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M1 Garand HELP!

noidlight

noidlight

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I am new to the M1 and have shot my new purchase only three times so far. the first day was fantastic with no issues whatsoever, shot three different brands of ammo including milsurp. Went to the range the other day and now she won't feed every time. The bolt cycles, but closes on an empty chamber, and sometimes the enbloc clop will not eject after the last round is fired and the bolt does not lock back. Any suggestions before I ship it to a gunsmith? I hate paying people to do things I should be able to do, but I don't want to be one of the customers who come into my shop with a box full of parts and says, " I thought it would be no big deal, it was just a thermostat."[rolleyes] I also don't want to "throw parts" at it and hope for the best. Any advise would be geatly appreciated.
 
Scott Duff's book lists 10 causes of "short cycling". If the rifle is clean and lubed properly (with grease where necessary) the ones I would check first are:

1. Check gas cylinder lock screw to make sure it is tight and not stuck open/leaking.
2. Clean / remove carbon from gas cylinder.
3. Weak or broken operating rod spring. You may want to replace this spring anyway. It is probably 50 years old.

If those dont work let us know.
 
Long-range gun-smithing is difficult at best. But I would start by asking a few questions.

What kinds of ammo did you use? You mentioned milsurp but was there any commercial ammo? What weight bullet? Garands are notoriously selective on ammo, it has to be mil-spec or very close to continue to work right.

Do you know how to take this rifle apart, clean and lubricate it, then re-assemble it? If not, find someone who does.

Often with a new and unfamiliar firearm some one-on-one work with an experienced shooter/gunsmith is the best way to find out what is going on.
 
FPrice said:
Long-range gun-smithing is difficult at best. But I would start by asking a few questions.

What kinds of ammo did you use? You mentioned milsurp but was there any commercial ammo? What weight bullet? Garands are notoriously selective on ammo, it has to be mil-spec or very close to continue to work right.

Do you know how to take this rifle apart, clean and lubricate it, then re-assemble it? If not, find someone who does.

Often with a new and unfamiliar firearm some one-on-one work with an experienced shooter/gunsmith is the best way to find out what is going on.
Click to expand...

In my case I used nothing but Milsurp FN and LC.I can detail strip it no problem and grease it according to some FM and other pubs I read.

It doesn't happen all the time...or with any particular ammo.It's not even a consistent problem.it just bugs me that every once in a while I have to chamber a round from a closed bolt.
 
It's usually a gas related problem. May be something as simple as a loose gas plug on the cylinder, it happens all the time.
Or maybe it just needs a good cleaning, it's hard to say without first hand experience of the particular problem.
Make sure the plug under the barrel is good and snug and make sure you do not see any black spots where gas may be leaking out around the gas cylinder.
One thing that is also over looked is that Garands can be finicky on ammo, hard to believe I know but I have seen it countless times!
HTH
Marc
 
Long range gunsmithing is a bad idea in my book. The shipping will kill you and gunsmithing is not an exact science. You want to be able to bring it back to them if the first fix doesn't take.
 
Thanks guys,I just checked the gas plug and it was a little loose.Hopefully that was the problem.

How tight should the plug be ? Besides torque values,should I just wrench down on the thing ? I guess my question is it possible to overtighten the plug ?

Sometimes I wish I was a member of Worcester R&P,I could take the 2 min drive down RT 140 and test out the Garand..
 
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One of the best things I did to my CMP Garand was to send it to Tony Pucci at Orion 7. They are usually at the West Springfield Gun Show (coming up Dec 11/12) and have a great reputation. They will give you a good inspection and tune-up of your M-1 at a reasonable cost. They have several levels of packages depending upon your needs and your pocketbook.

http://www.m1garandrifle.com/
 
as far as the rifle is concerned, I downloaded some procedures for the take down and proper lubrication of the rifle and followed them to the letter. ( I am an auto tech so tools and taking stuff apart are nothing new to me) I origionally thought that the problem was related to carbon build up or a clogged port, but nothing. As far as the ammo is concerned, I have used federal 150gr, yougoslavian surp., winchester xp and it did not matter although it did seem to do it a little more often with the surplus ammo. I just ordered some greek from the CMP and will try that out and see what happens I guess.......if not, of to the smith, maybe he will give me a little instruction as well. I will also try the op rod spring as well, couldn't hurt.....thanks for the advise guys.
 
If you belong to a gun club, bring it there (usually best on a Sunday morning) and shag one of the old-timers who probably carried one in the Great War. The guys are usually real good about helping folks out and can probably point out the problem quickly.
 
Once the gun is clean and properly lubed, remember that there are parts of the M1 that need GREASE, make sure that your ammo is fresh US milspec or equivalent.
The gas port on the M1 is right at the muzzle and requires a specific amount of pressure to function reliably.
Foreign military or most commercial ammo is not loaded specifically to function the M1.
The M1 likes IMR4895 powder.
An M1 needs to be "shot in" about 350 rounds before it becomes reliable.
You probably won't need a gunsmith. Find and read the TMs and FMs, then go out and shoot the H**l out of it.[smile]
 
One thing I did with all my Garands and semi auto service rifles is replace the springs with new ones. often the op-rod spring is tired and others as well. (I had one that was half worn through) Getting them from a quality supplier is important. CMP may still sell them I haven't checked recently.
 
braintree R&G has a CMP match this saturday, 18th, 9am...for $15 you can shoot their garands, as well as your own, and i am sure there will be someone who will be more than happy to look at your garand....http://www.brp.org/html/cpm.html
 
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Lots of folks at BR&P on this Saturday morning with very serious M1 experience!

It's also the last CMP match of the season.

I'm the RO this Saturday, so stop me and say hi!
 
ugh! it figures, there's a turkey shoot at my club this saturday that I am dying to win so I will have to decline the offer. I would like to come down and check out the club some weekend. I also just purchased a new op rod spring and will give it a try this weekend and let you guys know what happens. thanks again for the advise.
 
ok guys, (and girls) I took your advise and bought a new operating rod spring last week. yesterday was my first time to the range with the new spring installed and it shot like a dream, over 150 rounds without a hang up. I also was shooting mil surp ammo from the CMP (Greek HXP) so I can not be shure if it was the ammo or the spring. I will go to the store today and buy some commercial ammo and see if there is a difference and let you all know. thanks again for the good advise!
 

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