I just got a M1 recently and would like to reload for it.  It is a 30-06.  

What type of dies does eveyone use?  Full length?

Also what recipe do you use?  Powder type, bullet, primer?

When I had a M1 I used 4064 powder with 168 gr spbt sierra bullets and was very pleased with the results.

Go to the Reloading Forum and ask there.

Use a full length sizing die.  

A lot of people use a 168 gr bullet but bullets in the 150 gr range also work very well and have a little less recoil.

I bought a bunch of H4895 and IMR4895 for use in the Garand.

Based on having multiple garands and other rifles for 06 I use small base sizer die.
Most all the manuals have garand specific data I know for sure accurate arms does. This is the way to go.

Dies, I use full length sizer

Powders: imr4895, imr4064 and varget.

Primers I use WLR and have cci mil spec ones.(only load if I'm using it for target practice) usually I just use WLR and load a single round at a time. Classic battle matches.

I like the Sb dies.  However, when I started loading for the garand, they didn't have them so I used standard FL dies.  Never needed SB dies for the garands and I load for many of them.  I have needed SB dies in other calibers though so you won't go wrong with those.  I use RCBS products almost exclusively and like the quaility and customer service.

Powders.  I have found that IMR4064 and Varget to be my favorites.  The 4064 will group slightly more then varget but we are talking about .1 MOA.  I have 6 garands and all like 4064 or varget over 4895.  I won't buy 4895 unless a bunch of surplus comes out on the cheap.  All things being equal, varget and 4064 is all I use.  There are other powders out there that work well.  Get a hornady manual.  They have a section for loading for a garand/M1a.  

Bullets, stay under 180 grs and you'll be fine.  Most of my garands seem to like 165-168's the best.

Primers, I like using Mag primers.  I have not had any problems with any brand of LR primers so I normally just get whatever is cheapest/available.  You don't need #34's.  I also have shot 1000's of fed LRM primers out of my garand without issue, even though some say to stay away.  I never had a problem and if fact, fed primers were the most accurate of a test I did awhile back so I used several 1000's of them.

M1 Garand loads
Recommended .30 caliber M1 loadings from the NRA

147 - 155 grain FMJ or HPBT bullets

IMR 3031 - 48.0 grains
IMR 4895 - 49.0 grains
IMR 4064 - 50.0 grains
W748 - 48.0 grains
AA2460 - 49.0 grains
AA2520 - 51.0 grains
AA2495 - 50.5 grains
H4895 - 49.0 grains
BLC-2 - 49.0 grains
H335 - 49.0 grains
RL-12 - 48.0 grains

165/168 grain FMJ, HP or SP bullets

IMR 4895 - 47.0 grains
IMR 4094 - 48.0 grains
AA2520 - 47.5 grains
AA2495 - 47.0 grains
H4895 - 47.5 grains
BLC-2 - 49.0 grains
H335 - 47.0 grains
RL-12 - 44.5 grains

173/175 grain FMJ or HPBT bullets

IMR 4895 - 46.0 grains
IMR 4064 - 47.0 grains
AA2460 - 46.0 grains
AA2495 - 46.0 grains
H4895 - 47.0 grains
BLC-2 - 48.0 grains

180 grain FMJ, SP or HPBT bullets

IMR 4895 - 43.0 grains
AA2460 - 46.5 grains
AA2495 - 45.5 grains
H4895 - 44.0 grains
BLC-2 - 47.5 grains
RL-12 - 41.5 grains

For bullets, I have found the Hornady 150 GR FMJ-BT shoot pretty good.  The cannelure is cut correctly for the Garand seating depth.

My Garand likes to shoot them either soft or hard.  

46 grains IMR 4895 in a Lake City case is a nice soft-shooting load.

ETA: I re-read your OP and saw that you just got a Garand recently.  If it is a postwar Garand make sure it has a postwat bolt (65-series).  

The WWII bolts were shorter, and you lose a lot of accuracy in that couple thousandths of extra headspace--not unsafe, it will pass a No Go test, but sub-optimal for best accuracy.

^ This.

I had good results with the Hornady 150 gr fmjbt w/ cannalure over 46 grains of IMR 4895 in once fired Federal M1 cases with WLR primers.  I think COL was 3.19, I'd have to check my notes on that to be sure.  Good accuracy for a plinking load and it's easy on the recoil.

I've been debating whether to burn my souce of cheap bullets, but I guess they're going to run out sooner or later anyway and I'm broke, and I'd rahter see Garand guys get them than anybody else..

I've been buying the 175 grain Sierra Matchking "seconds" at Powder Valley.

20 cents per--click on SPECIALS and they're the third item down the list HERE...

Now--they are seconds--their weight CAN vary down to 174 and up to 176--but we're talking a small fraction of them at the extremes--mostly they are 174.9 or 150.2.

Hope this helps somebody out.

Also look Master Po's reloading recipes for the Garand.

Deleted by author because loads published are too hot.

Quick warning of a new Garand user.  Make sure you use Garand safe loads, and do NOT buy off the shelf ammo, specifically hunting ammo, unless the ratings are for the Garand.  I had over charged some of my first loads for my M1 without knowing.  Had great accuracy, but I do believe my op-rod suffered.  The same goes with new "hunting" '06 rounds.  They are over charged for what the Garand can handle.

Other than that, IMR 4064 for 168gr SMK are a great way to work your loads.  The load data posted are, what I consider, great starting points, but every rifle is different, so do load work ups and figure what is best for the M1.  Just do NOT exceed pressure limits or over charge.

Or you could buy a 30 dollar gas plug and make all these "cautions" moot...

The Hornady reloading manual has a short section, specifically for the Garand rifle.  I've used their loads with IMR 4895 and 150 grain bullets with no issue.  My LEE, Lyman, and Berger manuals don't have garand specific data.  Email me and I can send you pics of the Hornady manual Garand pages.

Listen up and don't be a schmoe.

First of all, use full length sizing dies.  You do not need small base dies.

Get an RCBS Precision Mic headspace tool to measure your fired brass and to properly set up your sizing die.

Make sure that all your fired brass cases are properly sized.  Then measure each case and trim each case properly.  Get the best power operated trimmer you can find.

Chamfer all your cases and gauge them using a Wilson case guage.  You can get this gauge from Midway.

After your cases are properly measured, prime them.  Make sure you seat the primers to the proper depth and it is best to use CCI military spec primers.  High primers are very dangerous.  Don't be a schmoe.


For powder use H4895 or IMR4895.  Use about 47 grains of H4895 with a 150 grain bullet.  

Make sure you seat the bullet so that the cartridge overall length is 3.25"


Make up a few dummy rounds.  These are rounds without powder or primers and you can use these dummy rounds to check how the rounds feed through the rifle.  But make damned sure that the dummy rounds you are feeding through the rifle are dummy rounds...
Afterwards use a Lee factory crimp die to crimp the bullet.  Follow all these steps and you will have great ammo.

You do not need a case gage.  If you are inclined to use one, by all means go ahead.  I quit using them when fired, unsized brass would "pass" the case gage.  If you properly size the brass and the bolt will easily close on the resized brass, the case gage is not needed.  

As far as CCI military primers goes, they are also not needed.  Any LR primer will work and I prefer LRM primers.  As long as the primers are seated below flush, the brand means little IMO.

Max COAL for the 30-06 is 3.340.  M2 ball is normally anywhere from 3.00 to 3.30.  There is no need to seat that deep, unless you are using a bullet that requires a bit more seating depth due to a boattail design or the like where alot of the bullet isn't being held in the neck.  I normally seat to 3.330 and I have loaded 10's of 1000 of rounds for my garands.

Again, the Lee Crimp die is not needed.  I NEVER crimp my reloads.  I find there is sufficient neck tension to keep the bullet right where it needs to be from resizing.  If you want to use one, by all means if it makes you feel better.  It is not needed.

+1

Master Po

The majority of Garand match service rifle shooters wouldn't ever consider crimping.  It's not needed and likely to damage match bullets.   If you're shooting something with a crimping cannalure like many 150 grain FMJs then by all means experiment with it.

Primers,  I use most any standard or magnum primer.  I shy away from the expensive and more sensitive match primers for the Garand, I won't see the difference and don't want a sensitive primer with a floating firing pin.  I am however in agreement that it is high primers that can bite you in the derrierre.  Seat well below flush.

168gn SMK, 46gn H4895, WLR primer in HXP brass shoots best out of both M1's I have for 200yd CMP Games Matches.
Same load works well in LC brass also.
Have fired about 1,000rds of this load, brass primer pockets still tight/no annealing needed, neck tension still good after 4-5 cycles so far.
Sized with Redding FL die, bumping shoulders back about .003-.004"
Primer pockets cut to uniform depth with Sinclair pocket uniformer tool. (some HXP brass have shallow pockets and may cause high primer seating without reaming, it's well worth buying the tool and uniforming all pockets)

I used 47.5gr of H4895 under a 155gr SMK at 3.300" OAL with good results at the CMP Central Games a week ago. Prone Slow: 97/100-4x with the 9s being my fault.

Master Po's data is OVER THE TOP. He even says so in his introduction. He specifically warns against using the charge weights in his data claiming the powder burn rate has changed substantially since it was first published.

46.0 grains of IMR-4895 - current production lots will replicate M2 ball (150 grain fmj) as currently sold through the CMP. 2600 fps @ 15 ft. instrumental.

46.0 grains of current production IMR-4895 will safely work in 155 and 168 grain Sierra match bullets in .30-06 Garands.

46.0 grains of IMR-4895 is a -maximum load- when using 173 grain M72 fmj match projectiles if you can find them. (I use 44.5 grains and get 2550 fps from my Garand @ 15 ft. instrumental)

I would suspect 46.0 grains of IMR-4895 to be a max load with 175 grain SMK's when fired through a Garand.

YOU FORGOT TO INCLUDE THE VERY IMPORTANT LEAD-IN PARAGRAPH WITH MIL CASE DATA AND OAL DATA WHICH COULD LEAD TO DANGEROUS OVERLOADS.





 

Great info. I've loaded 46gr IMR 4895 under a 150gr FMJ
in a LC case and a cci 34 primer which I suspect might be
too much, so the bullet puller will be getting a work out.

Going to back it down two full grains.

You should be fine @ 46.0 grains of IMR-4895 with 150 grain bullets. 2600 fps muzzle velocity is a mild load and .30-06 Lake City brass will not cause enough of a difference to be significant (.30-06).

This.  46 grains of IMR4895 is actually a sweet spot for my Garand with Lake City brass.

(Shot with a scout-scoped Garand @ 100Yards)

I agree 100%.  I hadn't read it in so long I'd forgotten about this.  I will have to purge Po from future perusal.

I used loads in the 46 to 47 gr range, depending upon whether it was Hodgdon or IMR 4895, with 168 gr bullets.