Posted on 06/17/2011 4:41:00 PM PDT by MileHi
More about M1 food
Two things about that:
That goes against a lot of good advice.
That is damn good customer service if they will replace a bent op rod based on that advice. I don't want to send them my rifle in any case, what a pain.
It would be nice if that is so, surplus ammo ain't getting any cheaper. Rem Core-Loct 150 can be had pretty reasonable. It specs at about +200 fps over Greek surplus.
I have an adjustable plug, haven't tried it yet.
What say you who have these rifles
I would get something in writing from SA covering what you were told. If you fire that commercial stuff and end up injured, you’ve got some recourse.
Then I’d stock up on the mil-surp fodder, and learn to reload if you don’t already know how. The Garand is a fine rifle but it’s never a good idea to stretch things beyond design specs too often.
You can get Greek surplus from CMP for about 1/2 the price of commercial ammo.
That is my concern, although I think a bent op rod is the worst case.
I just need to go mess with the gas plug I guess.
I think Eaker might have a slightly different opinion of "worst case".
No really, most surplus seems to be about a buck a shot (plus shipping), standard commercial is about 2/3 that and in every WalMart etc around.
Yes he does, although I don’t think anyone solved the cause of that.
That is also why I am leary despite the assurance of SA.
Thoughts?
There are others and I don’t have screen names at hand.
I reload almost all my ammo and when I feed the M1A I make sure I stay within the velocities and pressures recommended. I just don’t want to risk any damage to a fine rifle.
I think you’re wise to be a bit cautious about what SA told you even tho they’re a fine company, even if they put it in writing.
So I think the best advice I can give you is stick with the recommended ammunition or reload it yourself. You can save some money that way.
Wish I could do better, but that’s all I got.
I bought a bunch of Lake City 3006 milsurp over a decade ago when it was cheap and I still had the wherewithall to do it. Including a small, but much prized load of original Lake City black tip. Nasty stuff for thin-skinned vehicles and such.
An eve nbetter score was a sizeable amount of Lake City match primed cases that I bought about the same time , along with a similar quantity of 30 cal black tip projectile pulls.
Haven’t shot Mr. Garand in a while. It shoots way better than I do, that’s for sure.
That's true of most of my weapons as well. LOL
Don't get in a hurry to do anything like this. It is wise to keep the ammo as close to original M2 ball spec as possible. The good news is that most of the common 150 grain under 2950 fps ammo is pretty darned close. The Springfield folks aren't dummies.
What WILL cause you problems OVER TIME is heavier bullets and/or slower "magnum" type powders that raise the pressure at the barrel end. This gives the op rod a "hammer blow" instead of a more desirable "gentle push".
What is your pet load for 150gr pills? I would be fine with refilling brass for it.
There you go. The surplus is about 2700, most commercial is about 2900, which SA acknowledged. They only advise against heavier pills. My reading says the pressure curve is really the issue.
I don’t shoot the M1, I’ve got an M1A and use only the 168 gr Sierra BTHP Match bullets. But I keep them right around 2600 fps so as to keep the pressures down. I could push them faster, but the rifle isn’t built to take that.
When I don’t have those I use the 146 gr. FMJ stuff from Winchester. That’s just about an exact match for the mil-surp stuff.
I guess what I should have said more simply . . .
Is that there are a ton of old surplus rifle and ammo combinations that truly scare me.
Plain Jane 150 grain Remingtons in a caliber 30 M1 Garand does not scare me as long as it is structurally sound and head spaced OK.
I think the worst case for "high gas-port pressure" is "heel of the receiver breaks off and the rifle bolt embeds itself in your right eye".
HA! Well, along with a few politicians, a SOCOM is on my bucket list. This Garrand was a gift, and a damn fine unused one at that. So I don't want to break it. Still, going to the Rockies next weekend to hang in the forest and create empty brass and try out truck parts. (;0)
I have piles of this stuff, both my M1 and my 1903 love it shoot it fine...
http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/449.php
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