Hello,

I have an old 30-06 and would like to know which ammo I should look at. Reloading soft loads is not something I can do now. Is the Garand ammo soft or hot? or are there other options I should look at?

Thanks

Dan

I wouldn't worry about it. Your Model 70 can handle any normal commercial .30-06 loads. Buy several different types and try them out to find which one your rifle likes best, accuracy-wise.

Early .30-06 semiautos like the Garand were built around a specific pressure curve, and risk potential damage if firing large amounts of modern hot commercial loads that overstress the semiauto operating system, hence the "Garand safe ammo".

Some early M1903 rifles had receivers were not properly heat treated and risk damage when firing.

And some older pre-1900 rifle designs that were built around black powder pressures cannot safely handle modern commercial smokeless powder loads due to the higher pressure.

But none of those are a concern with your 1939 .30-06 Model 70.

Agreed. Early model 70's are rock solid and can shoot any factory load you throw at it.