Garand Hunting Ammo?

[ltorlo64]

I would like to be able to use my Garand for hunting, but I am not excited about using the mil-surplus ammo. Hornady is making a match bullet with a 168 gr hollow point bullet that is designed special for the Garand. I would think this would make a good hunting round and since it is designed for the Garand I would not be concerned about shooting it from my rifle. What do you all think. Is there a better round out there?

[btcave]

I reload to make a round suitable for the Garand, but I have fired Remington Ammo Soft Point Core-Lokt at 150 gr through it. It packs a bit more of a kick than my milsurp or my reloads. It will work for hunting deer or elk, but you don't want to use it for plinking as the modern cartridge has the potential to damaging the op-rod. i.e. bending it.

[ltorlo64]

I reload to make a round suitable for the Garand, but I have fired Remington Ammo Soft Point Core-Lokt at 150 gr through it. It packs a bit more of a kick than my milsurp or my reloads. It will work for hunting deer or elk, but you don't want to use it for plinking as the modern cartridge has the potential to damaging the op-rod. i.e. bending it.

That is why I am looking for something like the Hornady. I don't have the room to reload, and won't for the forseable future.

[awp101]

I've always been told to stick with 150g to avoid bending the op rod.

I'd be curious what Hornady has done to make a heavier bullet "Garand safe"...

I recently read something from one of the manufacturers saying they did not recommend their match grade ammo for hunting but I don't recall who nor did they say why. Maybe Black Hills?

[btcave]

I'd be curious what Hornady has done to make a heavier bullet "Garand safe"...

Heavier bullet, less powder. And even less powder for a Garand round than a bolt gun.

[awp101]

Heavier bullet, less powder. And even less powder for a Garand round than a bolt gun.

Hell, might as well make it a .22!

[ltorlo64]

Hell, might as well make it a .22!

Then I won't have to worry about flinching!

[mriddick]

I used alot of Winchester 150 psp in my Garand, it seemed to do very well.

[1 Patriot-of-many]

What's wrong with mil surplus? The stuff I have is plenty accurate. Both out of my 1943 Garand and my 1941 Johnson rifle.

[mriddick]

What's wrong with mil surplus? The stuff I have is plenty accurate. Both out of my 1943 Garand and my 1941 Johnson rifle.

Most places do not allow FMJ bullets for hunting.

[btcave]

I would guess that FMJ wont put the beast down. My uncle shot an elk 6 times with 30.06 FMJ handloads. The bastard still stood there. My grandfather was watching and finally knocked it down with one shot from his .300 savage. There were 6 holes clean through the boiler room. It was dead, it just didn't realize it.

[Schuetzenman]

I've always been told to stick with 150g to avoid bending the op rod.

I'd be curious what Hornady has done to make a heavier bullet "Garand safe"...

I recently read something from one of the manufacturers saying they did not recommend their match grade ammo for hunting but I don't recall who nor did they say why. Maybe Black Hills?

National Match ammo for the M1 used a 172 gr. bullet. Black Tipped AP from WWII was 165 gr. So as you now know there's nothing wrong with a bullet heavier than std. M2 ball provided it's loaded with the correct burn rate powder and charge weight. Jerry Kuenhausen's book on the .30 Cal. M1 and M14/ M1A rifles goes into what's safe for bullet weights. Definitely you don't want to use anything heavier than 180 grains if I remember correctly what I read. Use of heavier bullets will batter the back of the receiver and could break it out.

As far as Oprods getting bent, never seen one bent, never bent one. Granted I haven't been around 1,000 M1's but I have been around up to maybe 100 shooters putting heavy use on them, myself included. Many of us ran handloads with a variety of powders. I commonly shoot Austrian M2 ball that many claimed was too hot. Must of put 500 to 600 rounds of it through my Winchester M1 mix master rebuild. Still have the original oprod, not bent, works fine. I have 1, 50 cal. ammo can full of 172 gr. NM bullet heads pulled from NM ammo. Some day I plan to reload for my M1's with them. 4895, 4064, Varget and a couple of other powders can be used with no fear of damage if one stays within the recommened charge guide lines.

[ltorlo64]

I just found some information on the A-Max bullet on some other forums. For a hunting bullet it is not recommended. It may be a hollow point but it was not designed for hunting so it does not have uniform or reliable expansion. In fact, there is some concern that if the bullet were to hit bone it could just cause a superficial wound. Anyway, I guess I will either use the 150 gr Remington or Winchester. Or maybe I will talk myself into buying a nice bolt action or pump rifle for hunting. Don't tell my wife.

[Schuetzenman]

I just found some information on the A-Max bullet on some other forums. For a hunting bullet it is not recommended. It may be a hollow point but it was not designed for hunting so it does not have uniform or reliable expansion. In fact, there is some concern that if the bullet were to hit bone it could just cause a superficial wound. Anyway, I guess I will either use the 150 gr Remington or Winchester. Or maybe I will talk myself into buying a nice bolt action or pump rifle for hunting. Don't tell my wife.

I've shot Speer 150 gr. and 165 gr. soft points in my M1 rifles, no problems with feeding, accuracy plenty good enough.

[old Grump]

A problem with commercial ammo in the M1 Garand is slam fires because of the softer primers, not all the time but often enough to be unsettling in my experience. I just pull the FMJ rounds and reload with 150 or 180 gr core-lokts and they work fine for me. I don't shoot them much, just to get zeroed and what I use in the field. The match hollow point won't expand any better than the FMJ because they aren't designed to expand. I would not use them. If you don't reload get somebody to do it for you if you need hunting loads, it isn't a big deal to just swap bullets.

If you ever do reload get CCI #34 primers, they are military grade and will take the pounding a M1 gives it and use 4895 powder.

[ksuguy]

Just get an adjustable gas plug and use some 30.06 hunting ammo.

[Penguin]

It is my understanding that it isn't how heavy the bullet is it is more what kind of powder is loaded in it. If I remember corectly the M1 needs slower burning powder other wise you wack out the head space. Also the harder primers are good so you greatly reduce the risk of a slam fire.

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Most places do not allow FMJ bullets for hunting.

Ahhh I did not know that. I don't hunt.

[old Grump]

Just get an adjustable gas plug and use some 30.06 hunting ammo.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...tnumber=777146

Forgot about that, I don't think of it because I already made up my hunting loads.

Advice still holds for slam fires, some commercial primers are to soft to use in the M1 Garand so you have to buy a box and try them in your gun. I forget which ammo I was using but I would have one or two doubles with almost every clip. Not bad on my personal back field range but could be bad hunting or on a public rifle range where somebody with no sense of humor see's it happening.