

Never use steel cased .308 or 30.06 cartridges in U.S. semi-autos. They were not designed for it. Brass only.

[@Embosan]

+HHH100 Absolutely correct, PLUS the Russian ammo is notorious for erratic quality control, resulting in either under or way overpressure loads. Every case shown in this vid shows signs of overpressure. Why risk a good rifle (and maybe your life) to save a few bucks buying crap like this?

[@HHH100]

+Embosan I agree. I only use the Russian steel for AK's and SKS's..... period.

[@trumpenhammerofkek4821]

+HHH100 I use steel in my .380 and my 7.62x39 AR. It runs fine.

[@tallen4520]

+HHH100 Steel cased .308/30-06 cartridges;, or did you mean "bullets"? I've never seen a steel cased cartridge for either.

[@HHH100]

+T Allen I do mean the cases. Russian imported cartridges in .308 or 30.06 are steel (TulAmmo, Brown Bear, etc.). The steel does not act like the brass when fired, hence could cause a multitude of problems or damage. I would not use them - period. If you want to risk damage to your Garands, M-14's, Carbines (.30 Carbine), etc. go ahead. Steel is designed for AK's and SKS's only in my book or bolt actions, single shot, etc.

[@KeatonEggleston]

At least Cabellas was legit about the whole thing. My faith in humanity is restored.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@hecklarandkoch]

Great customer service, glad you didn't get hurt when it blew.

[@theKGB65]

+hecklarandkoch It's been almost two years and all the feeling has come back where I had numbness but I still experience some really bad tingling (buzzing feeling) that I feel as I type this, but is especially noticeable every morning when I first wake up. Spent over $2000 on a neurologist but he says this type of trauma will only heal with time.

[@LuvBorderCollies]

Traumatized nerves tend to be slow to heal. Got some experience with that.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@kdtrimble]

Sounds like Cabelas did you a solid. Nice to hear. Glad you were not seriously injured. Stick with the 30-06. Very fun gun to shoot. The sound of WW2.

[@hasamac10]

Nothing wrong with a gun properly rebarreled to 762 x 51. I used one for many years. The only reason I didn't use steel was I had enough brass cased ammo to last long enough.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@chrisgutierrez5952]

Finally a store that upholds the honest thing to do. I have done business with Cabela's for years and have never been disappointed. Thank god you weren't harmed, it could have went the other way so easily. As for steel case ammo I have always had trouble with it sticking in the chamber, and I have tried them all believe me. Ammo is so expensive now that you have to try every avenue to be able to get out there and get some range time.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@OIFEagle]

I'm glad you are OK it worked out. Kudos to Cabellas for taking responsibility and stepping up!

[@tristanmyers897]

I want to know if he was using the original gas port because it sounds like that may have been part of the problem

[@KillerRedVine]

I got a Springfield M1 made in the 80s that was rechambered to 308 by someone a few years ago. I've exclusively shot ONLY steel case Wolf and Tula the whole time I've owned it and have had no problems. The one thing I did do before shooting it was buy an aftermarket gas plug so I could regulate the gasses and make sure the pressure was just enough to run the action reliably. Something I'd recommend everyone buy who owns an M1 especially one that has been re-chambered to something other than M2 ball.

[@theKGB65]

That was a good idea. Thank you for mentioning that here.

[@jstockton3137]

I had the same thing happen. And Im going to say something that will disappoint those who told you the reason for the explosion. What actually happened is called an open breech detonation. I went through everything you have, and can tell you for certain it was the rifle breech that wasnt completely closed and locked in. I know it sounds like something you would have seen, but you wouldnt have. I will gladly send you pictures of my M1A and the cartridge. Its incredibly easy to blame the ammo because it is so rare to have an out of breech detonation. But when it does happen, you are looking at what occurs!

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@peghead]

Possibly an 'out-of-battery slam-fire', I agree. I've hand-loaded for my M1 (cal. .30) since I acquired it in 1994 (had it rebarreled before I fired it due to excessive cleaning rod muzzle-wear) following Jerry Kuhnhausen's recommendation in his shop manual " The U.S 30 Caliber, Gas Operated Service Rifles, Vol. I&II", to use a primer pocket uniformer to ensure the primer pocket is squared and new primers can be seated below flush (.006)" to minimize "slam fires". I would not only use the primer pocket uniformer on new brass but, especially fired brass because brass would swage into the pocket with firing, which was evident in the brass shavings produced with every case, every time.

[@Iraqveteran8888]

Have you checked the headspace on this rifle? Based on what I see with the steel cases, it looks like a headspace issue. Just my 2 cents. :/

[@theKGB65]

That is possible but I asked the gunsmith and he said said it was tip-top. The brass casings that were fired in this rifle looked perfectly fine. Nice to hear from my favorite source for military rifle reloading expertise and blowing up stuff! I spend a lot of time over at your channel.

[@theKGB65]

I checked the brass casings that had been fired in that Tanker Garand and they dropped all the way into the Wilson case-length gauge with a satisfying "plop", so I think the headspace should be okay.

[@theKGB65]

***** One of my first thoughts after this happened was - "Thank god I didn't load up a mag of this stuff for my SCAR!"

[@rangerstl07]

That flattened primer has nothing to do with headspace. Excessive pressure from poor quality control of single-base Russian propellants. Look at those pierced primers. There is a reason that ammo is inexpensive. That was not headspace.

[@ninja54380]

***** I dont remember where he claims to be an expert Gunsmith. I dont see any videos on your channel, maybe you could post some info on the subject?

[@dnhman]

Man you were lucky you were not injured! Glad to see Cabelas stepped up for you!

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@rosicroix777]

Im just glad you weren't seriously injured. It is good to hear Cabellas handled the issue propperly & TY for getting the word out about the ammo

[@woo9194]

Man this just makes me want to cry!

[@jimkey920]

Velly Intlesting! I am glad you weren't hurt. Als nice to see Cabella's reaction.

[@chrisbomboy3206]

What causes a man to buy an expensive rifle and the put garbage ammo in it. I will never understand it.

[@EpicXXProductions]

It's like putting standard gas in a Porsche.

[@chrisbomboy3206]

Yes sir, I just don't get it. That Russian ammo is dirty crap and I like my guns too much to use it.

[@josephvanas6352]

Tulammo is garbage but wolf is actually pretty good, I run wolf through my guns and no problems. Sure it causes more barrel wear but for the money you save on ammo you can replace the barrel and still have money for more ammo. There are few reason to actually buy brass cased ammo for standard plinking unless you are into reloading. Steel cased is more prone to sticking in the chamber or having issues with feeding because its coefficient of friction is greater than that of brass. If it were ammo for self defense or hunting, something that I would want to rely on to go 100% of the time then I would go with a good more expensive ammo. The only reason people dislike most of the cheap russian ammo is the cold war and something something those damn commies cant produce shit, and not actually knowing much about the ex com bloc produced ammo. Rifle is fine Ammo is fine if you cannot fix rifle in chechnya with a rock and hose clamps then rifle is worthless.

[@akshooter762]

tula and wolf is the same thing.....

[@chrisbomboy3206]

I shoot a lot and I would rather spend a few dollars more and shoot decent quality brass cased ammo. For cheap ammo I usually shoot Freedom munitions or my own reloads. Steel cased ammo sticks because of it not sealing as well as brass cased plus the lacquer coating can build up in the chamber. Barrel wear from mild steel bullets is not a factor. Norma has used mild steel jackets in some of their rifle ammo for years. By the way good barrels are not cheap. Buck 298 ammo in gun that costs over a grand will never make sense to me.

[@Roberthurz]

I have the same ammo. I shot some through my Ruger Scout rifle. My friend took one look at the flattened primer and told me to not fire another round. I am stuck with 10 boxes of this stuff.I am going to contact Cabellas and see if they will buy back the ammo. This video has been very helpful. Hopefully they will.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello how are you doing today?

[@thor1911.]

M2 ball is a must unless you switch out the gas block adjustable relieve some of pressure in modern ammo

[@airground1]

False

[@thor1911.]

@@airground1 you don't believe me check out forgotten weapons video modern ammo through a M1 and I think gun Jesus knows more than both of us put together

[@airground1]

@@thor1911. that video has been long debunked. Here kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4C2laatj619i8U and here kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5yuhaWKbsR5q9U

[@thor1911.]

@@airground1 well let's just say I'm not going to chance it myself I don't want to take a chance on damaging my rifle took me forever to get my rifles from the CMP ones International Harvester and the other one is a Winchester

[@airground1]

@@thor1911. I just work on facts not poorly done videos by two guys who really don't know what they are talking about.

[@secondthought2320]

Glad you are ok and being taken care of by Cabelas. I have that ammo for 30/06, but now will chunk all it!

[@stanfordcoffee]

A real standup show of customer service on Cabelas part. Sorry lost the rifle, still glad you weren't hurt. LOL at the Hickok45 reference. Cheers

[@theKGB65]

@MCPObr44 The gunsmith that extracted the shell had to pour molten Cerrosafe into the casing and beat it out with a long steel rod and a BFH.

[@yung1cee246]

theKGB65 isn't the garand related to the m39 emr like the m39 s an evolved version???

[@memez_dreamz6870]

+Rexplays 20th Think of it as the grandfather the M39s father is a M14 and the M14s is the M1 Garand.

[@Wrangler458]

+Ghost Airlift What?

[@tallen4520]

+theKGB65 Then you may have a rough or cracked barrel chamber. A rough chambered barrel will seize the casing, after firing.

[@cumulo25]

What's a BFH? "Big Fucking Hammer?"

[@TheChuckie111]

The M1 Garand is a gas operated rifle. The gas system on a Garand has a very specific pressure curve. You should only shoot ammunition that is SPECIFICALLY manufactured for the M1 Garand. You can shoot other ammo IF you install a gas regulator plug to safely vent off the excess gas pressure. There are a couple different versions of this part on the market. I stay away from steel cased ammunition. But that is just me.

[@SilkDomi]

Most anticipated follow up video! Glad to hear about cabbalas customer service! One rarely hears of the good. Excited to see what you find next!

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@johnlowe466]

I can't believe that you fed that crap to a Garand! I have to be honest with you. You can't put high end hunting rounds through a Garand if the powder isn't correct or you can cause over-pressure and at the least wreck an op rod; but man, you almost committed suicide. I don't mean to lecture but knowledge is wisdom. If you're buying cheap ammo stay away from corrosive primers as well. You may want to get your ammo from CMP if you can't tell the difference. This is like a friend of mine in high school who bought a brand new Norton Commando in '71 took it out at night and came back to a room full of his friends with a singed face. When I asked what the hell happened he admitted that he ran out of gas and since it was dark he lit a match to look into the tank and check. He actually admitted that and laughed. This is the best I have heard since. I own Grands and I've built them from parts and to look at this video is like a kick in the gut. It breaks your heart.

[@theKGB65]

The only reason that I ran two boxes of Cabella's house-brand of Herter's low quality surplus ammunition was because when I bought the rifle it was non-functional and the floor salesman tried blaming the problem on my ammunition. They took the rifle back, had it repaired, and during the subsequent proof firing I wanted to make sure I had some of their own off-the-shelf ammo along for argument sake in case the rifle still did not function. I shoot handloads exclusively and have been doing so successfully since 1987. And yes, if I'd inspected the blown primers on the steel cases in the grass I'd have noticed the problem in time to save the rifle. The only cases I inspected were those of my handloads which functioned perfectly for about 70 rounds of initial test firing and zeroing. I was just shooting off the two boxes of Cabella's ammo to get rid of it at the very end of my shooting session. The incident occurred with just a few rounds left in the second box. If this disaster hadn't happened I would still be enjoying this fine rifle. Instead, I returned the damaged piece for a full refund and now use a standard .30-06 Garand with IMR-4895 handloads.

[@deancook867]

yet the old timer garand enthusiasts i know have thousands of 180 grain winchester, sako, and whatever other hunting ammo down their garand barrels without any issues. go figure. thousands of rounds of steel cased norinco, no issues. weird how different one's real life can be from an internet comment

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hi, how are you doing today?

[@henrybraud1156]

This problem is the very reason I reload all my major caliber ammo! Many complained about the 7.62x54R ammo in their Mosin Nagant rifles and having sticky bolt problems. It was never the lacquered cases that so many shooters claimed...it's that the Euro and Russian ammo makers produce it for use in cold to mild climates. Any higher change in ambient temperature makes the pressures go up. I had this problem years ago in my Nagants with Czech silvertip ammo...flattened or pierced primers and sticky bolt extraction. I went home pulled 20 cartridges apart...measured the powder load (50 grains) and reduced it 2 grains at a time. It wasn't until I got to 44 grains that the loads became safe to shoot in hot weather (90-100+ degrees F). No more flattened, pierced primers or extraction issues! Thanks for the video! I would have kept the Tanker since it wasn't harmed...a great tribute to the genius of John Garand for such a robust battle rifle!!!! Folks, be wary and very picky of the ammo you put in your Garands...they are only designed to work properly within a certain pressure range with just a few choices in powder! (A good idea is to install an adjustable gas valve (gas cylinder lock screw) if you insist upon shooting commercial ammo)

[@mag30th]

Pressure issues on an M1 Garand do not automatically occur as the result of heavy powder loads. It can just as easily occur if the projectile is not properly crimped properly. When the round cycles, and If the projectile slides forward from the casing, it will ram forward until it is stopped by seating into the lands and grooves. All bullets require at least a small "Running start" before they strike the lands and grooves. If the projectile is already contacting the lands and grooves when it is fired, the difference in chamber pressure is very significant, and can be enough to blow a rifle. It is just my opinion, but I believe that this was the issue that blew your rifle. I base this on the fact that if the loads were just "Hot" then the pressure would have been present throughout the bullet travel down the barrel. And if the pressure was high throughout the barrel, the operating rod would have been bent, and or damaged to a noticeable degree. This does not appear, at least in the video, to have been the case. The manner the rifle appeared more consistent with a pressure spike, rather than a heavy charge. A spike would have resulted in extremely high pressure the instant the primer lit the charge, with pressure decreasing as the bullet traveled down the barrel. Without operating rod damage, this would be what I would expect. A loose crimp, or the bullet not being seated to the proper depth, or even some brands of bullets with round noses may bring the projectile dangerously close to the rifling.

[@danr5105]

mag30th As i understand what you are saying. You feel the crimp was too light and the inertia from the round cycling caused in effect a cartridge that was in effect too long? Since in this accident we had many samples of flattened primers couldn't one take a unfired sample cartridge out of what is remaining from that lot and check the crimp? I feel more likely the cartridge overall length was too long from the beginning and the crimp was tight, or one can cycle a cartridge and check what effect cycling had on the cartridge (check the overall length and see if there are marks on the bullet indicating it was touching the rifling of the barrel. An inspection of remaining cartridges from that lot (including amount of propellant, crimp type and cartridge overall length, brass length) would be of value. Second explanation is simply poor quality brass. I have seen very old military 30.06 brass separate where the brass is necked down (due to corrosion). I was actually able to break a cartridge in half by hand (the brass broke at the neck down point). It would be interesting to pull a bullet , cut the brass and get a brass thickness dimension close to where this separation occurred. At least the shooter owned up to not inspecting spent brass. You have to examine that brass as it tells the story as to what is happening during firing.

[@mag30th]

Dan R yes, but making it worse is that this perticular manufacturer is using steel casings with match ammo, there also isn't any crimp whatsoever on the one the samples I looked at. I tested them in a hammer-type bullet extractor and there were several that can out of the case with little effort at all.

[@mag30th]

Dan R You know, I had tested that ammo and as simple as is sounds I never bothered to try cycling it through a garand as you mentioned and see if they slid forward upon the bolt closing. Good idea, (Great idea!) I wished I had thought of that myself! I'll see if I have any left any give it a try. I'd hate to see this happen again to someone else.

[@mag30th]

+mag30th Regarding the bullet sliding forward into the barrel lands prior to the gun firing and how it can affect the chamber pressure. img.photobucket.com/albums/v663/bwestfall/RELOADING/seatingdepthvpressure.jpg

[@hasamac10]

Sorry but target and bench rest shooters generally seat their bullets right up to the rifling. I have loaded ammo with out crimping. I have never had a problem. Good to crimp revolver if strong recoiling and tubular feed rifles.

[@emsburnout1209]

Glad you are ok. Thank you for sharing this with the community.

[@c5back9]

Too bad. Sorry this happened to you and your treasured Garand! I pretty much stay away from budget priced ammo and have never selected any steel case stuff. I know millions of people fire steel case in AKs and SKs, but I never was comfortable with it. I've always worried that the steel stuff would wear the chamber, extractor, and other contact surfaces. I never really gave too much thought to there being QC issues with budget ammo that might result in over pressure scenarios. I think I'll continue to stay clear of the budget stuff. This is good info to know - thanks!

[@Mayday9039]

Sorry About your Garand! Glad you are OK!! Always enjoy your videos!! Keep them up.

[@trainknut]

This is why you don't load captured ammo into your rifle! :P

[@MyS10Rocks]

Glad you didn't get hurt, kudos to Cabelas for their great customer service, broke my heart when you gave up the rifle, but to each his own!

[@SunBrohan]

Glad you didn't get seriously hurt its so sad to see such a beautiful firearm destroyed by steel case I would only use steel in a SKS the rest is brass all day buy it, shoot it,save the casing's,clean,trim,reload it and repeat.

[@MSUbulldog21]

For everyone commenting about the steel casing, I doubt that it was blew it up. It was because it was MODERN steel cased ammo. Garands were designed for low pressure rounds. You shoot enough modern brass cased Ammo through a Garand and you will have the same outcome. Thought this was common knowledge with Garands.

[@edwardshields]

just a note. NEVER use Russian steel through american rifles. I'm sure you know but for others who may not. it will destroy your american guns because we use BRASS not Steel casings. AK, SKS, Mosin, Nagant, SVT, or Dragonov is okay for steel.

[@fawakamaha]

+edward steel case is fine. I have been using it for years. Only malfunction was a case stuck in the chamber and that didn't happen until several hundred rounds without cleaning the chamber (mini 14). My roommate tested his AR to see how long it would go shooting steel without cleaning or lubing. Still made it over 400. My AR went long enough that I decided to just call it good and clean it. Still no failures in any of my pistols (380, 9mm, 40 s&w)

[@edwardshields]

+Mancub2489 mini 14 might be designed to handle steel but AR is not. Your headspace will slowly change due to the steel cases scraping away at the roof of your chamber. You may not notice it for 2-3 even 5 years depending on how much you fire but eventually that rifle designed for brass will start making pressure marks on the necks of your extracted casings. If this continues then eventually the case will just burst at the neck exploding your hand which is what happened to this dude in the video. I tried to explain but I feel that you'll have to eventually find out the hard way. Brass isn't more expensive so why not just use brass?

[@fawakamaha]

edward shields sorry but if you can find me some source for that information then I would take your advice with more consideration. Using google produced results that were almost all forum posts and still supported my interpretation. At this point I don't doubt the concept of steel ammo causing extra wear and tear on the gun, I agree in fact. However I am confident that the increased wear and tear is negligible. I am confident that by the time my chamber is dangerously over sized from friction that the barrel will also be shot out. That would take tens of thousands of rounds. I also feel confident that what this man experienced was an isolated incident and is not the norm. As for the cost of ammunition, steel has been far and away the cheapest ammo (where I live at least) right up until the last year or so. I have one question about guns designed to handle steel. What is done differently that qualifies a gun for steel ammo?

[@edwardshields]

Mancub2489 www.luckygunner.com/labs/brass-vs-steel-cased-ammo/ This link is just one of many tests done to show that you should not use steel in american guns. the barrels flex when fired which requires a less hard casing to be inside when that flexing happens. if you have a harder case then the metal of your barrel then you will see (as shown by cut aways from the source above) the throat will erode about 30-40 times faster then if you were using brass... thats drastic. i have expericance in this matter other then research on the internet also. I am a U.S. Marine Marksmanship coach that knows is m-16 in and out and also a Reloader of various types of ammunition.

[@fawakamaha]

edward shields I'm sorry bud but your credibility has fallen even more. I read the article and found multiple points that your comment contradicts. First the article has no mention of barrel flex in it and actually specifically says that "The steel cases themselves don’t have any effect on the condition of the bore. The difference lies with the projectile - the soft copper jacket of the Federal ammunition simply doesn’t cause the same amount of wear as the bimetal (copper and steel) jacket of the Russian ammunition". If that was your attempt to respond to my question about what qualifies a gun for steel case my reply would be that ak type rifles have significantly more barrel flex during firing. Next they estimated the bores being shot out on the steel rifles between 4 and 6 thousand rounds while estimating the bore of the brass rifle to be serviceable for another 3 after the test (13000). That means the steel, based on those estimates erodes 3 to 4 times faster, not 30 to 40. (I will acknowledge this may be simple mistake in math) Third the article states that the "rate of fire definitely contributed to rapid barrel wear" including rates of fire that got the barrels "hot enough that a chambered round would cook off in ten to fifteen seconds." If the rifles were shot at rates of fire more consistent with what most casual shooters use then the life of the barrels would have significantly higher round counts. If we put all that information together the article still supports my previous statement. Steel cased ammo does increase wear and tear on the rifle but that increase but not enough for the average shooter to worry. What I will concede to you however is this. Our original argument was with regards to chamber wear and marks on the casing in the study did show that " a number of cases with distended and/or split necks were observed." This shows that you were right about the steel case potentially causing erosion of the chamber (not bore) which could lead to dangerous head spacing issues. However those were not observed until high round counts and no head case separations happened during the test which I would argue as more evidence that the wear is negligible for persons not burning up their barrels with insane firing rates/duration. Last point, your military background is something I would have to take with a grain of salt because my personal experience with military persons (well claimed at least) is that many of them barely know anything about their guns. One man claimed his military background for his credibility in assembling AK rifles, however he demonstrated his idiocy when he gave me a rifle he assembled and I found that the gas block had not been put far enough back on the rifle for the gas tube to reach. There was a visible gap between the gas tube and the gas block. Perhaps you are telling the truth but my personal experience with others claiming military background leaves me skeptical at best.

[@mencken8]

When I got my DCM Garand years ago, I had already decided to reload for it, and one advantage of that was the amount of information available on the importance of adhering strictly to load data tailored to this rifle. The most critical is the burning rate of the powder. The US military loaded IMR-4895 in the M2 ammo, although there are other powders with a similar burn rate that are fine to use. I had great results with Hodgdon’s Varget. I will post no specific reloading data here; there are plenty of online resources for this info.

[@donbalduf572]

Exactly. A lot folks in 2023 aren’t familiar with limits on ammo for the M1. Seems to have been the case here.

[@wackattack180]

No Doubt the pressures were way to high !!! All them primers were showing very bad signs of over pressure and I have used Herter's ammo and found it to be much hotter then Tula and Wolf ammo and went with wolf as long as I lubed the steel cases there was no problems in AR platform ejection issue's !!! Glad you were not injured to bad and them Garand receivers can handle it for a fact !!! I hope you find another one that you like :)))

[@lockehaney3013]

Glad all worked out for you. I have a M1 Garand from CMP with a refurbished stock and bought it with that stock on purpose. One it looked fantastic and was more interested in a shooter than a collector. Have never shot steel so I'm glad your video has brought to light issues with steel case ammo

[@theKGB65]

Thank you for your comment, and for recognizing the actual reason I made this video. Some people tap in their comments here just to regurgitate the obvious without a thought in their heads as to why I would have posted this video in the first place.

[@DocLarsen44]

Wow! Am I glad I saw this video on Hickok45's channel. I have a .308 chambered Garand and a .30-06. AND, a few months ago I bought some Herter's from Cabelas. I am going to check because I know I bought some .30-06 and some .30 Carbine ammo in that order, but I can't remember if I bought any .308. I reload virtually all of my .308 so the chances are slim. But, thanks to your bad luck and your courage as a man to tell people what happened, I have a chance to check it out before I shoot it and chance a similar catastrophe! A lot of people wouldn't have the 'nads to share this kind of thing and would just leave others for fate to deal with as he chose.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello how are you doing today?

[@Freedom24560]

Wow, Cabela's handled that very well. They're a classy, professional organization. Thanks for the sober reminder to be extra cautious when I'm reloading!

[@silverdollarswede151]

I told my wife I wanted a Garand. She said "But you don't even know how to play".

[@silverdollarswede151]

She said I COULD get the sub-compact model, you know... the Baby Garand.

[@cavekritter1]

Make sure its a yamaha.. then you can take it fer a spin in the mountains

[@agwbcfjc2]

I hope you gave her a really big kiss. She's a keeper!

[@harrisblake4182]

glad you were not badly injured. Sucks about the Garand

[@brandonbowerstx]

Glad you're ok. Bear in mind and be thankful for the utter strength of the Garand receiver. That could have gone a LOT worse to be honest. Hope you enjoy picking out a new 30-06 Garand (my personal preference)

[@parkerwise703]

Would sure be my preference too!

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@nukehayes8346]

Sorry for your loss brother. At least you are ok and got your money back.

[@222foont]

You should have stopped shooting this ammo after the first flattened primer was noted. I am always amazed that people will shoot cheap and shifty ammo in an expensive firearmL

[@theKGB65]

+Steven Bland Again, it was two boxes of test ammo of their own brand to prove whether or not a non-function issue was resolved by Cabela's gunsmith. I doubt that most people stop to check for pressure signs on ejected casings when it's not their own handloaded ammunition, especially when the rifle is running smoothly like this one was. Note: The rifle itself was completely undamaged. Op-rod perfect condition, per gunsmith.

[@imwatchin7770]

As a hand loader myself, I check any round fired thru any of my weapons, period. Takes what, 1-2 seconds to see a flattened primer. But then I don't run steel cased ammo thru my Garand and never will. Nor do I run factory hunting ammo through it.

[@TyCetto]

Good that you didn't get injured! Too bad with that beautiful rifle.

[@JuberKnows]

One question, why spend all the money on an m1 then load that cheap stuff in it?

[@zendokai1527]

1 Answer: Dumbass

[@x.y.8581]

No, because you can shoot more

[@tristanmyers897]

@@x.y.8581 you can shoot more until you're rifle blows up

[@lathanr8625]

@@x.y.8581 or you could shoot quality ammo and have your rifle last longer

[@funkyzero]

That's a real shame, my friend. I'd be rather upset for losing that one. At least Cabellas took care of you. I acquired 2 more M1's from the CMP last year. I got one of them in .308W this time for the oddity factor I guess. These are completely refinished examples with all new wood. There is just something about these rifles that is so beautiful... all that dark Walnut with a nice tongue oil finish. I hope you get yourself another one

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@BadShot10]

When you cheap out on ammo this is what happens. Never shoot steal ammo unless it's through a comblock firearm.

[@guntherapy5539]

I shoot steel cased out of my ar15 about 1000 rounds litaraley nothing has happened

[@Intelwinsbigly]

@@guntherapy5539 give it time.

[@Schnipah]

I put aluminum through my keltec sub-2000, it was fine lol.

[@rustyswift1893]

Wish I had seen this video before I blew up my M77 zastava with Tulammo

[@BadShot10]

@@rustyswift1893 Yeah... Zastava rifles are the only rifle I've had blow up. Thankfully it was out of the left side and didn't hit my arm.

[@hancockbrewer1465]

I am just glad you still have your eyes and hands! Stay safe my friend

[@gookching7790]

why would you ever fire steel cased ammo out of such a beautiful weapon?

[@LucasIsHereYT]

"If it can't handle steel, it doesn't deserve brass." -Brandon Herrera.

[@tonydeaton2890]

I would stick with brass-cased, standard NATO 7.62 ammunition. The rifle was, originally, designed to chamber .30-06 Springfield cartridges. A 147 grain bullet at roughly 2750 feet per second. Some modern .308 Winchester will push a 150 grain bullet at almost 2900 fps. The m1 was never designed to handle that kind of pressure. It's really amazing more people aren't injured in this hobby. Secondly, take the refund money and apply it to a real M-1 Garand and shoot only NATO spec ammo thru it.

[@UrbanTiger74]

WOW MAN! Glad you're ok.

[@AngelSilverFourtySeven]

Wow!! That's insane bro!, I'm glad you didn't get hurt, great customer from Cabela's , outstanding !! Good luck on finding the M1

[@randyanderson4572]

I'm glad I stumbled across this video. just a few days ago I bought some of the Herters ammo for my Winchester M-1 carbine, but after seeing this video, I'm taking it back to Cabela's and demanding my money back. one of the associates told me that he shoots the Herters 30-06 through his Garand and that he could "vouch for the quality of the ammo. this is Cabela's brand of ammo.". I had no idea that it Russian junk repackaged and sold as American made Cabela's brand. Thankfully, I haven't shot any of this crap through my Carbine yet. I'll stick with good ole Federal Cartridge, American Eagle mage by Federal, Remington or Winchester ammo, which are ammo's that I normally shoot. THANK YOU SAVING MY GUNS!!!!

[@JudahMaccabee_]

Same thing happened to my friend, but he got the top piece of his thumb blown off in the process. He was shooting his grandfather's WW2 garand.

[@theKGB65]

tkach21 What a tragedy; sorry to hear that.

[@BOFH2]

Was he able to replace/fix it? The fixing is just the stock but I am sorry.

[@moose99709]

This is an interesting video. I just purchased an old WW2 M1 Garand that is full of rust spots and pits everywhere. I'm in the process of restoring it. A friend of mine who carried these in the Marine Corps said Garands are picky on ammo. You can't just go out and use the same ammo you'd run in a Weatherby Vanguard or any other hunting 30-06. You have to make sure the rounds aren't too hot. He recommended surplus 30-06 ammo. I'm glad that explosion was able to release into the stock and not the side of the barrel or you'd be missing a hand and probably your face. Thanks for posting this!

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hi, how are you doing today?

[@pirobot668beta]

A see a lot of flattened and backed-out primers here.

[@DUNCEATRON5000]

Never had a single issue with TulAmmo. Glad you are ok.

[@velocity550]

I'm really losing faith in the ammo makers. My wife had a Remington 22 LR round blow up in the S&W M&P 22. It was an obvious overpressure and scared her pretty bad. It didn't hurt the gun but the case blew out. I disassembled the the gun and couldn't find any obvious damage but had a gunsmith check it out. He said there wasn't any damage to the gun and I have shot it several time since, but I discarded all my Remington 22 ammo for safety sake and won't buy any more Remington 22s.

[@NWA744]

How the heck does a .22 blow up?

[@72cmcinc]

Wow, that is crazy! Sorry about the rifle, but glad Cabela's took care of you and worked with you on this.

[@staticnat7342]

I have a dream of someday owning an M1 Garand. Now I'm getting the impression that finding the correct ammo might be a big concern unless you load your own.

[@votered3539]

No, 150 grain brass case ammo. Perfect. Anything cheap not so much

[@Journeyman-Fixit]

Thank God you were not injured. Cabelas sold me a "new" Browning shotgun ($3000.00 purchase) that looked like the box had been opened and closed numerous times. Turned out the ventilated sight rib was bent, no one wanted the gun and let's say I got stuck with it because they state: "All sales final". I have would asked to inspect the gun first but I had to order it so I could not inspect it before purchasing it. I had to send it back to the factory (they fixed the issue) but it took weeks to resolve. I will take my purchasing power elsewhere in the future, the pain and suffering Cabelas dished out worked for them but not for this customer.

[@HalfLifeAMD]

looking at all those primers...Didn't it make you wonder on the previous rounds why your action would have been cycling hard and the rifle probably recoiling hard......

[@HalfLifeAMD]

oppps...just heard in the video about you saying you should had paid a bit more attention. ..

[@theKGB65]

Yea, I fastidiously watch for pressure signs like these when firing my handloaded ammunition, but in this case I only wanted to function test Cabela's used rifle with a couple boxes of Cabela's in-house brand of ammunition. I was just firing away and letting the empties lay on the ground.

[@theenhancer]

Thanks for the information, glad to hear that Cabela's treated you well, not common to hear that in these days of big box stores.

[@Tony-ml5bs]

Seeing that rifle looking like that made me cry

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hi, how are you doing today?

[@fmike15]

What a coincidence, 8 years ago when you posted this I was having extraction issues with steel case in a tanker garand. No problems with brass though. Got rid of it and bought a socom and never looked back

[@TheJonesChannel11]

Honestly, I think I would have cried just a little when something that beautiful gets destroyed like that.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@TheJonesChannel11]

@@Franceliakarlee Not drunk enough. Heo about you?

[@Franceliakarlee]

@@TheJonesChannel11 ohh really, I’m doing good. Thanks for asking..

[@Franceliakarlee]

@@TheJonesChannel11 hope all is well with you?

[@TheJonesChannel11]

@@Franceliakarlee Beer makes me giggly and it entertains my friends so yeah, all is well. How about you?

[@rampagedm]

wow, glad your ok, hate to see beautiful firearms go through hell like that. glad to hear cabela's doing good by you

[@randymusick3645]

The only reason I am here is because of the toughness of the M1 Garand . My dad was targeted by a sniper at Anzio and his round hit the magazine instead of my dads throat. It damaged his hand but saved his life.

[@daisylais4587]

Randy Musick the M1 Garand doesn't have a magazine.

[@joew8013]

Daisy Lais he might mean the internal magazine?

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello how are you doing today?

[@314299]

Wow, glad you were not hurt too seriously.

[@63grandsport11]

When the barrel is shortened the gas pressure will spike sooner and cause pressure to rise, unless the gas system has been modified to release some of that pressure. A good example is the Russian AK47/74 when they developed the AKU74 ( very short barrel ) the automatic rate climbed from 750 rpm to 900 rpm because the shorter barrel was spiking the gas before the round left the barrel. replacement gas plugs are availiable to bleed some of the pressure off, I'm sure your op rod really slammed back on the receiver hard.....I was curious why the 1911 is at full hammer cock with a magazine in and the safety isn't on ?

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@Robin6512]

Luck that you got like this. Man that thing could have really blew up with many taking parts of with it. Great service from the shop. Something we can only dream of over here.

[@trevorsgaragemusings]

Damn bro, those are some flat ass primers!

[@ersikillian]

I am so sorry. That is a beautiful weapon. I'm glad you weren't badly hurt.

[@dogpound7162]

Dam near broke my heart, my dream rifle with a gorgeous walnut stock, that's what happens when a lovely specimen of American arms history meets Russian "engineering", a bit like feeding a thoroughbred racehorse with potatoes...I live in the UK. not allowed weapons,or anything sharp..

[@john__lemon]

Sorry to hear about that man, good thing you were not seriously hurt. Cabelas played it right.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hi, how are you doing today?

[@marcjansson1039]

Considering its a .308 garand atleast it wasnt a old example, right?

[@marcjansson1039]

Cindy Bronson That was kinda my question. That it wasnt an old example that blew apart ripping a nice old gun apart. I havent heard of 308 garands before tbh, so its all new to me. When where they produced? And are they still making em today for the civilian market or?

[@gdl357g]

Holy Cow. So glad you did not get hurt considering the few inches your face was away from that bullet. Great video and thx for sharing this incident.

[@zillsburyy1]

you should have got the ported gas plug if you are going to use any 30-06 other than M2 BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@gravelydon7072]

Tommy Sands Suggest you head over to www.garandgear.com/m1-garand-ammunition You will find that some commercial ammo is just fine without a ported gas plug. Remington Express Corelokt 150 gr as an example. And it wasn't .30-06 to start with, it was .308/7.62x51.

[@300whiteout9]

It's chambered in .308 but here here

[@luked2767]

I have seen alot of M1s breaking from all types of ammo as you should only use M2 loadings or buy a gas plug to shoot commercial ammo. It's a must for any M1 owner, as for steel case if it's a weapon not designed for it then just give the it a chamber bath in oil, as in oil the chamber before you shoot and it's fine I use kind of like a bingo felt pen filled with oil. Chrome lined is much better. Not all steel case is the same, I'm pretty sure that's made by Tula. I try to avoid it if I can but now for 7.62x39 especialy 8M and such if it's a good price I will buy it but Wolf/Barnaul brown bear and the best golden tiger/vympel is usualy good but stocks will soon be used up. Never buy .303 Brit steelcase it's the worst. Unfortunately in your case it was just hot ammo and if it had a gasblock for commercial ammo it would have been fine. All M1 carbines should come with a warning about using M2 spec or replacing a the gas block with one that lets you use modern ammo, some are just fluted or bigger, some have drilled them larger but too much gas will eventually do something like bend the op rod, break the stock in most cases and in many damage the bolt and other parts. I have a gas plug I drilled out to a larger size to shoot light realoads of cast bullets (cheap shooting) and will cycle fine.

[@theKGB65]

The thing of it is, except for the walnut furniture, the basic rifle, including the operating rod in particular, were not damaged in this incident. It should be noted that I have never in-my-life fired factory loaded ammunition in either this .308 Tanker Garand, or my standard, full-length, mil-spec. .30.06 Garand, with the exception of these two 20-round boxes. And these 40 rounds were only taken from the shelf because the salesman at Cabela's said factory ammo had to be used in order to prove functionality. You see, I had just picked up my Tanker Garand from being repaired by Cabela's gunsmith under warranty previous to this incident. The two boxes of Russian surplus cartridges were Cabela's-branded .308 WIN., and only the second box contained the out of spec. rounds that resulted in blown primers and this catastrophic case head separation. And the cartridges of this second box did not have any greater recoil or anything that would alert me to stop and inspect cases. On the same day, right before this happened, I had already fired nearly 100 rounds of my IMR 4895 147 FMJ handloads which have proven to run very well in both of my Garand pattern rifles, in both calibers. What you said here is true, and bears attention. Just wanted you and the other military rifle enthusiast to have more detail of what happened here. Thank you.

[@luked2767]

@@theKGB65 Sorry I assumed it was something it was not, you had a case head separation but the gasses just put too much pressure on the wood causing it to crack. They do make .30-06 steel case but it's kind of rare to find. I have no idea what hertzers or whatever the brand is, its not Russian surplus it is made for the American civilian market. Some 7.62x39 have had the steel core bullets pulled and replaced with lead core but it will usually say. I've never had an issue with steel cased ammo but if it does not have a good chrome lined bore I give it a chamber bath (oil up the chamber) Pretty sure the ammonia from tula, they are imported and end up on alot of boxes. Tula can be all over the place. Steel case .308 can be kind of pricy. I have alot of cast molds that are spitzer with no lube grooves I have a gas check tool and I can use empty cans or scrap sheet copper. Then put in a tumbler with powder coat and size. Will just about work with full powered .308 anything faster then it's paper patching. I always wished I got a .308 M1 grand. I have a few M1 Garands. A BM59 My great uncle passed and I was the only one in the family who spent a lot of time with him, he got me into guns and his will was just so funny. Now I have enough firearms and ammo to be on a watch list. But along with all his worldly posetions it included A norinco M14 chambered in 7.62x39 (nightmare to get a wallnut stock to fit) And a norinco .308 M14 He must have really cherry picked them but the recovers are forged, CHF barrels and nice chrome lining. Compared to all the M14 .308 rifles I have shot I still prefer the BM59. I remember when I moved to the States within a few months he took me to the CMP and took about 3 hours and got me my first M1 garand and that will always be my favorate. My father passed not long ago in the UK, (I'm still stuck but end of the year I will go back) Since I'm the only person in my family with a permit I'm going to export them all to the US. Since fancy over and under shotguns and some rifles are so cheap I may buy quite a few as they are pricy in the US. Not many company's are willing to ship firearms but enough do. I need to talk to a soliciter if their is anyway I can suddenly find some spoils of war that are very illigal in the UK as they are handguns and get them sent to a US FFL and not destroyed. The UK still has surplus WW2 M2 ball, 30 carbine, .303 and 8mm. You can get any rifle but if its not a .22lr then the gas block is welded so its a straight pull..... Still so much left as most people can only get 200 to 400 rounds of 1 caliber at a time so it's impossible to hoard.

[@jacobhocevar7119]

Never shot steel cased ammo through my garand. Never will.

[@davidandrews1580]

Glad you did not suffer greater injury. From my experience Cabela's is a class operation.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hi, how are you doing today?

[@henryelec1]

Such a beatiful riflle ,but using steel case ammo ?Leave it for what's left of Eatern Block Weapons brass is more like it.

[@johnpalmer6822]

Wow glad you are ok.

[@redneckmini14]

theres a reason I don't buy cheap steel cased ammo for my guns. because of horror stories like this.

[@christophermccarthy6192]

Nothing wrong with steel cased ammo, so long as you have weapons designed for it, ie: Mosins, SKSs, AKs, Makarovs, Tokarevs, CZs, Zastavas, etc. That ammo is meant for those weapons and looser tolerances to cope with any ammo failures. If you have a SIG, Glock, Beretta, S&W, any 1911 from any maker, Ruger, a Garand, M1A, FAL, G3, or AR, stick with brass cased. All of those guns are designed for and intended for brass, the pressures brass can take, and the tolerances of the dimensions of brass. If you want to use steel cased, get an East Bloc weapon. The aforementioned Mosins, SKSs, AKs, Makarovs, Tokarevs, CZ, Zastavas, etc.

[@redneckmini14]

even if I get any of those guns ill still probably stick with brass just cuz I will be reloading for all my other guns anyway.

[@Snadzies]

Nothing wrong with steel case ammo in ARs, glocks, SIGs or any modern firearm. Many, many, channels that shoot tens of thousands of rounds of steel cased tula / wolf through their various firearms with nothing worse than a bad primer.

[@tristanmyers897]

@@christophermccarthy6192 really? I had a cheap Delton ar15 and it ate everything I put through it without any failures including military surplus m855 and m193, over 500 cartridges of of .223 wolf, and various types of brass cased ammo that I bought on sale

[@whistlepign]

Sorry to hear about your Garand. I'm glad you didn't suffer a serious injury from the over pressure. On a separate note, I am never buying Russian ammo again and I'm glad that Cabela's resolved the problem.

[@davidv.3135]

Sorry this happened to you. I guess all is well that ends well. I like to stay away from cheap ammo.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?

[@MrDcarr7]

That was one of your best Hickok45 impressions!

[@buckinaroundwithbucky128]

Never use steel cased ammo. I could tell why it blew up from the screen shot. And last I knew, cabelas doesn't have real gun smiths. Unless its a good ak-47, I wouldn't use steel ammo unless I knew I was going to die anyway. If you need a gun worked on (unless its choke tube removal or something of the like) find a real gunsmith. Not a DVD gunsmith, but someone with experience.

[@theKGB65]

Buck Getz Our local Cabela's contracted gunsmith is very highly respected; has his own separate place of business.

[@olesleepy6633]

Never had any problems with steel cased ammo, however I've never used this Cabela's ammo. Being a retired military and with over 20 years in the ordnance field I would like to point out a clued to the problem ( which is pressure) with this ammo, some of the primers are back out of the pocket and some what fattened, I would not trust this brand ammo.

[@olesleepy6633]

Ole Sleepy It also looks like there are pierced primers. pressure baby, keep away from this ammo.

[@justinfluegel]

I recommend getting a 30-06 from the CMP. Glad you are ok. Great video and may keep many people safer because of it.

[@MyHollowpoint]

You lucked out, that could have been ugly .

[@ETHRON1]

Glad you were not injured and cabela's made good on it...I would have been beyond pissed....that is why I don't shoot low grade import ammo in my ArmaLite AR-10....stay with the true ammo....stay safe and Target on....

[@nightwaves3203]

Nice stock. What a shame.

[@billfunk1219]

I have an M1 30-06 and an M1A 308. I've never used ammo with steel cases, but stay with the Win with 150 grn ammo. Never had a problem-- I pay a bit more but the ammo is built for the Garand and the M1A. Sorry you had to go through this, glad you weren't hurt.

[@AFCoulthard]

Fuck Tula ammo lol.

[@milehighballistics9872]

Right! even the pistol cartridges are garbage. Never will i buy that shit again hah.

[@AlwayzPr0]

I am sorry to hear that aye, good thing they took care of the issue.

[@mag30th]

A final note, the chamber pressures of Herters ammunition tested against other brands (In 308) are actually the second lowest of the brands tested, this further supports my belief it was a pressure spike. Also, here is a photo of the type ammo you were using. The steel casings show no sign of a crimp, which suggests the projectiles lack the cannelure generally seen on all military ammunition. And being their "Select" grade, it is most likely a match type projectile lacking any cannelure anyway. This combined with the steel casing, is a good recipe to have the projectile slide free when slammed into the barrel. Here is a photo of the ammunition. www.slickguns.com/product/herters-308-150-grain-fmj

[@theKGB65]

Interesting, thanks for looking that up!

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello how are you doing today?

[@stevecochran2677]

Wow, im glad for the most part your ok, and cabela's made you whole.

[@josephseraile6698]

lucky you didnt lose an eye

[@Belano1911]

So glad you were not seriously injured.A real shame such a super rifle was damaged in this way by iffy ammo.

[@Franceliakarlee]

Hello, how are you doing today?