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Perfect timing - just fired 100 rounds through my Garand this weekend.
From my data-book, at 200 yards and 6:00 hold, looks like I click to about +6 (to +7) with the 168 gr handloads. And I'm running about the same when shooting 155 gr match handloads. And looks like the same when I'm running HXP M2 Ball. So to answer your question, most typical handloads will likely have similar POI as M2 Ball at 200 yards (ish).
My 168 gr loads this weekend were Nosler HPBT with 47.2 gr of IMR 4895.
Keep in mind a Garand is really about a 2-3 MOA gun (and sometimes much worse). A highly accurized Garand can reliably shoot in the 1 MOA range (maybe)... for a while. Point being if the POI moves less than 2 MOA, that may not even be noticed much. Also, Garand POI can change as the gun heats up. My first shot out of a Garand typically has a little lower POI than the rest of my shots. (not always). According to my data-book, I've fired about 3,500 rounds through this rifle.
One thing to keep in mind is the M1 Garand was developed for M1 Ball (174 gr boattail), NOT the 148gr M2 Ball. It was a spec that it had to shoot M2 Ball as reliably as M1 Ball; but it was actually developed around M1 Ball (since the surplus of M1 Ball was the whole reason for changing the Garand design to 30-06 spec to begin with). So that's what the sights are actually calibrated for - not M2 Ball like everyone thinks. So you don't have to stay with 150 gr, if you want to go any heavier. I run 165 gr Hornady Interbonds as my general purpose bullet now, and the gun loves it. I'm using IMR 4064 as my powder, but only because I have a lot. If I were starting from scratch, I'd probably roll with IMR 4166; as that's basically 4064 with the Enduron technology, which has copper fouling controls and better temperature stability. It's also cut a little bit finer for a little better flow characteristics in a hopper. At present, I'm just burning up my 4064 in my Garand, to use it there. Also, my Garand loves Varget and ARComp; and does fine with 4895. 4895 is one of the bench-mark go-to powders for the Garand, but it's a bit dirty I think. 45.9 gr of AR-Comp gives me 2730 FPS with a 168 in my Garand, which runs just fine.
From my data-book, at 200 yards and 6:00 hold, looks like I click to about +6 (to +7) with the 168 gr handloads. And I'm running about the same when shooting 155 gr match handloads. And looks like the same when I'm running HXP M2 Ball. So to answer your question, most typical handloads will likely have similar POI as M2 Ball at 200 yards (ish).
My 168 gr loads this weekend were Nosler HPBT with 47.2 gr of IMR 4895.
Keep in mind a Garand is really about a 2-3 MOA gun (and sometimes much worse). A highly accurized Garand can reliably shoot in the 1 MOA range (maybe)... for a while. Point being if the POI moves less than 2 MOA, that may not even be noticed much. Also, Garand POI can change as the gun heats up. My first shot out of a Garand typically has a little lower POI than the rest of my shots. (not always). According to my data-book, I've fired about 3,500 rounds through this rifle.
One thing to keep in mind is the M1 Garand was developed for M1 Ball (174 gr boattail), NOT the 148gr M2 Ball. It was a spec that it had to shoot M2 Ball as reliably as M1 Ball; but it was actually developed around M1 Ball (since the surplus of M1 Ball was the whole reason for changing the Garand design to 30-06 spec to begin with). So that's what the sights are actually calibrated for - not M2 Ball like everyone thinks. So you don't have to stay with 150 gr, if you want to go any heavier. I run 165 gr Hornady Interbonds as my general purpose bullet now, and the gun loves it. I'm using IMR 4064 as my powder, but only because I have a lot. If I were starting from scratch, I'd probably roll with IMR 4166; as that's basically 4064 with the Enduron technology, which has copper fouling controls and better temperature stability. It's also cut a little bit finer for a little better flow characteristics in a hopper. At present, I'm just burning up my 4064 in my Garand, to use it there. Also, my Garand loves Varget and ARComp; and does fine with 4895. 4895 is one of the bench-mark go-to powders for the Garand, but it's a bit dirty I think. 45.9 gr of AR-Comp gives me 2730 FPS with a 168 in my Garand, which runs just fine.
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