Springfield M1 Garand

[SirGlockALott]

I was told by a sales person at a gun shop, that the Springfield M1 Garand was not made to shoot modern (hoter) heavier loads over 155 grains. Wondering if this is true? If I were to, will my weapon go BOOM?

[Eljay]

Different people have different amounts of risk they're willing to run, but it's safest to avoid any ammo not specifically marked as for the Garand. If you run anything hotter it won't blow up or anything but you run the risk of bending your op rod which is an expensive part. There are various replacements to the gas plug that will allow you to use commercial ammo if you have the urge.

[Eljay]

Oh, and for more detail: http://www.garandgear.com/component/...your-m1-garand

[SirGlockALott]

Thanks for the info.

[bob_e95482]

There is still M2 ball out there, and it's probably still cheaper than commercial.

[Orlando]

A Garand will not Blow Up as the action is very strong but you run the risk of bending op rods or possibly cracking the reciver heel. The bolt hits the reciver heel when cycling, when using ammo that is not M2Ball equivilant it will hit the reciver at a accelerated rate which over time will cause metal fatigue and possibly crack the receiver heel.
No matter what the Garand Gear web site says personally I would not shoot non M2ball equivilant ammo ina Garand.
Who is to say that the ammo they tested will be the same tomorrow as when they tested it. Manufactures may change their recipes at any time.
Yes you will have people dsay how they have shot many rds of commercial ammo and never had any isssue
Metal fatigue does not happen over night , it is accumalative . Who knows how much stress has already been put on our old war horses. You may be able to shoot hundreds of rds of commercial ammo with no problems or it may happen on the very first rd. Do ya feel lucky?
If you must run commercial ammo I strongly suggest installing a "adjustable" gas screw . This will let you safetly fire off the shelf commercial ammo
Best thing you can do to keep your Garand running smooth and reduce stress is keep it properly lubed with grease, install a new Op Rod spring and run on a diet of M2ball or equivilant ammo.
JMO yours may vary

[russ69]

I was told by a sales person at a gun shop, that the Springfield M1 Garand was not made to shoot modern (hoter) heavier loads over 155 grains. Wondering if this is true? If I were to, will my weapon go BOOM?

The standard target load is with a 168 grain bullet that duplicates the military match 172 grain load. Handloading the Garand is the best option.

[Steve_In_29]

I installed an adjustable gas plug in my Garand (H&R) and can shoot anything I like now.

[JDay]

I was told by a sales person at a gun shop, that the Springfield M1 Garand was not made to shoot modern (hoter) heavier loads over 155 grains. Wondering if this is true? If I were to, will my weapon go BOOM?

It's not the bullet weight, it's the powder load.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[koehn,jim]

I agree with those that say m2 ball or similar. Personally I shoot cast in mine for about 19 cents a shot.

[Steve_In_29]

It's not the bullet weight, it's the powder load.

Yes as even the 160 grain hunting loads are moving out faster then the mil spec 147gr FMJ stuff.

[ShooterDK]

Schuster gas plug.

[ditchdigger]

CMP Greek ammo works fine

Hornady has Garand safe ammo and I think they are using 168's.

I reload for mine and I use 168's for 200 and 300 and 175's for 600 yards.

The powder has to be the right burn rate. IMR4895 and IMR4064 are good to go. There are a few others that work for the Garand but I would have to look them up.

[SunkenShadow]

It's not so much the 'bullet' but the powder loads in new factory ammo. They burn i think a lot slower than the old powder which makes it very hot for the garand. As others have said before, load for it, I do and Im using H4895 and another one i can't remember off the top of my head. There's alot of recipes for the more 'modern' powders but you'd have to do some research. Try looking for the NRA recipe list or Mr Po's.

[M1NM]

CMP Greek ammo works fine.

And it's only $110 for 200 delivered to your door. M1s are hard on brass and the commercial stuff won't last through many reloadings. IMR 4064 and IMR 4895 is best for reloads - not too fast or slow.