Garand Ammo Help

[slowjonn]

I never knew, up until the recent articles showing blown up Garands caused by the wrong ammo, that the only ammo recommended in Grands was M2 Ball. Now Im looking at all my '06 ammo to seperate it. Can anyone help with the following head stamps and tell me if any, some or all is M2 Ball?

FNB 30 60
AMA 62
LC 5
AMA 91
FA 41
KA 73
FA 55
PS 83
RA 53

Thanks in advance!

[rayra]

at a glance, it would appear all of it is. Commerical ammo doesn't have a year on it, does it? Thus the ammo is milsurp and I don't know of any such .30-06 that isn't M2 Ball equiv.
Read of problems in .308 milsurp, some very uneven production. But I don't recall anything about problematic .30-06.
Where were the reports you read from? Any certainty they weren't faulty reloads or some other error?

Here's a headstamp reference so you can look them up then do a better search for reported problems by manufacturer

http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/headstampcodes.htm

And if that doesn't satisfy your quest, I suggest you try the M1 subforum at Battlerifles - http://www.eotacforum.com/viewforum.php?f=149

[slowjonn]

rayra,

Thanks for the quick reply. All the commercial stuff I have is pretty self evident. Different bullets, diff head stamps, etc. I was just concerned with the milsurp stuff I had. I am not sure if any milsurp was loaded outside the
M2 Ball standards that I needed to be aware of.

I believe the cases where people had Garand fail were either using commercial or improper reloads. Not too worried about that aspect. Again just wanted to verify that my surplus stuff is GTG.

Thanks again for the help.

[gunboat]

The FA 41 while "M2" is also corrosive -- clean properly after use --

[Beelzy]

The warning about Garands and ammo is really for the reloader. The powders
used in reloading typical 30.06 ammo has a power peak that is not good
for the Garand's inner workings.

[30Cal]

The FA 41 while "M2" is also corrosive -- clean properly after use --

I'd be suspect of that '53 as well.

[ironpete]

I'm just about to start reloading for the Garand and have some impressions from all the reading I've been doing.

1) M2 Ball is the only "safe" factory ammo
2) The Garand receiver is able to handle any standard .30-06 Springfield ammo. The weak part of the system is the op-rod which can be bent by commercial loads using powders that burn too slow or too fast.
3) Garands that have been "blowed-up" are due to double charged cartridges or bad reloads.

Because the receiver is strong enough you can use commercial ammo in one of two methods:
1) Use an adjustable "gas plug" that allows you to control gas pressure and prevent op-rod damage
2) You can turn your Garand single shot by disabling the gas system entirely

I've just purchased (yesterday) a Schuster adjustable gas plug and will see how it works.

The reason I've been doing all the research is that I want to use my Garand for hunting and long distance shooting. I'm a beginning reloader and don't want to make any grievous mistakes.

Keep in mind this is only mall ninja knowledge...when I work up my loads and test the gas plug I won't need this disclaimer.

-pete

[Someguy925]

Commerical ammos use slow burning powder meant for bolt action rifles. Like Ironpete said, the receiver can take it, but the huge pressure from the powder will bend your op-rod or worse.

[rayra]

ironpete you really can't double charge a .30-06 the way you can some pistol loads. The basic charge is ~~45gr and goes a long way towards filling the case. A double charge will spill a huge amount of powder all over the place.
Most times it seems to be the mistaken use of a totally wrong fast / pistol powder, at a garand-powder charge weight. Guaranteed kaboom then.

Always a 'best practice' to be sure you don't leave powder or primers in your press after a reloading session, even if you're sure you'll be right back to it the next day. No way then to forget what's in there.

[ironpete]

Rayra,

Thanks for the correction and suggestion. As I'm just starting I appreciate any and all information. Knowing is half the battle.

-pete

ironpete you really can't double charge a .30-06 the way you can some pistol loads. The basic charge is ~~45gr and goes a long way towards filling the case. A double charge will spill a huge amount of powder all over the place.
Most times it seems to be the mistaken use of a totally wrong fast / pistol powder, at a garand-powder charge weight. Guaranteed kaboom then.

Always a 'best practice' to be sure you don't leave powder or primers in your press after a reloading session, even if you're sure you'll be right back to it the next day. No way then to forget what's in there.

[hellraiser]

hey iornpete
let us know how the plug worked for you please...im also considering a garand and am curious about it....