Hand Cast Load for Garand

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  • Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Nov 23, 2008
    2,742
    12
    Mishawaka
    I just finished with many hours of study on various websites on the net trying to formulate a good cast lead load for my M1 Garand.

    I full length sized the brass and pushed the shoulder back .005" and trimmed to 2.484

    Then it was on to the lead. I added 2% tin to the wheel weight lead for better fill out in the mold. I casted about 300 of the Lee C309-200-1R bullet which is a 200gr. Initially I thought a 200 grain bullet was too heavy for a Garand but it turns out that a lead 200 grainer is what is recommended by people who are better in the know than I am (Castboolits.com). These bullets turned out exceptional by using the tin.

    Now it's on to the 30 cal gas checks, sizing and lubing. A little mod on the top punch on my Lyman 450 lubrasizer and I was in business.

    After loading the Varget powder I added a tuft of 1 grain Decron filler which is said to aid in better pressure and accuracy. We will see! Decron is basically the same thing you see used inside of pillows and stuffed animals. By adding 1 grain of Decron it's considered part of the load so It adds 1 grain to your powder charge. Another plus is it keeps the powder at the bottom of the case on the primer for better ignition.

    Now it's all down hill from here ......

    FORMULA:

    DEN Military 30 cal Brass
    Lee C309-200-1R Bullet Sized to .310
    32, 33, 34gr Varget
    CCI LR Primer
    3.210 OAL
    1gr of Decron filler

    I made up 12 bullets for initial firing ranging from 32, 33 and 34 grains of Varget. Initially I'm starting low at 32gr which I don't expect to cycle the action but do expect it to at 33 and 34 gr. From there I'll look for a velocity between 1,850 and 1,950 fps on the Chrono and finally I'll tune for accuracy.

    Only slight mishap is I found that my seating stem had a slightly sharp edge and ringed the top of the bullets but not enough to cause any problem but I've since fixed this by polishing the edge of it.

    DSC_0683Small_zps070ad3fc.jpg
     
    Last edited:

    red_zr24x4

    UA#190
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    4   0   0
    Mar 14, 2009
    28,795
    113
    Walkerton
    Looks interesting! Can't wait to see How they shoot, I've loaded a s^&* ton of ammo for my Garand and never thought to load cast bullets
     
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Nov 23, 2008
    2,742
    12
    Mishawaka
    I never give it much thought either till the prices of surplus pulled bullets have reached a pointed where it's better to just buy Hornady A-max bullets for no more difference there is in price. There seems to be quite the following of the number of people that are casting for the Garand so I figured why not ?

    That's what's great about the internet, the wealth of knowledge from people who have been there and done that. Saves a ton of leg work! Much faster to get to a satisfactory result with hand loads.
     

    djones

    Sharpshooter
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    26   0   0
    Jan 4, 2011
    515
    18
    Greenfield
    I look forward to hearing about your progress. I shoot a lot of cast rifle bullets but not for semi auto yet. I have a garand and an m1a just haven't taken the leap to cast with them yet.

    What alloy are the bullets cast from?
     
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Nov 23, 2008
    2,742
    12
    Mishawaka
    What alloy are the bullets cast from?

    Straight Wheel Weights with some 40/60 Plumbers Solder added for the tin to make it 2%. I won't go into the math but in a nutshell you can add 11" of Plumbers Solder per 1LB of Wheel Weights to make it 2%. It makes for a much better fill out in the mold. Without the solder the bullets came out at 186 gr but with the solder they were almost right on at 199 gr.

    Just make sure when you look for the solder to get the 40/60 that is tin/lead.
     

    Kart29

    Sharpshooter
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    2   0   0
    Jun 10, 2011
    373
    18
    I did the exact same thing with the same bullet. I used straight WW with no solder. And I used H4831 instead of Varget. And, I used .75 grains Dacron instead of 1 grain.

    I started with a low load and worked up just until the round would cycle the action reliably. I don't recall the powder charge off hand - would have to look it up.

    I've shot hundred of them. Works good.

    The only issue I've had is a build of lead on the tip of the op rod. It's not a problem, really, but I like to keep it clean and that requires quite a bit of work with solvent and a brass brush to get all that lead off the tip of the op rod. You might want to keep an eye on yours and not let too much lead build up there.
     
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    44   0   0
    Nov 23, 2008
    2,742
    12
    Mishawaka
    I still haven't forgot about you people who have tagged for interest on this one. I've just been super busy on my work schedule and hopefully Friday I can do this testing barring any bad weather. I'll report the reliability of function with each load and put them over the chrono with that information. Stay tuned.... :cool:
     
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Nov 23, 2008
    2,742
    12
    Mishawaka
    Ok, I finally got out to the range and have some very nice results.
    Testing was done at 75 yards.

    32gr Varget & 1gr Decron
    Cycled the action 4 rds.
    All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 6 feet away
    low recoil felt
    three rds in the same hole and fourth a 1/2" away.

    Chrono results

    Hi Vel:|1839
    Low Vel:|1806
    Ave Vel:|1825
    Ext Spread:|33
    Std Dev:|16

    33gr Varget & 1gr Decron
    Cycled the action 4 rds.
    All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 8 feet away
    low recoil felt
    two rds in the same hole and the other two within 1"

    Chrono results

    Hi Vel:|1872
    Low Vel:|1857
    Ave Vel:|1864
    Ext Spread:|15
    Std Dev:|6


    34gr Varget & 1gr Decron
    Cycled the action 4 rds.
    All rds ejected at 4 o'clock 8 feet away
    medium recoil felt
    This one started stringing vertical with a spread of about 3" so not optimal but maybe a .1 or .2 difference in the powder load would change this. Normally this is just a indication of a bad part of the node at 34 grains. As you can see the velocitys are starting to get in the upper part of the load i'm looking for which is between 1,850 and 1,950 fps.

    Chrono results

    Hi Vel:|1963
    Low Vel:|1924
    Ave Vel:|1948
    Ext Spread:|39
    Std Dev:|16

    35gr Varget & 1gr Decron
    Cycled the action 4 rds.
    All rds ejected at 1 o'clock 8 feet away (strange that this one started ejecting the brass forwards)
    medium recoil felt
    two rds in the same hole and 1 a 1/2" high and one a 1/2" low.

    Chrono results

    Hi Vel:|1975
    Low Vel:|1949
    Ave Vel:|1964
    Ext Spread:|26
    Std Dev:|11

    In short the 33gr load had the best extreme spread and standard deviation. Also the velocity was almost exactly what I was searching for so I'm going to start tuning loads between 32.5gr and 33.5gr and see where the best results are at. Accuracy wise the 32gr had the best results and very surprisingly cycled the action no problem and piled the brass in a neat little area.

    Inspecting the barrel shows no leading with these loads so that's a plus!

    So there it is, I hope this helps someone else as this endeavor for the Garand seems to be well worth the effort and will certainly save some $$ for some fun inexpensive shooting.
     
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