Which die set for Garand?

[chris in va]

A little confused about which die set to get for the Garand.

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...productId/7918

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...productId/8002

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...productId/8219

If you could elaborate why you chose a particular one I would appreciate it.

[Sam06]

Chris,

I would not get any of them but I am not a fan of Lee Dies. If I was to pick one I would go with the 1st one. My choice would be a set of RCBS, Hornaday or Redding dies. You don't need to get SB dies but you need to be ready to trim brass. The Garand is hard on Brass especially the rims. Reloading for the Garand is easy though. There are only a few powders that will operate the gas system correctly and they all produce good accuracy. IMR 4895 is the old standby and it still works as good as anything with 168gr bullets. FL size your brass, Keep your velocity in the 2650-2700 fps range clean your brass and do a good inspection before each loading(By the 4th loading you will have some culls). The M1 Garand is a hoot to shoot and load for. Have a good one

[kraigwy]

What ever die that will set the shoulder back to specks, Brass out of semis stretch brass, not only at the necks but the shoulder gets pushed out also.

I dont hunt with the '06, the only ammo I load for it is target ammo, for both my garand and my Vietnam Era sniper rifle I use in 1000 yard matches.

I just use RCBS FL dies, but I do have a rcbs compitition die in 308 that I use to seat the bullet.

I made a case gage for my '06 but Wilson, Dillon, RCBS make them. Be sure you use the case gages to set up your sizing die.

[Unclenick]

I've never had a problem with any Lee dies. They lack fit and finish on the outside, and polishing on the inside. If that matters to you, Redding is best, but also the most expensive. Lee is the only maker that hones its sizing dies to final dimension, so they are the most perfectly round sizing dies I've seen. You can polish a sizing die with Flitz and a felt bob if you want to, though Dico Stainless grade buffing compound is the most efficient on hardened steel.

I think the inexpensive Lee RGB die set is fine to start. You can't use a neck sizing-only die for Garand ammo as the tight case fit encourages out-of-battery slam fires, so the Deluxe set is a waste of money. You won't likely need the factory crimp die, but if you want to experiment with it, the extra expense for that set is your choice. As far as seating dies go, until you move up to either a Forster or a Redding competition seating die with full sliding alignment sleeve, there is no consistent advantage over the Lee that I can find.

Take a look at the Lee online help videos at their web site. They show you how the die setups work.

For powders, IMR 3031 is fine for 150 grain bullets. IMR 4064 is often thought best with the 168 and 175 grain match bullets. IMR 4895 will do the whole weight range, as will H4895, though the latter is not quite the same as the IMR product and its charge weights won't match exactly. The Hornady loading manual has a separate Garand load section. They are light by 1980's standards, and the condition of your op-rod may determine how heavy you can go? 46.5 grains of IMR 4895 over the 175 grain Sierra Match King will mimic the last lot of M72 match ammo loaded by Lake City.

Using CCI #34 primers may offer some improved immunity to slam fires. Most important is to be sure the primers are seated below flush with the back of the case by about four thousandths or so.

[F. Guffey]

In the beginning the 03 M1 Garand chamber was larger by .0002 +or- very little, in the beginning the M1 Garand used the same ammo as Browning's 30 cal MG, the 03 and the M1917 today it is anyones guess, I have BAR, Small Base and standard dies for the 30/06 and a means for measuring the difference between cases sized with each. With any chamber I start with measuring the effect the chamber will have on a case when fired as opposed to firing first then determine the effect the chamber had on the case when fired.

Full length sizing is to size a case to minimum length, for some reason it is always about the brand, never about which die does the best most accurate job of sizing, for me this is never an issue, I use the companion tool to the press, the feeler gage. with an RCBS shell holder and a standard die I can custom fit cases to chambers from a -.017 shorter than a go-gage chamber to a practical +.011 longer than a go-gage length chamber, this is helpful when sizing cases for a short chamber and a chamber that is considered field reject length.

The full length sizer die it the versatile die, some are limited to full length sizing, from there they go to the neck sizer die for neck sizing, for me that is a big (expensive) jump.

F. Guffey

[F. Guffey]

30/06 M1 Garand

Sorry about that,

F. Guffey