I recently got a garand. When I bought it I also bought a bandolier of 6 clips(still getting used to saying clip [emoji23]) of "m2 ball" that is ppu stamped and definitely doesn't look surplus. I took the gun out and shot 4 of the 6 clips, and the gun ran fine, with maybe 2 instances total where it closed on an empty chamber. I took the gun home, and following the Brownells series of videos, carefully took the rifle apart, cleaned, and lubricated it.
I then proceeded to start working up a load to copy the m72 load with 175 smk's and imr 4895. I started at 43 grains and worked up a set up to 46. None of the ammo cycled, so I figured it was just that it was the low charge weight. I brought my chronograph, but the battery connector broke, so I couldn't use it that day. The federal primers I used should be able to warn me before I get too hot a load, and as I was still low in the book, wasn't terribly concerned with bending the op rod with these. To rule out the possibility of it just being the ammo was not producing the gas the rifle needed, I decided to try a clip of the ball ammo that functioned earlier. Every shot closed on an empty chamber, but it did eject brass about 6 feet to the 4 to 5 o clock position, and the clip does eject.
I broke the rifle down again, this time watching multiple videos, and paying close attention to just about every detail, did a thorough clean and relube. Went back to the range today with my chronograph fixed and a new set of test loads at 46.5 getting of 4895, which from my reading is what most say the m72 is, and the 175 smk is close enough to the 173 grain bullet used. Shot over the Chrono they ran about 2400, which is about 200-250 fps short of what both books and what the m72 load is.
Any idea what the issue could be? I don't believe the op rod is bent, as it worked fine before my disassembly, but not after, with the same ammo. But I guess it could be that the m2 ammo I bought was not in fact m2 and it was able to bend it over the 4 clips.
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I then proceeded to start working up a load to copy the m72 load with 175 smk's and imr 4895. I started at 43 grains and worked up a set up to 46. None of the ammo cycled, so I figured it was just that it was the low charge weight. I brought my chronograph, but the battery connector broke, so I couldn't use it that day. The federal primers I used should be able to warn me before I get too hot a load, and as I was still low in the book, wasn't terribly concerned with bending the op rod with these. To rule out the possibility of it just being the ammo was not producing the gas the rifle needed, I decided to try a clip of the ball ammo that functioned earlier. Every shot closed on an empty chamber, but it did eject brass about 6 feet to the 4 to 5 o clock position, and the clip does eject.
I broke the rifle down again, this time watching multiple videos, and paying close attention to just about every detail, did a thorough clean and relube. Went back to the range today with my chronograph fixed and a new set of test loads at 46.5 getting of 4895, which from my reading is what most say the m72 is, and the 175 smk is close enough to the 173 grain bullet used. Shot over the Chrono they ran about 2400, which is about 200-250 fps short of what both books and what the m72 load is.
Any idea what the issue could be? I don't believe the op rod is bent, as it worked fine before my disassembly, but not after, with the same ammo. But I guess it could be that the m2 ammo I bought was not in fact m2 and it was able to bend it over the 4 clips.
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