Cool it’s nice to talk with people who had hands on experience. My dads friends mother worked at SA from 1947 until it closed. She was given a M1 as a parting gift from her department head. I wish I thought to get pictures from her.
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M1 Garand - School Me
- Thread starter BREWINZ
- Start date
Sweeney
NES Member
Awesome parting gift!
Correct there are some loads out there where the powder will develop to much port pressure increasing the wear and tear on the rifle.
There is a range of powder in the correct burn rate and powder volume that keeps this from becoming a issue.
Also if you reload you can load to the minimum side of data and lessen the stress even more.
For the most part there is very little in the ways of “hunting ammo “ that you s worth buying or shooting any questionable ammo when M2 spec ammo can be had for less.
Old timer I know still runs 220 grain ammo through his rifle he also remembers when garands shot in matches from 200-1000 yards .
Learn as much as you can be safe .
I will be shooting 110 grain bullets in my M1 next match if I have time. I also shoot cast bullets in my M1. Just have not found that right load for function and accuracy yet. Hope by the end of the season to do so
KBCraig
NES Member
Most shooters do far more damage to their rifles' accuracy by over-cleaning (and poor cleaning techniques), than by shooting them.
The first time I field stripped my new Garand I had difficulty getting the trigger guard back to lock back into place. Try as I might I just couldn't make it flex enough by pushing as indicated in the instructions. I found out later this is common in Garands with new stocks as the mechanism hasn't completely seated into the wood yet so it binds. Until it does seat you're actually supposed to hit it with a mallet! 
Well I come from a generation where you just didn't treat your weapon like that. If you have to force something into place that means you're doing it wrong and you should stop immediately before you screw it up, but this really how you're supposed to do it.
Get the manuals. Like any military rifle there is a wealth of documentation on it and the M1 especially.
Just beware of "M1 Thumb"! It is real and it is painful but luckily easy enough to avoid once you know how it happens.
Well I come from a generation where you just didn't treat your weapon like that. If you have to force something into place that means you're doing it wrong and you should stop immediately before you screw it up, but this really how you're supposed to do it. Get the manuals. Like any military rifle there is a wealth of documentation on it and the M1 especially.
Just beware of "M1 Thumb"! It is real and it is painful but luckily easy enough to avoid once you know how it happens.
M1 thumb is a condition of not knowing your rifle and how it functions plus sticking your fingers where they don’t belong.The first time I field stripped my new Garand I had difficulty getting the trigger guard back to lock back into place. Try as I might I just couldn't make it flex enough by pushing as indicated in the instructions. I found out later this is common in Garands with new stocks as the mechanism hasn't completely seated into the wood yet so it binds. Until it does seat you're actually supposed to hit it with a mallet!
Get the manuals. Like any military rifle there is a wealth of documentation on it and the M1 especially.
Just beware of "M1 Thumb"! It is real and it is painful but luckily easy enough to avoid once you know how it happens.
While M1 Thumb is something that just about everyone will experience once in their lives (I did during a practice match while prone trying to swap in a new enbloc too quickly. I was too embarrassed to call attention to my dilemma and ended up putting electrical tape on my thumb until the match was over!), you should try the "bear trap" on a Hakim!
Whiskeywon
NES Member
Best first lesson to anybody that knows firearms safety but does not know about M1s.
You can see that guy did not have the bolt fully locked back, fail #1 . Fail #2 why is he puttin this thumb in there anyway? Fail #3 there’s no good reason to stick your fingers in there with out a loaded clip going in first?
If you do get M1 thumb/finger more than once. Hehehehe
Whiskeywon
NES Member
You're absolutely right, but that video was just demonstrating what it looks like since you can still jam your thumb nicely with a clip loaded if you aren't minding your hand. But yeah, should never happen more than once.
Seeing as how he was filming it i'm pretty sure he was taking one for the team in the interests of education.
One other titbit to share is that most of the time you've got to provide a bit of "assist" on the op rod handlen to chamber the first round. It's a tight fit in there. I've tried numerous "tricks" so that didn't happen but none have been successful. So, if you need to tap the op rod to chamber that initial round, that's normal.
Rome
Rome
There are also a few different enblocs out there. There's the one that hold 2 rounds so that you can complete the 10 round requirement during a competiton. You would typically shoot it first then insert the 8 round enbloc to finish. There is also a 'single round' enbloc that is designed for slow-fire competition and allows you to safely insert single rounds at a time. The enbloc will NOT eject with the round fired. You have to manually remove that enbloc from the rifle at the end of fire. Practicing with both of them extensively is required or you'll lose valuable time`
The 2 and 5 round clips won’t trigger the bolt release. You should always use 2 round clip first as you need to load clip and close bolt on a empty chamber in the beginning of the rapids.
Eric H
NES Member
Match Shot is a LGS in Gardner.
