Cast bullets in an M1 Garand

[Adam Helmer]

Since GI Ball ammo is getting harder to find for shooting my Garands, I decided to try to find a suitable cast bullet load to function my rifles. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook says my load is safe.

After a few days of testing on my backyard rifle range here on the farm, I found THE load that shoots to the sights at 100 yards with great accuracy, reliable function and impacts the SAME place as the GI Ball sight setting.

I won't dwell on which cast bullets did not work, rather I found the Lee 312-185 RN cast out of wheeelweights and a dash of tin, water quenched into a bucket of water as dropped from the mould, sized .309, gas checked and loaded to 82MM overall length was the best bullet. My charge is 36 grains of IMR4895 and a CCI LR primer.

This load reliably functions all my Garands, there is no leading and the gas port is no more fouled than with GI Ball. I deem this cast bullet load my "Ball Substitute" and the powder charge is much less than the 49 grain jacketed 150 grain bullet load.

Adam