Garand loading tip

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tturner53 posted this 19 June 2009

Last Saturday I shot in a service rifle match with my CMP M1. I learned a trick from another shooter, maybe everybody else already knows this one, but for you guys who are new to it you have to load two rounds, not just the full 8 rd clip. In the past I was putting 2 in the clip twisted into an X, they stay but it's hard to get the knack. Now I just put an empty clip in the magazine, then put the 2 rds. in, making sure the top one is on the right( it feeds better that way). Try it with some DUMMY rounds, maybe this will help someone. Before I would struggle with the loading and it affected my shooting. This helped me improve my score. Using a 2 or 5 round clip isn't manly or correct, they only had 8's at Normandy! HTH

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Wineman posted this 19 June 2009

This is the only way to go! But just like before Normandy, they practiced, practiced and when they thought they were ready practiced some more.

Once you do this it becomes second nature and is the best way to start a string of 10 rounds.

Wineman

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tturner53 posted this 08 August 2009

Shot another CMP match today with my M1 Springfield, got second, won $10 and set a new personal record. These matches are not strict and are mainly casual shooters, but the guy who beat me was a Master something with a lot of patches on his coat. I have a question about sight picture. I've read and heard “Front sight...” but I'm seeing two front sights!! If I could figure out how to just see one I think I could pick up a lot of points. I'm near sighted with astygmatism but my glasses correct me to 20/10, which is better than normal vision. The sights on my CMP Garand are issue and I want to keep it 'as issued' so I can compete in the John C. Garand matches. Any suggestions would be appreciated, I know there's a lot of you guys in the same boat.

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GBertolet posted this 08 August 2009

I have a DCM Garand also, mine is a H&R, and just found a club that has matches within reasonable driving distance, although I have not competed yet. This club shoots everything at 100 yds on reduced targets as per their website, with 4 strings of fire for 50 rounds total. Did you use cast bullets or ball ammo? I don't have any specialized gear other than a spotting scope and a Dillon shooting mat. Did your shooters have special shooting jackets etc. I have been told to be competitive you need one. I bought some MR31 targets and they look awful small for my aging eyes.They seem identical to 25 yd slow fire pistol targets.

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tturner53 posted this 08 August 2009

GB, yes, it's the same match, 100 yds. with reduced targets. Besides the 50 rds. for score you should bring some sighter ammo, you get a sight check period before the first leg, which is 10 shots standing, single load. With what you have you're ready to have some fun. A sling is important, you can get 'em on line, the leather ones are best but the canvas will help a lot. You don't need an expensive coat to shoot, just some protection for your elbows when prone. Search this site for “cheap shooting coats". I use Greek ball ammo from the CMP. Go for it, it's a lot of fun. Just remember your first time is gonna be about learning and seeing how things are done and having fun with your Garand.

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Wineman posted this 10 August 2009

I shot the July match at the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center with a 1957 SA M1.

It was a CMP “A” course of fire: five sighting and, 10 prone slow single loaded, 15 minutes; 10 rapid from clips, in 80 seconds; 10 off-hand single loaded, 10 minutes all on a SR target at 200 yards. I shot a 205-2X but had two complete misses in off-hand and two rounds not fired in rapid (slow that day). The match winner shot a M96 Swede Mauser and his rapid was 99-6x and that with a bolt gun. He shoots and practices a lot!

It was the first match for this rifle and my 25 yard sight in prior to the match was right on! I use a nylon M14 sling (Navy issue) which is like the canvas M1 sling but very supple. I do not have a shooting coat but I bought a pair of medium knee pads (the soft kind) at Sports Authority and use them as elbow pads. My ground cloth is a scrap of indoor/outdoor carpet and I have a foam exercise mat to boot. I wear a heavy cotton sweatshirt. I use a spare ski glove on my stock/sling hand and a leather fingerless glove on my trigger hand. A seat/stool would be nice to use during off-hand where there is enough time to sit between shots, scope the target and not hold up a 9+ pound rifle. I also make sure to take everything out of my pockets so I am am not moving around when my keys etc. are digging into my leg.

When you work the target pits you really get an appreciation of the size of the SR target and how small it appears when you put the sights on it. I am 51 and for this match I tried a pair 1.75 diopter reading glasses and it worked out pretty good. Crisp front sight and slightly fuzzy target picture.

Lots of fun but more dry firing and running the course of fire with dummy rounds plus some more upper body strength might improve my scores.

Wineman

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tturner53 posted this 10 August 2009

Wineman, my plan has been to prep at these small matches at Yolo Sportsman's Association where there's only a 100 yd. range and head over to Sac Valley when I get a little better. We use the SR1 for offhand and rapid sitting, and the MR31 for prone. It's the same size bull but smaller scoring rings. Based on what I've been reading here I need to get a pair of those glasses,(see the “aging eyes") post. Can I get those at RiteAid or something like that? A note to the rest of you guys, thanks for putting up with this non cast bullet stuff. I would love to shoot cast in these matches, just not ready yet. Don't know what they call it, but our matches are 10 slow fire standing single load, 10 rapid sitting and 10 rapid prone, and 20 slow prone single load. I got a 393 3X this time.

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Wineman posted this 10 August 2009

The glasses are Dr Dean Edel (sp?) and I got them at either Longs (now CVS) or OSH. They are polycarbonate but are on the small side to be “safety glasses". Shooting HXP I was not too worried but reloads could be another matter. You might be able to find a larger lens. I have a pair of bifocal real safety glasses but the bifocal part is too low, good for reading and general range use but not for sight work. I just had my eyes checked and may get my first pair of real glasses with a blended lens. If not I may have them make up a pair with a distance left lens and 36” focal point right lens, maybe with a 2.25 diopter bifocal to read the sight clicks?

I am sure there are cast loads that work, just find one that cycles the action (42 H4895 and 170 grain???? YMMV) of the M1. As I said bolt guns are legal and Ed's 16 A2400 and a 170 grain would work fine at 200 with good sight dope. The Lee 312-170 drops about 33” at 200 yards or 16.5 MOA. The 500 yard mark on my M1917 is about 16 MOA and gets them on the paper at 200 yards although somewhat slowly at 1600 fps. This could be fun as there is hardly any recoil and staying on during the rapid section might be easier. I am sure Ed Harris has shot more lead than I could move in a pick up and if there is a load that would work he knows it.

Do you ever shoot the Mil Silhouette at the SRVSS, every third Saturday? I may go this weekend but my partner cancelled out. See: http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/milsil/index.asp. Fun but not for cast although the BP shooters do it at 500 meters. I have picked up 500 grain pure lead slugs while resetting targets so their force comes more from mass than accelleration (F=M*A).

Wineman

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tturner53 posted this 10 August 2009

Thanks for the info. To be sure I'm getting this right, we're talking about those generic magnifying type glasses people use for reading? My wife has a pair that's marked 1.75. Tried a look through with my M1, can't say if it'd help or not, just have to try 'em and see I guess. That milsurp match sounds fun, I will definitely try that as soon as possible. Is that an all year schedule? I'll look at their website and see what I can learn. The cast in my Garand is coming, just too many irons in the fire right now. I do have several 8x57 Mausers and about a gillion rds. of Turkish crap. It's dirty as it gets, but goes bang and is surprisingly accurate.(SRVSS is Sac Valley, right?)

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CB posted this 02 February 2010

Hi l! I've just visited this forum. Happy to get acquainted with you. Thanks.


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72coupe posted this 02 February 2010

tturner, your vision problem is likely caused by your head position rather than the type of glasses you are using. I am near sighted and 62 years old so I have some experience with the problems you have.

Try placing your cheek flat on the stock and looking straight into the sights. As opposed to turning your face and looking across your nose. This will do 2 things for you. It will give you a sharp black front sight and a better chance to see a slightly fuzzy target.

Bring the rifle to your face and not your face to the rifle. Try to keep your head erect as much as possible.

72coupe: Just a short course Master.

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tturner53 posted this 02 February 2010

I'm having the same trouble at the bench with any irons. I'll try your idea, it makes sense. It sounds like the idea is to bring the butt up higher on my shoulder, I'll use more sandbags. I think practice dry firing the Garand will help, in position, to get my head up. Long ago I was informally coached by a National Champion HP shooter, Bob Gamboa. We practiced at the same range. Before I knew who he was, I challenged him to a little bet. He shot offhand, me prone, it wasn't even close. I bought. I let those skills I learned slip away. Use it or lose it.

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giorgio de galleani posted this 02 February 2010

I am young as most of you,and am near sighted and anastigmatic,

with pistol and open rear sights and peeps I found great improvement with the small iris with a suction cup,if memory serves me I got it from Lyman.at an affordable price.

I can se the front sight well and the target is ,of course a little fuzzy. 

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wiakid posted this 31 March 2010

I'm 70 years old and have shot the Garand since 1960. I recently had cataract surgery (lens implant) and it improved my distance vision but didn't help the short arm syndrome. For pistol shooting I use the “dime store” reading glasses to bring the front sight into reasonable focus (a pistol shooter only needs to see as far as the front sight). For the M-I I had my optometrist make me glasses with a plano right lens with a shooting window in the northwest corner which brings the front sight into perfect focus at 31 inches. (I had to bring my Garand into the clinic so he could get the optical center perfect). The bullseye is a little fuzzy but then it's not going anywhere anyway and a small aperture (or the merit disc Goirgio mentioned) helps somewhat.

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Ed Harris posted this 26 April 2010

I selected my right lens implant for intermediate focus which makes the front sight on the M1 rifle clear without any correction. It also works well for most handgun use. If this info is of any use my lens is an AcrySof Natural by Alcon Laboratories, Model SN60AT power 21.5D, length theta-T = 13.0mm and optic theta-B = 6.0mm

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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CB posted this 26 April 2010

I am starting on the down hill slide with my vision, so it maybe a while before I need the surgery, but I can't see the sights and the target you will see me at the eye surgeon that day.

Ed thanks for that prescription lense implant information

Jerry

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tturner53 posted this 26 April 2010

Well this has come full circle. Now I'll be shooting in that match with Wineman in a few days. I've made a effort to keep my head up stright as coupe suggested and it has helped. I do it whether I'm shooting off the bench or otherwise. And I keep repeating to myself, “frontsight, frontsight". I heard that somewhere, it's true, for me anyway. Next I'm getting an iris disc.

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CB posted this 14 May 2010

Right now CMP has a deal going on 30-06, check their website for the deats, but these days good surplus ammo is hard to find.

Jerry

 

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Four Fingers of Death posted this 18 March 2012

My friend had a Garand many years ago (when we were allowed to own them). He used to shoot with a crowd that insisted that he load 5 rounds and do a reload of five rounds with every detail.

I soldered a square nut on the inside of his en-bloc clips so that they held 5 rounds firmly. I had seen this trick in a yankee gunzine. He reckoned they worked ok although I never saw them in operation.

I used to load ammo for him. He blatted off aheap ever weekend, God bless him. Great customer bought me a few guns and moulds, lol.

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Four Fingers of Death posted this 18 March 2012

My friend had a Garand many years ago (when we were allowed to own them). He used to shoot with a crowd that insisted that he load 5 rounds and do a reload of five rounds with every detail.

I soldered a square nut on the inside of his en-bloc clips so that they held 5 rounds firmly. I had seen this trick in a yankee gunzine. He reckoned they worked ok although I never saw them in operation.

I used to load ammo for him. He blatted off aheap ever weekend, God bless him. Great customer bought me a few guns and moulds, lol.

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Wineman posted this 18 March 2012

Cleverness prevails! (quote from a trig teacher I had in college)

Wineman

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