150gr. remington psp in my M1

[ChrisK]

I have heard some folks say this is bad and some say that it is ok to shoot this ammo in my Garand. Is it or isn't? I have shot a few and never had a hicup or anything. I think it would be awesome to hog hunt with.

[AtlLaw]

Well, the bullet weight is fine, I think the problem is you don't want to use a powder that doesn't fall within a certain pressure at port range.    Op rod problems dontcha know.   

Chances are you'll be fine with any factory 150 gr. bullet.  But I'd load my own with IMR-4895.

[mcwoodduck]

I have been shooting 150, 165, 172, and 180 grain factory ammo out of my garand since the early 90's and have had no ill effects.
i have hunted with it a few times.
I have even shot the 55 grain Sabots by Remington in it to see if it would double as a fox, bob cat gun on the farm.
The shoot, but the garand is a bolt action.  I was worried about plastic in the gas port.  But did not see it.

[shot1]

You should be ok with the Rem factory 150 gr ammo. From the ballistics they give for it the burn rate of the powder is somewhere around IMR 4895 and IMR 4064 which are right for the M1 Garand. Just in case I would not sit down and shoot 500 rounds of it. But a few rounds to sight in and use hunting would not hurt things. With powders that burn slower than IMR 4320 you will get much higher pressure at the gas port and it slams the operation rod back hard and can bend it. Your operation rod already has a bend that is supposed to be there so don't think OH! #?*! I bent my operation rod. The bend caused by high port pressure usually happens up close to the gas cylinder and will cause your operation rod to drag on the gas cylinder tube. As with all M1 Garands it will pay off to change the operation spring for a new one if you never have. Those springs that are in them are usually the one put in when it was new some 60 odd years ago.  A new spring will help not batter the old gall up and help her run better.

[ChrisK]

thanks guys, this has helped a lot. I wanted to take it and the 7 mag hog hunting one of these days. Having 8 rounds of 30-06 could do some hurting on some hogs.
Chris Kiefner

[AtlLaw]

This thread got me thinking...    And y'all know what happens when I get to thinking!   

Anyway, I'm trying real hard to kill one more deer with each hunting rifle I have before I pass on.  I tell ya, at 2 - 4 deer a year, it's gonna be tough to do.     Now ya got me thinkin about hunting with my military rifles!  Garands, Enfields, Springfields, SMLE's, M98's, Swede's and on andon andonandonandon...

Oh well.  Guess I just won't go till I'm done!   

[mcwoodduck]

This thread got me thinking...    And y'all know what happens when I get to thinking!   

Anyway, I'm trying real hard to kill one more deer with each hunting rifle I have before I pass on.  I tell ya, at 2 - 4 deer a year, it's gonna be tough to do.     Now ya got me thinkin about hunting with my military rifles!  Garands, Enfields, Springfields, SMLE's, M98's, Swede's and on andon andonandonandon...

Oh well.  Guess I just won't go till I'm done!   

Let us know when your close to being done with that.
I'll give you a few rifles. 

[ChrisK]

I would think it would be kick !@# if you limited your distance to what you could hit with iron sights. I would love to use mine for hunting as well as paper shooting.
Chris Kiefner

This thread got me thinking...    And y'all know what happens when I get to thinking!   

Anyway, I'm trying real hard to kill one more deer with each hunting rifle I have before I pass on.  I tell ya, at 2 - 4 deer a year, it's gonna be tough to do.     Now ya got me thinkin about hunting with my military rifles!  Garands, Enfields, Springfields, SMLE's, M98's, Swede's and on andon andonandonandon...

Oh well.  Guess I just won't go till I'm done!   

[AtlLaw]

... I just won't go till I'm done! 

Let us know when your close to being done with that.
I'll give you a few rifles. 

I tell ya, it's good to have friends!   

[AtlLaw]

I would think it would be kick !@# if you limited your distance to what you could hit with iron sights.

I always considered the sights on the Garand, and the M14, the best there was!   Darn sure good enough for targets at 500 yards, even with a streight "as issued" rifle and ball ammo! 

But now that I come to think on it, I did kill a deer with an M1D (sans scope) back in '69 or 70.     filed the nose down on some ball ammo...  useta have a picture 'round here somewhere's...

[ChrisK]

look forward to seeing that picture

[bubbinator]

To Shot1-  You have piqued my interest!  I have a CMP M1 Garand I bought for $550. several yrs. ago.  I bought it becuase my father-in-law was in the Battle of the Bulge and he really got kick of handling it, though due to his failing health we never got to shoot it.  It has been a safe queen for a while.  It was re-barreled at one time, can't be specific now cause I'd have to go to the safe to check.  Re-springing it never occurred to me until your post, Duh, I Wolff-springed all my carry 1911s and Browning HPs.  Please advise a source for these and any load data you have found to be accurate and safe.  I don't have hunting lease right now, but that is no big deal, we shot 4 deer off the back porch last year and after they ate 6 really nice tomoates me wife was nuturing, she doesn't if we shoot deer at night with an M-60! Itis 89 yds. to the woodline behind the house, it would be cool to pot a deer for the freezer with my M1!  Thanks for any info and the helpful post.

[shot1]

bubbinator: Midway USA has Springs for M1 Garands. Wolf makes replacement springs and the recoil spring at Midway is product # 133-374 $16.49. Midway has a service rifle spring pack for the M1 # 699-389 $25.49 that has all the springs for the Garand.

As for loads for the M1 Garand stay with IMR or H 4895 or IMR 4064 or Varget  for powders. They are in the right burn rate for proper safe port pressure. Use middle of the road loads not the heavy full house loads.

For a hunting load for deer I would use the Sierra 165 gr HPBT Game King bullet. It is about as accurate as the 168 gr Match King and is really a good deer killer and it functions perfectly in the Garand. I would use either IMR 4895 or IMR 4064 powder. For IMR 4895 I would use between 45 and 46 grs. For 4064 I would use between 45.5 and 46.5 grs. I used 46 grs IMR 4064 with great results. These loads were put up in Rem cases with an COAL of 3.330. If you use military cases drop the powder charge down one grain. I have used CCI, WW & Rem, LR primers with no problem. DO NOT USE FEDERAL PRIMERS. They are too soft of a cup and I had slam-fire double and triple fire a couple times until somebody told me what the problem was. The free floating pin will have enough force to set Federal primers off when the actions slams home.

My match load for my M1 Garand consist of this: Lake City Match Military case, CCI BR2 primer, 48 grs IMR 4895, 155 gr Nosler custom competition BTHP bullet. COAL 3.334 . Good luck and good shooting.

[1911crazy]

My buddy shoots the 180gr soft point Failsafe ammo in his garand.  Its accurate and cycles ok too.  He scoped it and i helped him sight it in at 100yds.

[Swampman]

Slow powders can bend your op rod.  The Remington 150 grain factory ammo should be fine.  I wouldn't shoot premium ammo in a Garand.

"It is recommended that very slow burning powders and heavy bullets not be used in the Garand. This is an issue especially important to handloaders, as the pressure curve of slower propellants can put too much pressure on the gas piston, bend the operating rod, and adversely affect the Garand's accuracy. The Garand is best used with bullets of about 150 grains weight, as in "Ball, Caliber 30, M2" ammunition."

[nicholst55]

Re; replacement op rod springs for the M1.  IMHO, THE BEST source is Orion 7.  He had springs made to the original GI print, except with stainless steel wire.  Many 'no-name' aftermarket op rod springs are too long, and cause problems because of that.

The 'extra-power' springs that Wolff and others sell can create more problems than they solve, because the op rod spring is much, much more than just a 'recoil spring.'  It also controls the timing of the feed mechanism on the M1, and changing the strength of the spring alters that precise relationship.  If John C. Garand had felt that the rifle needed a more powerful op rod spring, he would have designed it that way!

http://www.m1garandrifle.com/news.htm  Scroll down to the bottom of the page.

[ChrisK]

He never would of thought that it would be hands of so many civilians either! Thanks for the tips I appreciate it.
Chris Kiefner

[Merle]

This thread got me thinking...    And y'all know what happens when I get to thinking!   

Anyway, I'm trying real hard to kill one more deer with each hunting rifle I have before I pass on.  I tell ya, at 2 - 4 deer a year, it's gonna be tough to do.     Now ya got me thinkin about hunting with my military rifles!  Garands, Enfields, Springfields, SMLE's, M98's, Swede's and on andon andonandonandon...

Oh well.  Guess I just won't go till I'm done!   


Well, if that gives ya a reason to hang on a little longer .....


    

[bubbinator]

Much Grass (old timers know) for the intell.  Lots of great info and load data.  I have all the components listed except Varget, but lots of 4064 and Sierras.  I love those Sierra bullets, they shoot so well and kill stuff DRT!  THe Orion & site looks to be very up-to-date and priced right. I respringed my SD Autos because I shoot +P loads but do not want to do this in my M1.  Thanks again.