m1 garand

[treboris]

i just bought a a 1944 m1 garand. i shot about 100 rounds through it fine but when i took it apart to clean it i noticed the op rod was really bent. i took it to the range today and the first shot made the op rod come off my bolt. any suggestions on how to fix the problem/ what caused it?

[7idl]

probably bent by someone trying too hard to get it off.

If I remember, tonight I'll look this up in my armory manual (don't be afraid to remind me, I just arrived at work and who know what, if anything, I'll remember by the time I get home tonight) ;)

[treboris]

dont think so. its pretty solid. do you know anything about finding a modified op rod for one?

[10x]

The operating rod is supposed to be bent. That is the original design.

I want to be sure I am reading your post correctly. You shot 100 rounds with no problems, cleaned the rifle and then shot the rifle again and the rod came off of the bolt?

If the above is stated correctly, it sounds like the M1 was not reassembled correctly. The rod will not pop off of the bolt unless the tab the rides inside the receiver rail is worn away or the rod was bent from spec.

In reassembly the bolt has to be to the rear when the rod is reinstalled on the receiver and the tab goes in the cut out notch at the rear of the receiver.

With just the barrel and receiver group without the recoil spring installed you should do the tilt test. You then should be able to tilt the muzzle down 40 degrees from level and the bolt and rod should close from their own weight. Likewise, tilt the muzzle up 40 degrees from level and the bolt and rod should fully open from their own weight. If something hangs up contact me again and I will try to help further.

I used to shoot the M1 in competition years ago and have experience in analyzing problems and repairing thes fine, fine rifles.

[treboris]

nothing hangs up when i do the tilt test. but i noticed my spring is bent up.

[7idl]

I knew the op-rod is bent, but he said "really bent" thinking he knows that the rod is bent to a certain degree...

[treboris]

well its not extremely bent. after seeing a diagram of how bent they should be i dont think its messed up too bad if at all. my spring looks pretty bent though. also my ammo is from serbia brand prvi partizan they are fmj 150grain. is this acceptable to shoot through my garand?

[7idl]

I'm not sure about that brand, but 150gr would be right for the weight.

I use USGI and Korean in mine. I baby mine, it was a DCM LNIB special over 20 years ago, so nothing but clean, non-corrosive ammo in mine ;)



I sent you an email with a couple sections out of my service manual, I hope they help.

[treboris]

thanks, do you know anywhere i can get cheap 30.06 or 8 mauser ammo?

[7idl]

I donno.. recent events probably has a lot of places tapped for everything.


CMP was a good spot as well as AIM surplus.

[Paradude54]

This is getting a bit off topic, but the ammo that mentioned, PRVI, is great stuff in my LRB M-14. I imagine that their .30-06 would be similiar in quality.

In regards to op rods, in the event that you or anyone else needs one Sportsmansguide has them now. In the past they've been kind of hard to find, at least I've had trouble. I'm thinking about getting one as a spare for my Garand. It seems like a good idea, though it may be overkill in regards to a spare parts kit.

[vim]

The cheapest good ammo for the Garand that I know of is through the CMP. Modern commercial stuff has a different pressure curve that is NOT good for your M1. You can buy an adjustable gas plug and tune the gas system if you really want to shoot commercial ammo. Dunno about the Prvi.

As for mounts, something that can be installed/removed without permanent change to your historic weapon will not affect the value the way holes being drilled will. The ar15.com link earlier had a reference to such a beast. Kinda depends on what you're going to do with the rifle.

[USMC88-93]

I use only USGI or equivalent surplus ammunition in your Garand. The older ammunition has a different pressure curve or so I as a novice understand it.

[Rinodods]

Did you get your garand issues taken care of? Not sure what area you are in but I'd be happy to assist if needed. Also always looking for another garand fan to shoot CMP matches with. If your spring is bent up pretty bad I'd suggest getting a new set from Orion7. Most of the springs are pretty easy to replace on the M1 and should take less than an hour to accomplish. I'll also echo some of the other members on the ammo. You can actually cause damage to the oprod or worst case the reciever on your garand by using commercial ammo. The gas system was designed to be used with only certain powders. Then new Hornady manuals have reloading data for the garand or use surplus M2 ball.

[treboris]

yeah i got the issues settled. i dont get online much ive been busy with gunsmith school.

[mac266]

CMP says that if you shoot modern .30-06 ammo in a Garand it will bend the operating rod (more than originally designed; as someone mentioned it is designed with a certain degree of bend in it). I guess modern ammo is a little hotter. They also recommend a 150 gr. bullet weight, stating that heavier bullets increase pressure and therefore increase the speed at which the op rod travels backwards, bending it.

Federal and Hornady are both making new production ammo designed specifically for use in Garands, but it tends to be rather expensive.

If you reload, some manuals have loads designed for use in Garands.

Surplus ammo is always an option, but I recommend non-corrosive primers! CMP usually has some but they're out at the moment. I think I got one of the last cans :)

[10x]

The issue is the powder and charge used and keeping bullet weights under 180 grains.

USGI ball was 150 grains, USGI AP was 165 grains, USGI match ammo was 172 or 173 grains. Using 4895 or 4064 powder at least one grain preferably two grains under max keeps you in the proper pressure range.

I used to shoot service rifle and fired a lot of USGI and my own loads. I never had a problem with the above bullet weights and powders.