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1st loading nerves

EMTDAD

EMTDAD

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just about ready to load the powder and seat the bullets in my first rounds of 30-06 for my Garand.

Problem is I'm a bit nervous. Hearing so many stories of blown up guns and problems has me a bit leery. Esp with a 75 yr old gun. I've read and read, and asked a boatload of questions here and elsewhere.

I keep asking myself, did you trim the cases right? Are they sized properly? Is the headspace ok? Did you deburr and chamfer enough? Am I set up to seat the bullet deep enough but not too deep?

I've played around with the seating die, and an empty case, and they're a bit shorter than the PPU rounds, due to the bullet I'm using I think (Hornady #3031).

Also played with the powder measure and I can't seem to get a consistent measure? Is this common? If I'm not yet loading for accuracy, what's the tolerance I should be targeting 46 +/-0.X grains? Same tolerance question with the case length, and finished cartridge overall length?

Is it me? Am I just overly paranoid? Is this really easier than I'm making it out to be?
 
EMTDAD said:
just about ready to load the powder and seat the bullets in my first rounds of 30-06 for my Garand.

Problem is I'm a bit nervous. Hearing so many stories of blown up guns and problems has me a bit leery. Esp with a 75 yr old gun. I've read and read, and asked a boatload of questions here and elsewhere.

I keep asking myself, did you trim the cases right? Are they sized properly? Is the headspace ok? Did you deburr and chamfer enough? Am I set up to seat the bullet deep enough but not too deep?

I've played around with the seating die, and an empty case, and they're a bit shorter than the PPU rounds, due to the bullet I'm using I think (Hornady #3031).

Also played with the powder measure and I can't seem to get a consistent measure? Is this common? If I'm not yet loading for accuracy, what's the tolerance I should be targeting 46 +/-0.X grains? Same tolerance question with the case length, and finished cartridge overall length?

Is it me? Am I just overly paranoid? Is this really easier than I'm making it out to be?
Click to expand...
As far as the powder measure tolerance ......when I loaded my first rounds I actually weighed each charge on a digital scale and was still worried about the scale accuracy lol. Never blew up a gun or had an issue. Now for pistol rounds I trust my lee powder measure for the most part and only check the charge every 10 drops......plus or minus 1 tenths of a grain I'm happy so if I'm loading 4.7 ill accept 4.6 to 4.8. on big charges your plus minus should be acceptable with an even wider margin (as far as safety) as Iong as your not going for max charge weight.

Relax.....breathe......it'll be ok. 👍
 
Last edited:
EMTDAD said:
just about ready to load the powder and seat the bullets in my first rounds of 30-06 for my Garand.

Problem is I'm a bit nervous. Hearing so many stories of blown up guns and problems has me a bit leery. Esp with a 75 yr old gun. I've read and read, and asked a boatload of questions here and elsewhere.

I keep asking myself, did you trim the cases right? Are they sized properly? Is the headspace ok? Did you deburr and chamfer enough? Am I set up to seat the bullet deep enough but not too deep?

I've played around with the seating die, and an empty case, and they're a bit shorter than the PPU rounds, due to the bullet I'm using I think (Hornady #3031).

Also played with the powder measure and I can't seem to get a consistent measure? Is this common? If I'm not yet loading for accuracy, what's the tolerance I should be targeting 46 +/-0.X grains? Same tolerance question with the case length, and finished cartridge overall length?

Is it me? Am I just overly paranoid? Is this really easier than I'm making it out to be?
Click to expand...
I had the same questions running through my head when I did my first .308s and it was pretty nerve wracking on the first couple rounds. Just take your time, donit right and have fun. I won't lie loading for .300WM I had the same dilemma, way more powder lol.
 
You could make a couple dummy rounds (no powder or primers) and chamber them to see if it’s difficult to extract. I did that with my 1903 and realized I needed to screw the sizing die in just a tiny bit more.

But you should be fine. Don’t worry about the case length being too short - if it’s like 1/4" too short then that may be bad. And as long as you’re not loading to the maximum charge weight, you’ll be fine. Yes the scales can have some fluctuation. My digital bounces between +\- 0.1 grains it seems.
 
I would recommend segregating brass by the number of times they’ve been fired. This is what I do. I’ve got bags of brass all labeled with the number of firings.
You can’t load rifle brass 30+ times like you can with most pistol brass. So it’s good to know which brass is getting worn and “could” fail.
 
andrew1220 said:
I would recommend segregating brass by the number of times they’ve been fired. This is what I do. I’ve got bags of brass all labeled with the number of firings.
You can’t load rifle brass 30+ times like you can with most pistol brass. So it’s good to know which brass is getting worn and “could” fail.
Click to expand...
I have to work up some kind of system to do that along with any range pick ups I end up with. As of now they all get tossed in the same bin.
 
EMTDAD said:
IMR4895. 46 gr under 150 gr bullet
Click to expand...
If I had to guess it looks like you are using the starting load for 30-06 from a Lyman manual. I don't have info for the Garand with that bullet/powder combination. I am not an expert, but I would say it's okay given the low pressure and the burn rate of the powder.
 
EMTDAD said:
IMR4895. 46 gr under 150 gr bullet
Click to expand...

By the Hodgdon website, you are 1 gr under min for a Nosler E-tip and 3 grains under for HPBT. Your 3031's are more of a hunting bullet and I'm just guessing but perhaps more like the Nosler E-tip. I don't know about 4895 specifically but loading Varget slightly under min was never a problem for me nor anyone I know. Might be a negative for accuracy, however. 1 or two grains under are not going to blow up your rifle. Also, depending on the design of the bullet it may be typical for the 150 gr ones to be shorter than the PPU you are comparing against.

It's actually not easy to overload a 30-06 case. Most powders will fill up the case as you get to max load. Some max loads require slight compression. Until you gain experience, stay away from those.
 
EMTDAD said:
Hearing so many stories of blown up guns
Click to expand...

In the circle of people I know/shoot with only one blew up their Garand and that is because she used commercial 30-06 ammo. If you stay with low pressure reloads, like you are doing, and/or M1 Garand ammo you should be good.

I wouldn't call it paranoia, but being a little conservative and questioning yourself every so often is not a bad thing when reloading. Make sure you keep good notes including all component data, where you got your load data, how many times the brass has been fired, range results, etc. etc.
 
Another good rule of thumb for Garands is to watch the velocity. If reloading 168's, 2600 to 2700 fps works. For 150's, 2700 to ~2850. This will likely be on the lower end of the recommended loads. Stay well away from the high end of the loads- those are intended for bolt guns.

CMP forums are a good resource for Garand loads.
 
I started out reloading over 40 years ago with a Lee Loader for 300 Win Mag. No case trimming, OAL or finesse. Read the Sierra and Speer manuals and tried to be consistent and diligent. I did use a scale not the dipper but you are seating primers with a whack from a hammer. Pay attention, go slow to start and learn as you go along, you should be fine.
 
jek said:
In the circle of people I know/shoot with only one blew up their Garand and that is because she used commercial 30-06 ammo. If you stay with low pressure reloads, like you are doing, and/or M1 Garand ammo you should be good.

I wouldn't call it paranoia, but being a little conservative and questioning yourself every so often is not a bad thing when reloading. Make sure you keep good notes including all component data, where you got your load data, how many times the brass has been fired, range results, etc. etc.
Click to expand...
No commercial load will blow up a garand unless it was defective from the factory or the garand suffered a out of battery detonation. Again there would need to be some specific defect for that to happen it would not be from a load thats "to powerful" yet with in SAAMI specs for 30-06 and 308. Damage to the op rod is another factor all together
 
EMTDAD said:
just about ready to load the powder and seat the bullets in my first rounds of 30-06 for my Garand.

Problem is I'm a bit nervous. Hearing so many stories of blown up guns and problems has me a bit leery. Esp with a 75 yr old gun. I've read and read, and asked a boatload of questions here and elsewhere.

I keep asking myself, did you trim the cases right? Are they sized properly? Is the headspace ok? Did you deburr and chamfer enough? Am I set up to seat the bullet deep enough but not too deep?

I've played around with the seating die, and an empty case, and they're a bit shorter than the PPU rounds, due to the bullet I'm using I think (Hornady #3031).

Also played with the powder measure and I can't seem to get a consistent measure? Is this common? If I'm not yet loading for accuracy, what's the tolerance I should be targeting 46 +/-0.X grains? Same tolerance question with the case length, and finished cartridge overall length?

Is it me? Am I just overly paranoid? Is this really easier than I'm making it out to be?
Click to expand...
its good to be over cautious , to a point. If you get to paranoid I feel you can make mistakes as easy as the less mindful folks.

As far as producing safe loads.
One of the first thing a old timer taught me is only have one powder on the bench at a time and dont store your powder on the bench.

your load is fine its a low chamber pressure load at 46 grains but its at a pretty good gas port pressure, not to much but plenty.
Now im only shooting M1 garands at 100 and 200 yards so top velocity has never been my goal and I also like any reduction in recoil I can get and still have ammo and rifle capable of 10 ring of a SR target.
I loaded 1000 of those 3031s through my garand and 03A3 they shot just as well as any other 150 grain bullet I tried.
I have since moved on to nosler 155s or 168s or any "match" bullet I find on sale.

most of my M1 loads are closer to starting loads. My pet load for the longest time was 44 grains of Varget.

The powder measure can take a little time to get used to. I mount my measure in such a way theres some wiggle to it. its not a solid mount. I try to use the same throw of the lever each time. I am firm with the throw lever as each move up and down reach a solid stop. my powder measure , hornady drops varget and H4895 to a .2 grain +/- which for drop charges being shot out of a M1 you will not see any difference down range.

I actually have a bunch of odds and ends of 30-06 all safe for M1 garand from 130g to 175g with several powders and powder charges ranging from min to max. I was going to do a little test show how little of a difference it makes in a M1 at 200 yards... they will all hit in side the black with a center hold.
 
Best BOLT ACTION load.

Winchester large rifle primer, 54.5 grains of IMR 4064, and a Sierra 150 grain bullet
 
Last edited:
EMTDAD said:
IMR4895. 46 gr under 150 gr bullet
Click to expand...
The powders are not the same but close, thats the max load for H4895 for garand data in the Hornady 5th manual

heres a look at IMR4895 on Quick Loads
1584914495177.png

Heres H4895 all the same data just a powder change
1584914605298.png

so at 46 grains the H4895 will have a bit more chamber pressure and a bit more velocity than your load.

your 46 grains are well with in M1 garand safe.
 
JRT said:
It was in the first sentence and I missed Garand, I have no Garand experience but I trust you're correct. Thats my bolt gun go to, my bad.
Click to expand...

Mind going back and editing your post? Nice hunting load for bolt gun but risks op rod damage in a Garand. As Mac states, won't blow it up but it'll run really hard.
 
OP, read about what you are doing so you know what you are doing, be methodical, double check your measurements, don't load to max, work your loads up to the performance you want. Load in small batches.
If you think you made a mistake, double check it even if it means pulling down some rounds......hence load in small batches and label things with data.
Everyone has a little insecurity starting out.
 
Easier to start with a handgun.

This way you hold the pistol in one hand extended away from you, point at the target then look away and close your eyes, cup your balls with the other hand and squeeze the trigger. :D

They don't tell you this stuff in books it is learned from experience. ;)

Just kidding, but that's what a friend told me almost thirty years ago when we went to shoot our first reloads.

Follow the advice from Uzi2 and others above and you'll be okay. Enjoy your new hobby.
 
jaypap said:
Easier to start with a handgun.

This way you hold the pistol in one hand extended away from you, point at the target then look away and close your eyes, cup your balls with the other hand and squeeze the trigger. :D

They don't tell you this stuff in books it is learned from experience. ;)

Just kidding, but that's what a friend told me almost thirty years ago when we went to shoot our first reloads.

Follow the advice from Uzi2 and others above and you'll be okay. Enjoy your new hobby.
Click to expand...

LOL funny but it's easy to double charge a pistol load vs. almost impossible to double load a rifle load.
 

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