I wanted to start reloading for my M1 Garand and maybe a bolt gun later this year. I'd be loading standard-pressure rounds in the 150-180gr neighborhood... nothing fancy or near maximum pressure envelopes. For general purpose (paper-punching and maybe a little hunting) would the Winchester Large Rifle Primer be a good satrting point?

I am an experienced handgun reloader and know that different guns like different combinations of powder and primers. However, with primers drying up I wanted to get a few sleeves just to have. WLP/WSP primers have always served me well in all my handguns so I was taking a look at WLR for my 30-06 needs.

When, if ever, would WLR be a poor choice for the 30-06? Again, I am a fairly competent pistol reloader but rifles are out of my area of experience. I spent three months loading for my .444 and that is my sum total of rifle loading experience.

Thanks

Yup, should be fine, that is all I ever use in rifles, from the .22-250 through the .458 Win Mag. No complaints!

Great! I found 10K for $260. That should hold me for quite some time.

I know just enough about reloading the Garand to be dangerous. Friends who have extensive experience with the Garand tell me only certain powders at certain pressure levels work well. While the Garand is tough, I'm told it's pretty easy to break if you use standard bolt action reloading info. Some military rifles call for arsenal primers. That is, less sensitive primers to prevent a slam fire if the primer is a little high. Someone on this forum probably has a good working knowledge of the Garand. You might also want to consider a book that deals with the specific reloading of the Garand. Oh yeah.... not sure but you might need small base dies too. For your sake, I suggest you hunt around and get specific training on reloading the Garand. They are great guns and tons of fun to shoot. I think you'll just have to "retro load" it back to 1940.

Good luck. It will be fun.

Good advice, thanks. There is a "Garand clinic" and several matches throughout the year at my sporting club. It all starts in a few weeks. I'm sure someone there will have the info I need.

Thanks again

...
When, if ever, would WLR be a poor choice for the 30-06? ...
Thanks
Only one case: when loading dummy rounds. :D

I've got a good reloading sheet on the M1 Garand, somebody on here gave me, so I will pass it on, PM your email address or send me an email through here and I'll attach the PDF for you. Its got a lot of good data on reloading for the M1 plus several loads.

The only thing not recommended for regular primers is to not use ball powders with them.

The WLR primer, however, is specifically designed for ball powders. Makes sense, as that is all Winchester makes or uses! The WLR is also a fairly hard or tough primer, so it should do well against the slim chance of a slam fire. Just be sure to seat them below flush.

The Garand is a gas action and is thus sensitive to gas port pressure. A slow powder like 4350, although excellent in a bolt gun, can bend the action rod in a Garand because its residual pressure at the port will be high. Stick to powders like 4895 (made for the Garand) or 4064 and you'll be fine. Alternatives include Varget and RL-15.

I'm sure that PDF will help you a bunch.

Good to know Rocky, if you're not too busy you should do a quick write up on the various primers.

I use IMR4064 in my Garands.

Rocky's right on with the primers. For a fact, I've used the relatively sensitive Federal 210's and 210Ms in my Garands and M1A for decades with no problems. The important thing is to seat the primer deeply enough. The back of it ideally needs to be four or five thousandths below flush with the face of the case head, but any amount below grade is the main objective.

The Forster Co-ax Press (but not their Co-ax bench priming tool, for some reason) has a special primer seater that forces that below-grade primer condition. I know of no other, off hand. However, you can just take any small metal ruler or straight edge and make it a habit to lay it across the casehead of every primed case and check that a crack of light is visible between it and the primer. Just takes a second.

As to load information, like Matt, I've got a fair amount of it stockpiled from back before the American Rifleman got too scared of liability to publish accurizing and reloading info. Hornady's reloading manual has a separate section of .30-06 loads just for the Garand, but they are a bit milder than is actually required, IMHO, unless you got a really beat up gun.

A couple of fallback recipes:

The last time the now-defunded DCM order M72 match ammo from Lake City it used the standard 172 grain bullet (in name only, the actual spec is 174.5 grains +0, -3 grains, though the ones I pulled weighed 174 grains pretty uniformly). It was loaded with 46.5 grains of IMR 4895 over the military primer (which is a magnum primer). You can mimic that load easily with that same charge of powder under the Sierra 175 grain MatchKing bullet (which also weighed 174 grains in the last lot I bought). Just use Lake City or other miltary brass and a C.O.L. of about 3.330"-3.340".

If you go to IMR 4064, you will find it fills the case a little better which can help at 600 yards. 47.5 grains gives you the same muzzle velocity and gas port pressure to safely drive the operating rod, slightly higher peak chamber pressure (but still nowhere near the gun's limit, which is quite high at the chamber end) and slightly shorter barrel time. Because of that last point, some guns may find the 4895 load closer to a vibrational sweet spot, and some may find the 4064 load closer. You get to find that out for yourself.

Another powder used is IMR 3031. It will drive the bullet faster and with less port pressure than either of the other two, but it does raise chamber pressure a tad.

If you want to fill the case well and run velocity and barrel time to match the M72 load pretty well but be easy on the gun, Vihtavuori N135 probably comes close to ideal. At 46.8 grains it's low bulk density fills the case 92%, raises chamber pressure just a little, drops port pressure by about 13% (still plenty, but won't throw cases as far) and only gives up 20 fps to do all that. I would rank it as easiest on the op-rod and on the gun overall.

If the clinics you are referring to are CMP clinics, I can tell you up front that reloading is not included in our training materials. Too many beginning shooters involved. Even the Garand repair clinic at Camp Perry last year found the Anniston technical people reluctant to discuss reloading when a couple of the participants brought it up. Those of us who've done it for decades think the caution is unnecessary, but in a world where people use lawyers to blame others for their own mistakes, I can't say for sure they are wrong to worry. It may also be more a matter of wanting to avoid any bad publicity that might come from a reported injury.

Nick, I'm copying that into my Garand notes, but I 100% agree to hold you incidentally harmless of any mistake that I make. :)