That's a good question. To avoid operating rod damage, you're not supposed to use slow powders in a Garand. How do you know what the ammo companies are using?
OK then, here's the info I've come by and what I use as a guide when loading for my Garand. Load powders no slower than IMR-4064, with IMR-4895 being recommended. The military technical manual I have (TM 43-0001-27) dated June 1981 shows .30 cal. ball to be 50 grains IMR-4895 with a 147/150 grain FB-fmj-wc at an C.O.A.L. 3.34". The burn rate chart I have shows powders that are faster than IMR-4064 to be, N135, Reloader 12, IMR-4895, AA2495BR, H4895, H335 and BL-C2. I've used a military surplus bulk powder WC-846 (the one that recommends using BL-C2 load data) and have had very good results with a surplus pulled 147 grain FB-fmj-wc bullet.
My 2 cents worth,
------------------ Abe
If everyone thought like me, I'd be a damn fool to think any differently!
Thank's for the info on what powders to burn in my M1, I am new at reloading and am presently using IMR 4064(47.5 grns) on a 150gr speer fmjbt. Have yet to test.
