M1 Garand Loads

Sea Buck · January 5, 2011, 05:48 PM

I am looking at reloading for my Garand. I like H380 and H414 because they meter so well. That said I'm going to try a load of 50 gr of H380 and a 150 gr fbsp for about 2600 fps as a M2 ball clone. For a reduced loading I am considering 55 gr of H414 and a 125 gr SEI SP, and a loading of 53 gr of H414 and a 110gr Hdy SP. Any thoughts on this from you Garand fans.

NWPilgrim · January 5, 2011, 06:11 PM

All the manuals and articles I have read about reloading for the Garand state you should not use powders slower than about Varget, IMR4064 or RL15 range. The "standard" powder is IMR4895.

Supposedly the gas port is designed for the pressure curve of faster powders and you can damage the op rod with a slower powder at full pressure, or if you lower the pressure then it may not operate the action completely. Keeping the velocity below 2,700 fps with bullets under 170 gr. should be safe, but with a slower powder it may not cycle the action.

I have only used Varget and H4895 for around 2,600 fps and they work well. H335 and BL-C2 would be good fine grained powders. Hornady has a section on .30-06 specific to the Garand and they do not list any powders slower than BL-C2, RL15, Varget, IMR4064; and they recommend H4895 overall.

**Unclenick** · January 5, 2011, 06:26 PM

H380 is the canister grade version of WC852, which was developed for .30-06 military loads and the military did put it in M2 for a time (I've pulled some of it down). It's slower than the usual recommended powders, being just faster than IMR 4007 SC on Hodgdon's own burn rate chart. IMR 4320 used to be the generally agreed upon lower burn rate limit for the Garand. Still, H380 is not as slow as H414. It is as slow as I would go without using a vented gas cylinder plug, and then I would make sure my op-rod was in tip top shape. If you've got one with heavy carbon cake build-up under the piston head, I would not use it. Those op-rods often have considerable corrosion pitting under the carbon. You'd want to get it off and check, first.

50 grains of canister grade H380 may be low or it may not. It's probably a good starting point. Hodgdon lists 53 grains as starting load with a 150 grain bullet in a Winchester case and 59 grains maximum. However, the M2 I pulled down had only about 48 grains of WC852, so that lot was evidently faster than current canister grade stuff. But for the Garand you will want to use the CCI #34 primers if you can, which have the military primer magnum ignition level. So you may already have enough pressure even at 50 grains.

The H414 load with the light bullets is not a good plan. For one thing, as bullets get lighter you generally want the powder to get faster, not slower. Pressure spikes near the muzzle have been observed with light bullets and slow powder. I would look at IMR 3031 or even IMR 4198 for a bullet that light. The slow stuff not only risks excessive port pressure and those spikes, but it will tend to burn dirty with a light bullet.

Go to Wolfe Publishing's web site and purchase a copy of Handloader #114, April 1985. It has a John Clark article with, IIRC, over 20 match loads for the Garand listed. Modern components have changes some since then, but if you knock any of his loads down 5% and work back up in 1% steps, watching for pressure signs, you'll be OK.

mehavey · January 5, 2011, 06:38 PM

H414 is already too slow for the medium/heavier M1-type bullets. Using it for even lighter/(very much lighter) bullets is going the wrong way even more. (EX: You're going to dump almost 25% of the powder--unburned--out of the muzzle with the 110 Hndy load you mention.)

If ease of measurement is your goal, have you considered A2520 to meet burning rate requirements across the board?

January 5, 2011, 06:11 PM	#2
NWPilgrim Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2008 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,346	All the manuals and articles I have read about reloading for the Garand state you should not use powders slower than about Varget, IMR4064 or RL15 range. The "standard" powder is IMR4895. Supposedly the gas port is designed for the pressure curve of faster powders and you can damage the op rod with a slower powder at full pressure, or if you lower the pressure then it may not operate the action completely. Keeping the velocity below 2,700 fps with bullets under 170 gr. should be safe, but with a slower powder it may not cycle the action. I have only used Varget and H4895 for around 2,600 fps and they work well. H335 and BL-C2 would be good fine grained powders. Hornady has a section on .30-06 specific to the Garand and they do not list any powders slower than BL-C2, RL15, Varget, IMR4064; and they recommend H4895 overall. __________________ "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. ... The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition." - James Madison

January 5, 2011, 06:38 PM	#4
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,885	H414 is already too slow for the medium/heavier M1-type bullets. Using it for even lighter/(very much lighter) bullets is going the wrong way even more. (EX: You're going to dump almost 25% of the powder--unburned--out of the muzzle with the 110 Hndy load you mention.) If ease of measurement is your goal, have you considered A2520 to meet burning rate requirements across the board? Last edited by mehavey; January 5, 2011 at 06:44 PM.

January 5, 2011, 05:48 PM	#1
Sea Buck Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2008 Location: New England,Florida Snow Bird Posts: 312	M1 Garand Loads I am looking at reloading for my Garand. I like H380 and H414 because they meter so well. That said I'm going to try a load of 50 gr of H380 and a 150 gr fbsp for about 2600 fps as a M2 ball clone. For a reduced loading I am considering 55 gr of H414 and a 125 gr SEI SP, and a loading of 53 gr of H414 and a 110gr Hdy SP. Any thoughts on this from you Garand fans.

January 5, 2011, 06:26 PM	#3
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	H380 is the canister grade version of WC852, which was developed for .30-06 military loads and the military did put it in M2 for a time (I've pulled some of it down). It's slower than the usual recommended powders, being just faster than IMR 4007 SC on Hodgdon's own burn rate chart. IMR 4320 used to be the generally agreed upon lower burn rate limit for the Garand. Still, H380 is not as slow as H414. It is as slow as I would go without using a vented gas cylinder plug, and then I would make sure my op-rod was in tip top shape. If you've got one with heavy carbon cake build-up under the piston head, I would not use it. Those op-rods often have considerable corrosion pitting under the carbon. You'd want to get it off and check, first. 50 grains of canister grade H380 may be low or it may not. It's probably a good starting point. Hodgdon lists 53 grains as starting load with a 150 grain bullet in a Winchester case and 59 grains maximum. However, the M2 I pulled down had only about 48 grains of WC852, so that lot was evidently faster than current canister grade stuff. But for the Garand you will want to use the CCI #34 primers if you can, which have the military primer magnum ignition level. So you may already have enough pressure even at 50 grains. The H414 load with the light bullets is not a good plan. For one thing, as bullets get lighter you generally want the powder to get faster, not slower. Pressure spikes near the muzzle have been observed with light bullets and slow powder. I would look at IMR 3031 or even IMR 4198 for a bullet that light. The slow stuff not only risks excessive port pressure and those spikes, but it will tend to burn dirty with a light bullet. Go to Wolfe Publishing's web site and purchase a copy of Handloader #114, April 1985. It has a John Clark article with, IIRC, over 20 match loads for the Garand listed. Modern components have changes some since then, but if you knock any of his loads down 5% and work back up in 1% steps, watching for pressure signs, you'll be OK. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle Last edited by Unclenick; January 5, 2011 at 06:42 PM.