I really want to hunt with my M1 garand but I have a question about what type of ammo to use. I have been told that the ammo I bought from the CMP would be fine to hunt with. Is this true? Is there any other type of ammo anyone could recommend to us?

I dunno for certain how yours shoots, but I plan to use a Garand using Win Super-X in 150 grain this year.

According to the documents from the CMP anything under 180 grain should be fine to shoot.

TRG

The CMP stuff is ball, in my state it's illegal to use full metal

as far as using commercial loads you run the risk of over pressure and bending the op rod. this is also true with an M1A

your best bet is talk to a re-loader and have them work a cartridge up for you with some 4895 powder and top it with a ballistic tip.





pics to clarify I know a little something about the topic

or just keep 200 bucks on the side for a new op rod when it bends

I thought you could use commercial without risk of bending the Operating rod as long as you kept it at 150 grain bullets.



Matter of fact I'm almost certain.

How can you base a load off of 1 component?

I will look for something to back my opinion up

http://www.zediker.com/downloads/14_loading.pdf
page 15 or 16.


taken from the artical
about loading for the M14 applies to the M1.
Same thing on the caution against anything slower
burning than 4064. The M1 uses an impulse gas
system (no piston) and can get bent, cracked, and
broken with a box full of “deer loads” (man, have
I seen and heard that one) innocuously deshelved
on the way to the range to try out the brand new
old rifle that just came special delivery
from the postman. Nothing (under no circumstance)
slower burning than 4064.
M1s don’t like brass much, but they

CMP, said commercial ammo is fine as long as it was under 180 grain.

It specifically said to avoid handloads unless you knew the pressures involved.

TRG

Without a chrono, how do you determine where to set the adjustable gas plug? What determines the setting level without breaking something and then realizing it was set incorrectly?  

How does it affect accuracy at different gas settings?

For instance, if I have a 180 gr bullet, and I adjust for it, and then fire a 150 gr without making an adjustment to the gas plug, will this affect my point of impact?

I am brand new to Garands.

TRG

Steve comes to the rescue again

I didn't see anythign on page 15, 16, or 17 to back up your opinion.  Not saying you're full of shit, just didn't notice it, I'm sure.

But as far as basing a load on one component, I'm not.  I'm thinking pressure, and if you're talking about bending your op rod, so are you.

As far as I know, when you shoot a heavier bullet, usually your chamber pressure goes up.  (unless of course you're loading it down on purpose)

If CMP is saying nothing heavier than 180, then they must have seen op rods bending at 180 plus.  This is because of increased chamber pressure.  

You shoot handloads in yours if you know what pressures they are producing, but for the Original Poster, he wants to be able to hunt with his, and since he hasn't mentioned handloading, he probably doesn't.

Commercial should be ok, because it is rarely loaded as hot as handloads, on purpose.

So to the OP.  Do as TRG said and enjoy hunting with a piece of history.

And as always, good luck.

I would get the hornady 168gr. A-max load. It is designed for the garand. I use the same bullet in my .308's and it works fine for deer.

Guys, its not the chamber pressure that will damage the gas system on the M1/M1A.  There is no commercial 30.06 load that can damage an M1 Garand.

The problem is the pressure still existing s the bullet passes the gas port in the barrel.  Don't ask me how I know.  Well, just let me say that somewhere out in the shed I've got a cracked M1A op rod.

Many of the heavier bullet commercial loads use a slower burning powder than is good for the M1/M1A gas systems.

Fast burning powder and slow burning powder may have nearly equal chamber pressures.  The faster burning powders pressure peaks sooner in the burn and drops off faster and is at the "right" level for the gas system (those are the powders in the right burn range for these rifles, like IMR 4895, Varget, IMR 3031, Win 748, etc.)

Slower burning powders may even give you lower chamber pressures but they take longer to reach their peak pressure and therefor the pressure as the bullet passes the gas port may be way too high for the gas system.  That was my problem when I broke my op rod in my M1A.  

The adjustable gas plug allows you to vent off any pressure over/above what is needed by the gas system to operate the rifle.  

I have one of the Schuster plugs on my "shooter" M1.  So far all I've shot in mine is HXP or my reloads with 150 grn. fmj's and IMR 4895, but with the gas plug adjusted so as to vent excess gas over and above what the rifle needs to operate it seems to be even more accurate and recoil is no issue.  I'm not shooting in matches, I'm shooting it for fun.  If I lived where I could deer hunt with a rifle I'd be in the woods with my M1 and some 165 grain spitzer boat tails.

Thanks for this. These are issues that were holding me back from a Garand. I may be ready to jump on one.