Garrand and 30 cal machine gun ammo questions.

[firemanphob]

I don't own either one but hope to get a Garrand at some point. I was at an auction a couple of months ago and they had some 30-06 belts in a ammo can. A man said that it couldn't be taken apart and used in any other 30-06 or it would damage the other rifles. Is the ammo for the 30-06 and 30 cal machine gun not the same ammo? I always assumed that the riflemen and gunners would use ammo from each other when needed. I have also read that modern ammo can't be used in Garrands without damaging the gas piston. Could someone that has dealt with the Garrand and 30 cal machine gun shed some light on this. I really enjoy learning about some of the old standby military guns and ammo.
Mike

[TheLastMountainMan]

30.06 and 30 cal are not the same ammo. The Garrand comes in a couple different rounds, one in 30.06, and one not as common 308. The M1 Carbine comes in 30 cal. Hope this helps.

[ryantx23]

If I'm not mistaken, the .30 cal machine gun from WWII era did in fact shoot .30-06 just like the Garrand and the 1903 Springfield. In any case, the ammo could be de-linked and used just like any other surplus ammo. TLMM was referring the .30 Carbine which is different all together. .30 Carbine was never linked for belt fed machine guns, but was commonly found in ammo cans and possibly on stripper clips for M1 and M2 carbines.

[TheLastMountainMan]

Sorry, I diddn't read it right. Heres what I found.

http://www.rt66.com/~korteng/SmallArms/30cal.htm

M1919A4 .30 Caliber Air Cooled Machine Gun

The air-cooled 'A4 was much lighter and more portable than its M1917A1 water-cooled counterpart.


Operation Fully automatic, recoil operated, air-cooled
Caliber .30 (7.62 mm)
Ammunition Ball M1; 174 gr bullet, 50 gr charge (.30-06)
Muzzle velocity 853.4 mps (2800 fps)
Capacity 250-round belt
Weight 18.5 kg (41 lbs) with tripod
Overall length 104.1 cm (41 in)
Rate of fire 400 to 550 rounds per minute
Effective range 1000m (1100 yds)

[cwconnertx]

My 1919 and garand use the same ammo.

M1 ball is good for garands, its the commercial loads that are hotter and can bend your op-rod.