Shooting a Garand with hunting ammo

[0321jarhead]

Garand Gear charges $5.55 Priority Mail. I just ordered one.

[Timbob55]

CMP sells Hornady loaded ammo made for the Garand. 150gr A-max boat tailed hollow point should do the trick.

[Timbob55]

Excuse me, 168gr

[Timbob55]

aaaand Grafs sells it by the box fof $33. Not exactly cheap, but probably excellent ammo.

[pro-nra]

We are beating a dead horse thats been dead for a while. This issue with shooting commercial ammo on Garand comes up every couple of months and people get worked up about it on both sides of the fence.

I'd like to make a couple of points here regarding U.S. RIFLE CAL .30 M1 ammo:
1. Although costly to start up, reloading is the way to go using fast enough powder that prevents high gas port pressure that cold potentially bend your OR...a $150 replacement.
2. If you don't reload then buy as many thousands of HXPs from CMP. The cheapest anywhere.
3. If your range don't allow magnetic projectiles then buy adjustable gas plug then you can safely shoot commercial ammo.
4. By Garand specific ammo then an adjustable plug will not be required.

I shoot about 5K+ rounds of 30-06, 6.5 Swede and 7.5 Swiss. Imagine if I don't reload how much money in ammo I would spend a year? The biggest thing on reloading is the fun knowing the ammo you are shooting you put together yourself. Lastly, the accuracy potential of a good reload is the #1 reason I reload.

[Garandimal]

Pick up your garand and walk around the house with it for about 10 min, hold it for about 3 hours standing or sitting and then walk around for another 10.After that you are going to say why did i take this rifle.It is 1 heavy mother.

The U.S. RIFLE CAL. .30 M1 weighs ~ One (1 lb.) more than my scope-sighted 700 BDL .270 Win.

I still-hunt (that's creepin' round in the woods) or hunt the Western mountains w/ both.

That extra pound is also nice to have when you start shootin' 180 gr. ammo.


Recommendations:

- U.S. RIFLE CAL. .30 M1
- Wheaties






GR

[Garandimal]

...If you don't reload then buy as many thousands of HXPs from CMP. The cheapest anywhere...

+1 on this.

At ~ $0.50/round, it is very good ammo and the brass is Winchester quality and reloadable.

Shoot it 'till it's gone, then reload it.




GR

[cmichini]

What must be done to shoot regular Win, Rem, etc, hunting ammo out of a Garand?

Also, is there any surplus 30'06 military ammo left?

Get an adjustable gas plug and open it up all the way. That makes it a single shot. You just have to cycle the action manually.

That will alleviate your risk of damaging your op rod.

Only way I can think of, unless you roll your own hunting round to match the M2 specs.

[smog7]

Found this:

http://www.sgammo.com/product/winchester/200-round-case-30-06-springfield-winchester-mil-spec-147-grain-fmj-ammo-usa3006

[Garandimal]

Get an adjustable gas plug and open it up all the way. That makes it a single shot. You just have to cycle the action manually.

That will alleviate your risk of damaging your op rod.

Only way I can think of, unless you roll your own hunting round to match the M2 specs.

The U.S. RIFLE CAL. .30 M1 is a Battle rifle, not a sewing-machine.

You have to go WAY out of spec., and that is M2 Ball (LC 66) spec., not that weak-cheese American Eagle stuff, before you start to worry about breakin' stuff.

- Thousands of hot rounds? may lead to receiver cracks.

- 300 Win. Mag. charge in a 30-06 case? may lead to a bent or dismounted op-rod.

So don't.

I still like and use the garandGear Ported Gas Plug on my field rifles because I want them goin' to and bein' shot by my Grand-children's children...

...And I like a hot/slow powder 180 gr. round when I do do a little reloading for hunting.


That said, blast away w/ that Remington Express Core-lokt for the measly hundreds of rounds of sight-in and hunting you will ever do w/it.




GR

[Garandimal]

...The best design would have the bullet stop just short of the skin on the exit side of the animal so all of the energy is transferred to the deer

Does this make sense?

Nope.


I like an exit wound... a big one.

I like to see pieces of bone, lung tissue, muscle, and blood, lots of blood, splattered on the ground - right next to the dead animal.

...Even a Texas Heart-shot.

Or... I like Two (2) blood trails.


That's why I like 150 gr. .270 win. and 180 gr. 30-06.

Because the further they run - the harder they are to track, the more chance I have of losin'em, and the further I have to pack'em out.


But that's just me...




GR

[hakenlag]

Can someone explain why they dont allow FMJ for hunting? Cause I dont know.

Kinda depends on who you ask.