Pick up the newest issue of M1 Magazine. It has lots of very good info on all things M1. As far as special factory ammo... highly recommended or you'll bend your op-rod. And don't shoot anything heavier than 180 grain bullets without installing an adjustable gas plug. Hornady makes ammo specially formulated for M1's. If you reload. Trim your brass every time and make sure your primers are set correctly. No high primers. I personally use either Wolf or CCI #34 primers in my M1 and my M1A. Some people say to use small base dies, but I use normal full length dies and have no troubles. Just make sure the headspace int the dies is set up correctly. Happy shooting!