Grenadier
06-10-2017, 01:42 AM
Tim Shufflin converted my M1 Garand into his mini-G configuration. The original rifle was handed down to me. It had seen a lot of use and it was not a very good shooter. So, I wasn't surprised when Tim informed me the original barrel was shot out. Since a new barrel was needed I thought it would be nice to convert to .308. The new barrel finish should match the rest of the rifle so I ordered a complete parkerizing job. And, with everything new or being made like-new, I felt compelled to order a new stock.
I shipped the original rifle and a brand new Holbrook Device to Tim. I ordered a finger groove stock from Stock Emporium and had that shipped directly to TIm. Tim added a new barrel and an adjustable gas plug. He installed the barrel, parkerized all the metal, and put everything together in the new stock. You can see the results below. I photographed it next to a Thai Border Police M1 Carbine for comparison. I was, and remain, very pleased.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4112/34886541234_38ed881e5e_b.jpg
AMMUNITION
Tim informed me that the rifle was adjusted to shoot M80 147gr ball ammunition. I had no interest in shooting that. Anyway, I didn't have any on hand. However, I did have a few boxes of M118 and M118 LR, 173gr military Match ammo. So, with great hopes I took that out to give the rifle a go.
The results were dismal. It quickly became apparent that the ammunition, both versions, wasn't getting enough velocity in the 16" barrel of the mini-G to rotate quickly enough to stabilize. I was seeing big groups and lots of key holing. To make matters worse, no matter how I adjusted the gas plug I couldn't get the rifle to function reliably. I think the cartridges and loads were too high and beyond the capabilities of the system to properly conform to. M118 /M118 LR earned a big NO-GO in my rifle.
I decided to purchase some Fiocchi ammunition topped with 165gr Sierra Gameking bullets. The bullets are shorter than the 173gr M118 bullets. That, I guessed, coupled with the additional velocity gained by shooting the lighter bullet might generate enough spin to stabilize the bullets. The 165gr load is also closer to the M80 load and I expected it to improve feeding and functioning.
I tried the ammo at the range and things couldn't have worked out better. It took some rounds to dial in the gas plug but it now performs reliably. One bug added benefit to this Fiocchi load is the excellent for hunting use Gameking bullet.
Here is Sierra's description of the bullets:
For rifles in 30 caliber, this 165 grain #2140 Hollow Point Boat Tail bullet, which is patterned after the world-famous 168 grain MatchKing bullet, was designed for shooters who desire a hunting version of that famous MatchKing. It is slightly "harder" than its 165 grain Spitzer Boat Tail counterpart and will give superior penetration and good expansion on medium game with excellent accuracy.
I'm getting a mean muzzle velocity of 2597 fps from my mini-G. That works out to:
Optimum sight-in range = 194 Yds.
Maximum ordinate above LOS is 2" at that range of 117 Yds.
Maximum point blank range (+/- 2" from LOS) = 224 Yds.
However, it works out that a 50 yard zero will also result in a 150 yard zero. The first distance is where the bullet crosses the line of sight on the way up and the second distance is where the bullet crosses the line of sight on the way down. I can zero for 150 yards on my 50 yard range. That was just too convenient to ignore. It also has a very flat trajectory. The bullet never rises more than .8" above the line of sight and is only 1.1" low at 175 yards, 2" low at 190 yards, and 2.7" low at 200 yards - great for hunting.
Once I settled on the Fiocchi 165gr Sierra ammunition I decided to focus on zeroing and accuracy.
SIGHTS
I am more than a little accustomed to military iron sights. I had no trouble getting a zero with the issue sights but groups were not as tight as I expected. I was averaging about 3-1/2" at 50 yards. That would be twice that at 100 yards and four times that at 200 yards. That's not good enough even for deer hunting. There were two issues holding me back from getting tighter groups. First, I developed a vitreous separation in my right eye last year. It has left me with a large, permanently attached floater that makes it difficult to focus on the front sight. There is no way I can compensate for this with iron sights. Second, the back of the Garand receiver beats me in the upper lip. I've always experienced that with Garands. Every time I fired a Garand in a match my upper lip would be swollen and bloody by the 20th round or so. I could add a pad to the buttstock to get more length of pull but I don't like doing that on military rifles. So, for me, the issue sights were not the best option.
I decided to add a Burris Fastfire III. I received one as a rebate promotion after I purchased a Burris AR sight. All I needed was a mount. I located a company that makes those and soon had everything together without difficulty.
Here is a picture of the setup:
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4067/34886588044_667ded962a_c.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4283/35340745420_acc4feaa0e_c.jpg
I shipped the original rifle and a brand new Holbrook Device to Tim. I ordered a finger groove stock from Stock Emporium and had that shipped directly to TIm. Tim added a new barrel and an adjustable gas plug. He installed the barrel, parkerized all the metal, and put everything together in the new stock. You can see the results below. I photographed it next to a Thai Border Police M1 Carbine for comparison. I was, and remain, very pleased.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4112/34886541234_38ed881e5e_b.jpg
AMMUNITION
Tim informed me that the rifle was adjusted to shoot M80 147gr ball ammunition. I had no interest in shooting that. Anyway, I didn't have any on hand. However, I did have a few boxes of M118 and M118 LR, 173gr military Match ammo. So, with great hopes I took that out to give the rifle a go.
The results were dismal. It quickly became apparent that the ammunition, both versions, wasn't getting enough velocity in the 16" barrel of the mini-G to rotate quickly enough to stabilize. I was seeing big groups and lots of key holing. To make matters worse, no matter how I adjusted the gas plug I couldn't get the rifle to function reliably. I think the cartridges and loads were too high and beyond the capabilities of the system to properly conform to. M118 /M118 LR earned a big NO-GO in my rifle.
I decided to purchase some Fiocchi ammunition topped with 165gr Sierra Gameking bullets. The bullets are shorter than the 173gr M118 bullets. That, I guessed, coupled with the additional velocity gained by shooting the lighter bullet might generate enough spin to stabilize the bullets. The 165gr load is also closer to the M80 load and I expected it to improve feeding and functioning.
I tried the ammo at the range and things couldn't have worked out better. It took some rounds to dial in the gas plug but it now performs reliably. One bug added benefit to this Fiocchi load is the excellent for hunting use Gameking bullet.
Here is Sierra's description of the bullets:
For rifles in 30 caliber, this 165 grain #2140 Hollow Point Boat Tail bullet, which is patterned after the world-famous 168 grain MatchKing bullet, was designed for shooters who desire a hunting version of that famous MatchKing. It is slightly "harder" than its 165 grain Spitzer Boat Tail counterpart and will give superior penetration and good expansion on medium game with excellent accuracy.
I'm getting a mean muzzle velocity of 2597 fps from my mini-G. That works out to:
Optimum sight-in range = 194 Yds.
Maximum ordinate above LOS is 2" at that range of 117 Yds.
Maximum point blank range (+/- 2" from LOS) = 224 Yds.
However, it works out that a 50 yard zero will also result in a 150 yard zero. The first distance is where the bullet crosses the line of sight on the way up and the second distance is where the bullet crosses the line of sight on the way down. I can zero for 150 yards on my 50 yard range. That was just too convenient to ignore. It also has a very flat trajectory. The bullet never rises more than .8" above the line of sight and is only 1.1" low at 175 yards, 2" low at 190 yards, and 2.7" low at 200 yards - great for hunting.
Once I settled on the Fiocchi 165gr Sierra ammunition I decided to focus on zeroing and accuracy.
SIGHTS
I am more than a little accustomed to military iron sights. I had no trouble getting a zero with the issue sights but groups were not as tight as I expected. I was averaging about 3-1/2" at 50 yards. That would be twice that at 100 yards and four times that at 200 yards. That's not good enough even for deer hunting. There were two issues holding me back from getting tighter groups. First, I developed a vitreous separation in my right eye last year. It has left me with a large, permanently attached floater that makes it difficult to focus on the front sight. There is no way I can compensate for this with iron sights. Second, the back of the Garand receiver beats me in the upper lip. I've always experienced that with Garands. Every time I fired a Garand in a match my upper lip would be swollen and bloody by the 20th round or so. I could add a pad to the buttstock to get more length of pull but I don't like doing that on military rifles. So, for me, the issue sights were not the best option.
I decided to add a Burris Fastfire III. I received one as a rebate promotion after I purchased a Burris AR sight. All I needed was a mount. I located a company that makes those and soon had everything together without difficulty.
Here is a picture of the setup:
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4067/34886588044_667ded962a_c.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4283/35340745420_acc4feaa0e_c.jpg