RE: looking at a bore
There is alot of Korean and Danish M2 ball ammo out there at fairly reasonable prices- just search the internet for companies that sell surplus firearms and accessories on the net.
As far as loads for hunting, Iwould ask around on different boards that relate to military rifles on which manufacturers make ammo that is safe in the garand. I think PMC makes the Korean ammo, but not sure if they make a similar hunting load.