I want to start reloading 30-06 for my M1.  What dies and loads do you guys use.  Also I would like to get a hand press to reload at work, can I use RCBS dies in the Lee presses?

I've been using surplus 4895, and WC-846,both work well 4895 was the powder the garand was designed around, I've also been using surplus 147gr bullets with excellent accuracy, it seems they like the 1-12 twist in the M1 barrel alot better than the 1-10 twist found in the M-14, I'm using new, L.C. brass bought from Pat's reloading at www.patsreloading.com, these cases are ones that were pulled apart for components, never fired, they will need the primer crimp removed,and resized to get the mouths straightened out,and of course cleaned up a little but not a bad deal, I've been using 45 gr of 4895 with 168 hornadys (also bought from pat) and 44gr of WC-846 for the 147's you ca also check out Master Po's temple for some M1 loads good info there, at www.masterpostemple.bravepages.com you will want to keep an eye on you case length and will probably have to trim every time you resize, too long a case can result in a slam fire, Bad,Bad juju....Check out Pat, he's got everything you need as far as components go, and not bad prices,I live about 20 miles from him so I go pick it up myself and save Haz-mat charges...As far as dies go I'm using hornady dies and they work well, but I'm thinking about using some RCBS "M" dies which are supposed to stop case length growth from resizing, Read a article on a another board where a guy tried them and to see how far he could go, went 12 reloadings before the cases finally gave out, that's about 6 more loadings than you'll get with regular dies, something to think about.....

Ya, I think you mean the "X-dies".  I heard a little about them too.  Thanks for the links, very helpfull.  

good advice here.  I use Lee dies.  Full length size with good lube.  A nice seating die would be good for better consistency, but the Lee dies are fine.  

Stick with IMR 4895 or 4064 or surplus powder.  

Stick with 150-180gr bullets. Heavier will create too much pressure and can bend your op rod.

If you stick with 150gr bullets, and IMR 4895, start at about 45 grains.  Max load should be around 49gr.  I start at about 45, and go in .5gr increments.  Test from the bench and see which load is the most accurate with your rifle.  


And for primers, I use Federal Large Rifle.  Never had a slam fire or badly dented primer when chambering or cycling.  Be careful, your rifle may be more prone to slamfire.

Anyone tried waxing their cases?  I read that a guy did that with his loads for the rapid fire strings.  Helps with smooth extraction, and he says it helped with case life.  Could be worth checking into!

AA 2520 is also an excellant powder for use in Garands.

I always keep some around as it works great in 223 and 308 too.