Hand Cast Load for Garand

straight-shooter · May 17, 2014, 02:37 PM

I just finished with many hours of study on various websites on the net trying to formulate a good cast lead load for my M1 Garand.

I full length sized the brass and pushed the shoulder back .005" and trimmed to 2.484

Then it was on to the lead. I added 2% tin to the wheel weight lead for better fill out in the mold. I casted about 300 of the Lee C309-200-1R bullet which is a 200gr. Initially I thought a 200 grain bullet was too heavy for a Garand but it turns out that a lead 200 grainer is what is recommended by people who are better in the know than I am (Castboolits.com). These bullets turned out exceptional by using the tin.

Now it's on to the 30 cal gas checks, sizing and lubing. A little mod on the top punch on my Lyman 450 lubrasizer and I was in business.

After loading the Varget powder I added a tuft of 1 grain Decron filler which is said to aid in better pressure and accuracy. We will see! Decron is basically the same thing you see used inside of pillows and stuffed animals. By adding 1 grain of Decron it's considered part of the load so It adds 1 grain to your powder charge. Another plus is it keeps the powder at the bottom of the case on the primer for better ignition.

Now it's all down hill from here ......

FORMULA:

DEN Military 30 cal Brass
Lee C309-200-1R Bullet Sized to .310
32, 33, 34, 35gr Varget
CCI LR Primer
3.210 OAL
1gr of Decron filler

I made up 12 bullets for initial firing ranging from 32, 33, 34 and 35 grains of Varget. Initially I'm starting low at 32gr which I don't expect to cycle the action but do expect it to at 33 and 34 gr. From there I'll look for a velocity between 1,850 and 1,950 fps on the Chrono and finally I'll tune for accuracy.

Only slight mishap is I found that my seating stem had a slightly sharp edge and ringed the top of the bullets but not enough to cause any problem but I've since fixed this by polishing the edge of it.

straight-shooter · May 17, 2014, 02:39 PM

Fast forward to the results as I had a chance to make it to the range.

Testing was done at 75 yards.

32gr Varget & 1gr Decron
Cycled the action 4 rds.
All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 6 feet away
low recoil felt
three rds in the same hole and fourth a 1/2" away.

Chrono results

Hi Vel:|1839
Low Vel:|1806
Ave Vel:|1825
Ext Spread:|33
Std Dev:|16

33gr Varget & 1gr Decron
Cycled the action 4 rds.
All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 8 feet away
low recoil felt
two rds in the same hole and the other two within 1"

Chrono results

Hi Vel:|1872
Low Vel:|1857
Ave Vel:|1864
Ext Spread:|15
Std Dev:|6

34gr Varget & 1gr Decron
Cycled the action 4 rds.
All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 8 feet away
medium recoil felt
This one started stringing vertical with a spread of about 3" so not optimal but maybe a .1 or .2 difference in the powder load would change this. Normally this is just a indication of a bad part of the node at 34 grains. As you can see the velocitys are starting to get in the upper part of the load i'm looking for which is between 1,850 and 1,950 fps.

Chrono results

Hi Vel:|1963
Low Vel:|1924
Ave Vel:|1948
Ext Spread:|39
Std Dev:|16

35gr Varget & 1gr Decron
Cycled the action 4 rds.
All rds ejected at 1 o'clock 8 feet away (strange that this one started ejecting the brass forwards)
medium recoil felt
two rds in the same hole and 1 a 1/2" high and one a 1/2" low.

Chrono results

Hi Vel:|1975
Low Vel:|1949
Ave Vel:|1964
Ext Spread:|26
Std Dev:|11

In short the 33gr load had the best extreme spread and standard deviation. Also the velocity was almost exactly what I was searching for so I'm going to start tuning loads between 32.5gr and 33.5gr and see where the best results are at. Accuracy wise the 32gr had the best results and very surprisingly cycled the action no problem and piled the brass in a neat little area.

Inspecting the barrel shows no leading with these loads so that's a plus!

So there it is, I hope this helps someone else as this endeavor for the Garand seems to be well worth the effort and will certainly save some $$ for some fun inexpensive shooting.

Daffy · May 18, 2014, 05:49 AM

Excellent writeup and results.

LivewireBlanco · May 18, 2014, 11:09 PM

Hmm...might have to start casting for my Garand!

chris in va · May 18, 2014, 11:13 PM

Be sure it doesn't lead up you gas port. It did on my AK, which has a similar system.

straight-shooter · May 19, 2014, 04:22 AM

No leading on the gas port but I just have to keep an eye on the tip of the op rod where It could accumulate I've been told. Even then it's just minimal.

Next I may try some powder coated bullets with gas checks, then it will be a complete non issue.

chris in va · May 19, 2014, 11:05 AM

I've been looking at powdercoating as well. Would be nice not having to deal with barrel leading.

AlaskaMike · May 20, 2014, 03:15 PM

Your results pretty much mirror mine, except I had to go to a slightly slower powder (H4350).

I've never seen more than the odd tiny flake of lead on the op rod, even after several hundred rounds. I've never seen even a trace of lead in the bore.

Shooting cast in the Garand is definitely fun!

One thing I've always been careful of doing is to make sure I seat the bullet deep enough so that it doesn't even come close to the lands. I'm basically paranoid about that causing a slamfire.

May 17, 2014, 02:37 PM	#1
straight-shooter Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2007 Location: North Central Indiana Posts: 436	Hand Cast Load for Garand I just finished with many hours of study on various websites on the net trying to formulate a good cast lead load for my M1 Garand. I full length sized the brass and pushed the shoulder back .005" and trimmed to 2.484 Then it was on to the lead. I added 2% tin to the wheel weight lead for better fill out in the mold. I casted about 300 of the Lee C309-200-1R bullet which is a 200gr. Initially I thought a 200 grain bullet was too heavy for a Garand but it turns out that a lead 200 grainer is what is recommended by people who are better in the know than I am (Castboolits.com). These bullets turned out exceptional by using the tin. Now it's on to the 30 cal gas checks, sizing and lubing. A little mod on the top punch on my Lyman 450 lubrasizer and I was in business. After loading the Varget powder I added a tuft of 1 grain Decron filler which is said to aid in better pressure and accuracy. We will see! Decron is basically the same thing you see used inside of pillows and stuffed animals. By adding 1 grain of Decron it's considered part of the load so It adds 1 grain to your powder charge. Another plus is it keeps the powder at the bottom of the case on the primer for better ignition. Now it's all down hill from here ...... FORMULA: DEN Military 30 cal Brass Lee C309-200-1R Bullet Sized to .310 32, 33, 34, 35gr Varget CCI LR Primer 3.210 OAL 1gr of Decron filler I made up 12 bullets for initial firing ranging from 32, 33, 34 and 35 grains of Varget. Initially I'm starting low at 32gr which I don't expect to cycle the action but do expect it to at 33 and 34 gr. From there I'll look for a velocity between 1,850 and 1,950 fps on the Chrono and finally I'll tune for accuracy. Only slight mishap is I found that my seating stem had a slightly sharp edge and ringed the top of the bullets but not enough to cause any problem but I've since fixed this by polishing the edge of it.

May 17, 2014, 02:39 PM	#2
straight-shooter Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2007 Location: North Central Indiana Posts: 436	Fast Forward Fast forward to the results as I had a chance to make it to the range. Testing was done at 75 yards. 32gr Varget & 1gr Decron Cycled the action 4 rds. All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 6 feet away low recoil felt three rds in the same hole and fourth a 1/2" away. Chrono results Hi Vel:\|1839 Low Vel:\|1806 Ave Vel:\|1825 Ext Spread:\|33 Std Dev:\|16 33gr Varget & 1gr Decron Cycled the action 4 rds. All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 8 feet away low recoil felt two rds in the same hole and the other two within 1" Chrono results Hi Vel:\|1872 Low Vel:\|1857 Ave Vel:\|1864 Ext Spread:\|15 Std Dev:\|6 34gr Varget & 1gr Decron Cycled the action 4 rds. All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 8 feet away medium recoil felt This one started stringing vertical with a spread of about 3" so not optimal but maybe a .1 or .2 difference in the powder load would change this. Normally this is just a indication of a bad part of the node at 34 grains. As you can see the velocitys are starting to get in the upper part of the load i'm looking for which is between 1,850 and 1,950 fps. Chrono results Hi Vel:\|1963 Low Vel:\|1924 Ave Vel:\|1948 Ext Spread:\|39 Std Dev:\|16 35gr Varget & 1gr Decron Cycled the action 4 rds. All rds ejected at 1 o'clock 8 feet away (strange that this one started ejecting the brass forwards) medium recoil felt two rds in the same hole and 1 a 1/2" high and one a 1/2" low. Chrono results Hi Vel:\|1975 Low Vel:\|1949 Ave Vel:\|1964 Ext Spread:\|26 Std Dev:\|11 In short the 33gr load had the best extreme spread and standard deviation. Also the velocity was almost exactly what I was searching for so I'm going to start tuning loads between 32.5gr and 33.5gr and see where the best results are at. Accuracy wise the 32gr had the best results and very surprisingly cycled the action no problem and piled the brass in a neat little area. Inspecting the barrel shows no leading with these loads so that's a plus! So there it is, I hope this helps someone else as this endeavor for the Garand seems to be well worth the effort and will certainly save some $$ for some fun inexpensive shooting.

May 18, 2014, 05:49 AM	#3
Daffy Member Join Date: December 24, 2012 Posts: 63	Excellent writeup and results.

May 18, 2014, 11:09 PM	#4
LivewireBlanco Member Join Date: September 19, 2012 Location: West Texas Posts: 64	Hmm...might have to start casting for my Garand!

May 18, 2014, 11:13 PM	#5
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Be sure it doesn't lead up you gas port. It did on my AK, which has a similar system.

May 19, 2014, 04:22 AM	#6
straight-shooter Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2007 Location: North Central Indiana Posts: 436	No leading on the gas port but I just have to keep an eye on the tip of the op rod where It could accumulate I've been told. Even then it's just minimal. Next I may try some powder coated bullets with gas checks, then it will be a complete non issue.

May 19, 2014, 11:05 AM	#7
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	I've been looking at powdercoating as well. Would be nice not having to deal with barrel leading.

May 20, 2014, 03:15 PM	#8
AlaskaMike Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Posts: 941	Your results pretty much mirror mine, except I had to go to a slightly slower powder (H4350). I've never seen more than the odd tiny flake of lead on the op rod, even after several hundred rounds. I've never seen even a trace of lead in the bore. Shooting cast in the Garand is definitely fun! One thing I've always been careful of doing is to make sure I seat the bullet deep enough so that it doesn't even come close to the lands. I'm basically paranoid about that causing a slamfire.