Test rifle #1 shown mounted on the CTK shooting rest employed in accuracy testing. Shot groups were measured center to center with a caliper as accurately as possible. I feel that averaging the groups of many targets results in a trend that reveals the most accurate loads. Five-shot clips are available for Garands (Brownell’s 901-000-004). Why five-shot clips? Because Firearms News test standards for rifles are based on five-shot groups so if you are comparing Garand accuracy to some other rifle we keep test standards uniform across the board. I fired six five-shot groups with each type of ammo from each rifle and averaged the four best. Targets were the IBS Hunter Rifle target with six bullseyes. Bottom view of the Amega scope showing the clamping plate and screws. As much as I would like to think of myself as a human machine rest I am just an old man who likes M1s but this was a pretty solid setup. The Savage bolt gun was fired from a bipod. I used a CTK Ultimate Shooting Rest for the M1s. Obviously, the heavy bullet loads would shine at longer distances, but my home range is 100 yards and considering the many man-hours spent testing a couple thousand rounds traveling to another range simply wasn’t feasible. Test standards: All loads were fired for accuracy at 100 yards. If Consumer Reports did ammo tests they would read something like this. The purpose of this article is to sort through current offerings testing them for accuracy, velocity and function so you can determine what product best fits your needs and budget. Luckily for Garandaholics, several commercial manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and offer specific loads tailored for the Garand gas system. One can only imagine the discomfort experienced by the shooter who is whacked in the face by a high-velocity receiver heel! For decades M1 shooters fired military surplus ammo with no worries but that supply is gone now. Excessive bolt speed can damage the weapon and in extreme cases the rear of the receiver may fail. The gas port size and internal dimensions of the gas cylinder were optimized for the military powders of that era resulting in the correct bolt velocity as it travels rearward after unlocking. The gas system was configured to operate efficiently and reliably with the military issue Caliber. True, but a lot of the ammo commercially available today is not loaded to the original pre-World War 2 military spec for which the Garand was designed. An old-school rifleman who appreciates wood and steel blasters will find the M1 a pleasure to shoot.īurris 2-7x scout scopes were fitted to each of the test Garands to reduce human error.Ī concern of M1 shooters is finding the correct ammunition. The Garand, due to its gas-operated action, is easy on the shoulder compared to a bolt-action rifle firing the same round and it comes equipped with the best sights ever issued on a battle rifle. This old cartridge has been around for over a hundred years and it is still popular with hunters and military rifle shooters. 308 Garands shoot quite well, but most of the rifles out there will still be found in. Loads from just about every major manufacturer were tested for this article. The Maine Army National Guard marksmanship team issued me 7.62 NATO for practice and that beats buying ammo. That first M1 remained in a closet during my tour with Jimmy Carter’s Army and I never really started shooting it until I became interested in High Power Rifle competition toward the end of the ‘80s. From that point on I would always have M1s. It was built on a rewelded receiver and the barrel had been fabricated from a 1903A3 barrel, although I wasn’t aware of those things at the time. On DecemI walked into a local gun shop and found a Garand for sale. ELDs awaits testing on the shooting bench. The catch was that the buyer had to be an NRA High Power Rifle competitor and I didn’t start shooting in rifle competitions until over a decade later. I recall the DCM selling them for $99 each. surplus M1s in my youth was the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM), the forerunner of the current Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Like many vets of World War 2 and Korea he spoke of the M1 with reverence. My interest in this great battle rifle was spurred by my father’s memories of his World War 2 service. I have been a Garandaholic since I was a teenager in the ‘70s.
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