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| Article by Jamie Mangrum |
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Adobe PDF
Downloadable Version of Article |
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Article Note |
| This article is not meant
to be a granular, step-by-step set of
instructions on how to assemble an M1 Garand
from a parts kit. It is intended to display a
high level overview that shows the complexity,
the required skills, and specialty tools required to complete the
job correctly. |
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I have been on a kick (or a binge) lately building my
own mil-surp rifles. For several semi-auto rifles you
can find receivers and parts kits that are very
reasonable in price. The FAL is a great example but the legal
technicalities are so difficult to wade through that I
decided not to worry about the liability of building one.
My fear is that I would build an FAL for an article, make a
mistake and break some federal law, publish my mistake (felony) for all
to see, and then become great friends with the ATF. The
consequences would
probably limit my future of writing about
firearms other than articles starting out with:
"Poor me, I sure wish I had not committed a felony and I
could still own a firearm to write about".
So as a result, I decided to focus on building a rifle that so far has not been
recognized as an imported, evil assault rifle. For a lot of us the
M1 Garand is one of the most desirable of mil-surp rifles. We
all grew up watching actors carry them in movies. Heck,
even my GI Joe had two or three. I still have my GI Joe's
little plastic M1 Garands on display in my office at
work. Thank goodness no one has yet to feel threatened
by them. Garand receivers run about $300+ and a parts
kit and barrel goes for around $350. I have wanted a
7.62 NATO Garand for some time now. I especially wanted
one after an article I wrote earlier:
M1 Garand: 30-06 vs. 7.62 NATO. But, I wanted
one that did not have a barrel insert, but actually had
an honest to goodness 7.62x51 NATO chambered barrel. I have a
few
standard issue Garands, I just wanted something a little
unique.
I purchased a reparkerized 1950s Springfield Armory
receiver from my friend Don at
River City Gun Exchange
for $315. This project started back in November of 2004
when I went to the Big Reno Show. At that time I was
making plans for articles in 2005 and decided I wanted
to build a 7.62 NATO Garand. My other friend Randall who
does all of the work in the following article said -"Pick out a
good receiver and I will help you put it together."
So I dug through a big box of receivers until I found
one that was just right. Then I acted like an ass! I
took almost six months to pay for the receiver. Finally some
time last month I went and decided to actually pay for
the receiver that Don had been so graciously holding on
to all of this time. I have to admit that I leave things
at his store way too long. I am sure he would agree. Then finally guilt and good
judgment will catch up with me and I go and pick what
ever "it" is up and
Don will say with a smile - "about damn time you picked it up!"
Note to self and others - don't ever take advantage of
friends and especially friends that are FFL 01s! |
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Next, I had to find all of the
other parts for my project. I thought about purchasing one part
at a time and when I saw how much that endeavor would
cost, that romantic notion flew right out the door. I did a search on the internet
for M1 Garand kits and ended up at
Sarco Inc's
website. I chose what they call Kit "B", which
consists of all parts (including stock parts) minus
the receiver and barrel and the great thing is
that everything has already been reparkerized. I
then added a new .308
barrel. They offer four different parts kits: |
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| KIT "A" M1 PARTS SET (M1RK-A)
- All parts serviceable, with gas cylinder and
operating rod and checked for serviceability.
Remember these kits are individually gauged and
checked, unlike others who sell them - as they
run - out of the box. We replace any worn or
broken parts as necessary. Barrel not included.
$210.00 |
| KIT "B" M1 PARTS SET
REFINISHED (M1RK-B) - Similar to our "A" grade
sets, but all parts have been refinished what
matte military -type finish, with no polishing
or grinding done to destroy the original
appearance. Barrel not included. $234.50 |
| KIT "C" 7.62 Nato M1 parts
Set Refinished (M1RK-C) - Same quality parts as
in our ?B: kit, except the barrel is a almost
new take off, never fired. U.S. /G.I.
Springfield Armory 1960's date marked barrel in
7.62mm NATO! Barrels were .30-06 G.I. barrels
converted to 7.62mm NATO by Beretta for use in
Italian issue M1 rifles. Conversion done by
shortening barrel by 1/2 inch and rechambering.
The operating rod has also been shortened to
work with these barrels. You will have to
shorten the rear handguard by 1/2 inch to fit
the shorter barrel. This set comes with a new
G.I. proper stock. $334.50 |
| Kit D - Complete M1D parts
less the receiver and scope. Includes proper
barrel and scope mount, etc. Barrel & M1D Parts
are current production as we sell else where in
the ad. Parts will refinished as in Kit B above.
As noted above all parts except scope & receiver
- including mount & base. We also include a T-37
flash hider & leather cheek pad $595.00 |
| NOTE ON BARRELS FOR OUR A&B
KITS: Add one of our new production Citadel
barrels for only $120.00 |
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| I received the parts kit from Sarco and
everything was in good order.
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Since we needed to headspace
the rifle Randall started out by disassembling
the bolt so only the bolt body would be used
minus the extractor and firing pin. Let me say
that every time I go to Randall's house I am
either on the verge of dying with some sort of
strange illness or like this time I had
inadvertently eaten brown catsup. Brown (catsup
gone bad) catsup
is not really something you should ingest and
when I realized my mistake I rapidly spit it out
and spent the rest of the day fretting that at
any moment I might die of ptomaine poisoning. I
did not. Well, not yet. |
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Tool Name |
Price |
| M1/M14 Bolt
Disassembly Tool Part # 080-818-000 |
$59.90 |
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Next Randall hand threaded the
barrel onto the receiver. He found, as he
expected, that he could
not turn the barrel easily to its final position. As a
result he placed the barrel on the lathe and
took a miniscule amount of material off of the
face of the barrel where it would mate with the
receiver. This is much easier than trying to
wrench the barrel onto the receiver and will not
damage the barrel or receiver if done correctly. |
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He then wrapped tape around the
receiver to protect the finish from the Garand
receiver wrench. This is a lot easier than
marring your finish and having to reparkerize
afterwards. When installing a barrel on a
receiver it is common practice to use what are
referred to as barrel blocks that lock onto the
barrel. Then the barrel blocks are placed in a
very large stationary vice as shown in figure
5. Note that Randal also placed tape around
the barrel where the barrel blocks would clamp
down. |
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Tool Name |
Price |
| Block, Garand
Barrel |
$45.00 |
| Wrench, Garand
Receiver |
$125.00 |
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As you probably guessed, the
tape prevents the finish from being marred and
gives the blocks something to grip onto. Then
using a very long and heavy duty driver you
rotate the receiver, threading it onto the
barrel. |
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It is very important to turn only a
small amount at a time and then check the
alignment. This way you have less chance of over
turning the barrel. The blocks pictured in
figure 7 are called barrel/receiver
timing gauges, sold by Brownell's. They work on M1 Garands
and M14/M1A's. They clamp on to the rear
of receiver and gas cylinder or flash hider. |
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Installing and Alignment of an M1 Garand
Barrel |
Without using undue force,
screw barrel on receiver by hand until it fits
tightly. The receiver should be approximately 15
degrees out of its correct position on barrel to
insure a tight fit when final draw is made in
the carrel and receiver assembly fixture. Clamp
the group in the barrel and receiver assembly
with three clamps, tightening the lower clamp
first to level receiver. Slide key, located on
the indicating arm of the fixture, into the
upper gas cylinder spline cut as far as it will
go. Pull on the lever, thereby turning the
barrel the required distance to bring the
indicator to agreement with the qualifying line
on the fixture.
Note. Pointer must travel the distance from
within lower space cut to qualifying line cut to
insure a tight fit,
Then loosen the locking clamps and remove the
assembly from the fixture, using a bar placed
through the trigger housing opening in the
receiver to start the assembly from the fixture. |
| Source: WAR DEPARTMENT
TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 9-1275 |
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The main
purpose is to properly "clock" the barrel so
the sights & gas system are aligned properly.
This is how we were able to tell if the barrel
was properly aligned with the receiver. Note how
in figure 7 the front is not aligned with the rear. Randall
then had to place the receiver and barrel back
in the vise and turn it a small amount at a time
until the two planes were completely aligned. |
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Tool Name |
Price |
| M1/M1A
RECEIVER/BARREL TIMING GAUGES Part #
093-200-010
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$76.85 |
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Prior to attempting to
headspace the rifle we cleaned out the chamber and
barrel completely of all fouling, dirt, and
grease. This way we would be able to take
accurate
headspace measurements. When the bolt was first
installed it would not close all of the way. You
can see the gap with the small flat blade screw
driver inserted in figure 8. |
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Figure 9 shows the
chamber reamer ready to be pulled forward by a
long rod. Randall turned a small amount at a time
and then would clean before measuring headspace.
Once he was able to get the bolt to close and
lock properly he stopped reaming and did a full
head space test with all three gauges. |
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Tool Name |
Price |
| .308 P/T
Reamer Part # 184-300-309 |
$150.00 |
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Headspace Reaming an M1 Garand
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(1) Wipe the chamber
thoroughly with a cotton flannel patch before
and after each reaming, and prior to each
headspace check during reaming. Screw the short
adapter deeply into the reamer and tighten lock
nut. Dip the reamer in lard oil and insert it
into the reamer guide. Make certain bolt lug
recesses in receiver and bolt lugs on reamer
guide are free from dirt and foreign matter.
Place the guide and reamer in the receiver and
tighten thumb screw to hold guide in position.
(2) Attach the universal-jointed extension to
the reamer and rotate it with a chuck.
Note. If the reamer has been correctly assembled
to the adapter it will not cut, but will be held
away from the chamber by interference between a
should in the guide and the adapter.
Unscrew the adapter from the reamer a little at
a time until the reamer begins to cut. Adjusting
the headspace reamer is accomplished by
loosening the locking nuts, and backing off or
advancing the adjusting screw a little at a
time, using the field test bolt and headspace
Gauge name in the serviceability chart to check
for proper adjustment.
When the adapter is correctly adjusted in the
reamer, check the tightness of the locking nut.
The reamer, once it is adjusted, and if
carefully used, will continue to ream to the
same dimension until the reamer becomes dull and
must be replaced or sharpened.
Note: Any reaming beyond the minimum limit of
1.940 inches reams away a part of the headspace
life of the assembly; therefore, make certain
all reaming is held to as near the minimum as
possible.
Never turn the reamer backward, as such action
will chip the lands. Use liberal quantities of
lard oil when reaming and wash all chips from
the reamer with lard oil each time it is removed
from the work. Sharpening stones are furnished
for the purpose of keeping the reamers honed
properly. Proof fire every rebarreled rifle. |
| Source: WAR DEPARTMENT
TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 9-1275 |
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Figure 10 shows the
initial installation of the bolt after final
reaming. Note that the bolt is closed and
locked. |
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The 7.62 head space gauges are :
- GO 1.630"
- NO GO 1.634"
- FIELD 1.638"
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Tool Name |
Price |
| Headspace
Gauge Set, GO, NO-GO & FIELD .308 Win Cal. |
$59.95 |
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Headspacing an M1 Garand
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| The headspace of a rifle is measured as the
distance between the shoulder of the chamber and
the face of the bolt when the bolt is in a
locked position. The minimum headspace
measurement is 1.940 inches. Headspace is
important because it affects accuracy and
safety. If the weapon has excessive headspace
when the round is fired, the thin portion of the
case expands and grips the wall of the chamber,
while the base of the case moves rearward to
fill the room allowed by excessive headspace and
pulls the case in two. This is called a ruptured
cartridge case and allows gas to enter the
receiver, often severely damaging the weapon. To
obtain the headspace measurement, the headspace
Gauge is placed on the face of the bolt and so
positioned that the ejector enters the clearance
cut on the base of the headspace Gauge. If the
bolt will close fully on a 1.940-inch Gauge and
will not close on the maximum Gauge as specified
by the serviceability chart, the headspace is
satisfactory. |
| Source: WAR DEPARTMENT
TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 9-1275 |
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A "Go" gauge is the gauge that
is used to measure minimum headspace. When you
place the "Go" gauge in the rifle and close the
bolt, the bolt should close and lock easily and
completely.
Figure 12 shows the bolt in place with
the op rod removed for the photo with the "Go"
gauge installed. Note that the bolt is closed
and locked. |
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A "No-Go" gauge is the gauge
that is used to measure the maximum allowed
headspace. When you place the "No-Go" gauge in
the rifle and close the bolt, the bolt should
not close and lock. If the rifle does close on
the "No-Go" gauge you may have a problem that
needs to be tended to by a gunsmith and may be
an unsafe weapon to fire.
Figure 13 shows the bolt in place with
the op rod removed for the photo with the
"No-Go" gauge installed. Note that the bolt is not
closed and locked and you can fit the flat blade
screw driver into the gap. |
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A "Field" gauge is used to
measure the largest possible safe headspace
dimensions. When you place the "Field" gauge in
the rifle and close the bolt, the bolt
absolutely should not close and lock. If the
rifle does close on the "Field" gauge you have a
problem that needs to be tended to by a gunsmith
and an unsafe weapon to fire. Figure 14
shows the bolt in place with the op rod removed
for the photo with the "Field" gauge installed.
Note the bolt is not closed and locked and you
can see the gap easily because it is
quite substantial. |
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Figure 15 shows Randall
measuring throat erosion with a breech bore/throat erosion
gauge. The gauge's measurements are broken into
ten graduations, A serviceable barrel should not produce a
reading over 5. Oddly enough my brand new
barrel measured out at just below a 2. Randall
said that this is quite common with modern
commercial production barrels and it would not
impact function or accuracy. |
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Tool Name |
Price |
| Throat Erosion
Gauge |
$79.95 |
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Inspecting the Breech Bore
and Throat Erosion of an M1 Garand
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| Gauge, breech bore. The breech
bore Gauge is used to determine wear of the bore
at the origin of the rifling. This Gauge has ten
graduations, each of which corresponds to 0.001
inch of wear. The tenth graduation or point
marked "REJECT" is equivalent to a bore diameter
of 0.310 inch, since the zero graduation is
0.300 inch. The barrel
is inspected visually to determine the condition
of the bore and the deterioration that has taken
place. A Gauge inspection is then made to
determine the amount of wear that has taken
place at the origin of the rifling with the
breech bore Gauge. The wear in the chamber or in
the related parts affecting headspace is checked
with a headspace Gauge specified in
serviceability chart. |
| Source: WAR DEPARTMENT
TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 9-1275 |
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Figure 16 shows Randall
using a tool called a muzzle
erosion gauge. It works like the throat erosion
gauge but for the other end of the barrel. |
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Tool Name |
Price |
| Muzzle Wear
Gauge |
$34.95 |
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Figure 17 shows Randall
testing the end of the op rod piston with the
gas piston gauge. This gauge checks the diameter as
well as the shape of the gas piston. If your gas
piston is too small or malformed you will not
have a properly functioning gas system. The gauge is
slid over the piston and then rotated
slowly while inspecting. |
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Inspecting the M1 Garand
Gas Piston |
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Gauge, no-go
piston. This Gauge is used to check the diameter
of gas piston. |
| Source: WAR DEPARTMENT
TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 9-1275 |
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Figure 18 shows Randall
using the gas cylinder diameter gauge to test
the gas cylinder. Luckily mine checked out fine. |
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Tool Name |
Price |
| M1 GARAND GAS
CYLINDER GAUGE Part #
093-000-010 |
$119.95 |
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Inspecting the M1 Garand
Gas Cylinder Diameter |
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Gauge, gas
cylinder diameter. This Gauge is of the plug
type. It is relieved on two sides in order to
check for out-of-roundness as well as for
oversize diameter. The Gauge checks only the
origin of the cylindrical portions of the gas
cylinder, as this portion has been found to be
the one that determines whether or not the
cylinder allows the weapon to function properly. |
| Source: WAR DEPARTMENT
TECHNICAL MANUAL TM 9-1275 |
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Randall said, "The standard M1
Garand gas port is 5/64.
We
drilled our 7.62 NATO barrel to 3/32. I have seen the 1/2 short
Beretta barrels along with early BM 59s at
7/64. You can go this large but it is
recommended to
test the rifle first with several types of ammo and
with a solid gas plug (early style) before
drilling out to 7/64. The standard M14 gas hole is 5/64
but they use a completely different and better
gas system therefore not as much gas volume is
needed with a full length barrel."
Note the brass rod inserted into the barrel in
figure 19 to prevent the drill bit from
over traveling and damaging the bore. |
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Last, before assembling the
rifle Randall used a bolt timing block to check
the M1 Garand for correct function. The gauge
determines if bolt is closing too early or too
late. If the bolt is closing early, it jams on
the clip, if too late and it may not close at
all. It is clearly marked with release and not
release points. |
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Randall pressed down on the
tool/gauge and allowed the bolt to move forward.
The key to measurement is how far down was the
gauge depressed before the bolt was released.
Mine measured within proper functioning
specifications. |
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Tool Name |
Price |
M-1 GARAND
BOLT TIMING BLOCK
Part # 093-222-040 |
$98.95 |
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Going to the range ended up
being a multi-trip endeavor. Not that going to
the range multiple times is a bad thing...but it
can be somewhat disconcerting if you are doing
it because something did not work correctly. The first
trip I was a little nervous about loading in the
first loaded clip into the magazine and chambering a
cartridge. This was not like when you shoot a
new rifle for the first time. It was heightened
because if everything wasn't assembled correctly then
the outcome or consequences could be
catastrophic. |
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| I loaded the clip and pushed the op rod handle
forward, stripping a cartridge from the enbloc clip and
loading it into the chamber. Then I released the
safety and slowly took up the slack on the trigger. "Pow!"
The first shot rang out! I could see out of my left
eye's peripheral vision a spent case fly away. All
right!, no one was dead, no missing appendages, and everything seemed to function
just fine.
I decided to try another shot. I pulled back on the
trigger and a loud "thunk!" emanated from the receiver. I either had a
hang fire or an empty chamber. I
waited five minutes with the rifle pointing safely down
range before I finally gained the courage and pulled the op rod handle back to
inspect the chamber....nothing. There was not a loaded
cartridge in the chamber. I let the op rod move the bolt forward,
stripping another cartridge off of the enbloc clip. I
then took
up the slack on the first stage of the trigger and then
pulled it fully back....."Pow!"...the same thing
happened again - the empty case ejected and the bolt did
not strip off a cartridge and load it
into the chamber. I did this repeatedly with the same
results.
Description: You fire a round and the empty
cartridge does not eject or it does eject but the bolt
does not travel far
enough back to strip off a new cartridge to be loaded
into the chamber. This is called:
"Short-Stroking". This is what happens when the
M1 Garand's
gas system or a mechanical part that is driven by the
gas system is not functioning properly. |
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Possible Causes of
a "Short-Stroking" M1 Garand |
- reloads
- improper headspace
- rough chamber
- bad gas cylinder
- bad op rod/gas piston
- Gas port undersized
- leaking gas cylinder lock screw (gas
plug)
- improperly located gas cylinder
- severe op rod binding
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Source:
Fulton Armory |
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| I really thought that there was not much I could do at the range to repair the
problem so I went into the clubhouse and disassembled the rifle to see if
I could
see any evidence of binding or something else obvious
that I might be able to remedy while still there. I
made certain everything that should have grease did and
then reassembled her. I took her back to the line with the hope
that I had made some miraculous repair/progress and everything
would work as expected. Everything was exactly as it had
been before. I put her back in the case a little
sad and started the long drive home.
Randall
told me this problem might occur the first
time out. That if it did happen then I may need to
replace the gas lock screw/valve with a solid screw that
would prevent any gas from leaking out the valve. Around
1940 the solid gas lock screw was modified/replaced by a
screw/valve assembly as the Garand was transitioned from
being a gas trap to a gas port type of operation. On
most Garands it is not just a screw but is actually a valve for venting off
gas when the rifle is used to fire off grenades. You can
tell what type you have by looking at the front of the
screw. If the screw head has a single slot then it is a
solid screw. If the screw head is cross slotted (similar
to a Philips head screw in appearance) then it is a
valve type screw. If you
hold the screw and depress with a screw driver while
watching the other side you will see a small valve lift
up that somewhat resembles a valve in a car's engine.
Over the years these valves can become worn and can
easily leak gas. This is not really a problem for the
most part in a .30-06 chambered rifle because you pretty
much have enough gas to spare when fired to drive the
gas assembly. In a 7.62 NATO chambered rifle
you really cannot afford to have any gas escape out through
the valve.
Randall also said that I should make
certain that the gas port in the barrel was positioned directly
under the vent hole in the gas cylinder. I also spoke to
another longtime veteran of Garands who said that an easy way
to see if you are losing gas through the valve is to
place a piece of tape over the gas cylinder lock screw
and if gas was being vented off then the tape would
either tear or be blown off. When I got home I examined
the rifle closely and I discovered that the gas cylinder was
only exposing about half of the gas port in the barrel. After further examination I found this
was caused by the length of the front hand guard I had
installed. It was actually about 1/16 to 1/8th of an
inch too long. Once I filed away some of the lip (wood) on the
rear of the hand guard I was able to fit the gas
cylinder's vent hole directly over the port in the
barrel. I was certain this was the culprit and prepared
to return to the range the following Saturday morning.
Something I should have mentioned before.....during
my first visit to the range and
because I was shooting a brand
new barrel I followed the
Krieger Barrel's Break-in & Cleaning instructions
for breaking in a new barrel.
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Why is the Break-in &
Cleaning process important when first shooting
through a new barrel? |
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When your barrel is chambered, by necessity
there are reamer marks left in the throat that
are across the lands, i.e. across the direction
of the bullet travel. In a new barrel they are
very distinct; much like the teeth on a very
fine file. When the bullet is forced into the
throat, copper dust is released into the gas
which at this temperature and pressure is
actually a plasma. The copper dust is vaporized
in this gas and is carried down the barrel. As
the gas expands and cools, the copper comes out
of suspension and is deposited in the bore. This
makes it appear as if the source of the fouling
is the bore when it is actually for the most
part the new throat. If this copper is allowed
to stay in the bore, and subsequent bullets and
deposits are fired over it; copper which adheres
well to itself, will build up quickly and may be
difficult to remove later. If this copper is
allowed to stay in the bore, and subsequent
bullets and deposits are fired over it; copper
which adheres well to itself, will build up
quickly and may be difficult to remove later. So
when we break in a barrel, our goal is to get
the throat polished without allowing copper to
build up in the bore. This is the reasoning for
the "fire-one-shot-and-clean" procedure. |
| Source:
Krieger Barrels, Inc. |
|
| In my range kit I took along a solid cleaning rod, a
new .308
brush & jag, .30 cal patches, and an M1 Garand bore guide
as well as an ample supply of
Ed's Red bore solvent.
Step 1) I fired a single shot
followed by a thorough cleaning. I repeated this process five
times. The instructions state that if the fouling is
still prevalent then you would want to repeat this "one shot and then clean"
process another five times or until the fouling was minimal
after shooting. After I completed my five "shoot and clean"
steps I started to see a reduction in the amount of fouling I found
in my barrel so I continued
onto the next step in the process.
Step 2) I then fired a three shot group followed by a
thorough cleaning.
Step 3) Then I fired a five shot group followed by a thorough
cleaning. I could not see a lot of fouling at this point
so I moved onto regular shooting.
This is not intended to be a comprehensive set of
instructions for breaking-in a new barrel. Your barrel
may take less or more steps until it is broken-in
properly than my barrel did. I really just wanted to point out the
importance of taking the time to properly break-in any
newly installed rifle barrel. |
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The second trip to the range I
decided to take some spare parts. Well, actually
I took another whole Garand with me for parts.
With trepidation I loaded in my first clip. I
really did not want to have to go back to the
drawing board for answers, but I was fairly
certain I had corrected the problem. I fired off
my first round and everything worked great! The
spent case ejected and another loaded into the
chamber. I fired again. This time the spent case
did not eject but a new cartridge was stripped
off of the enbloc clip and the rifle attempted
to chamber it. |
|
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It rested up against the
primer of the spent case that was lodged into
the chamber. I pried out the case and loaded up
again. The same thing happened again. Crap! I
repeated this several times more. It seemed as
though the gas system was working fine, but the
cases were just not being extracted from the
chamber. I had nothing to lose, so I grabbed my
other rifle and pulled out the bolt. Next I
removed the extractor and extractor plunger from
the bolt. After a while I had replaced these
parts on the bolt of my new Garand and had
everything reassembled. |
|
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I really hoped that my hunch
was correct. I loaded a clip, chambered a
cartridge, flipped the safety off and pulled the
trigger. I repeated this same series of steps
seven more times without any malfunction.
"Tang!" The empty enbloc clip popped out
of the receiver. I smiled and loaded up another.
Eight more shots rang out without any
interruption or error. I was a very proud man!
My new creation (and Randall's) had finally
worked the way she was designed to. Now I could focus on
accuracy. Heck, I had not even looked at the target yet.
What I found was not too bad and was a great
place to start now that I had a rifle that would
function and shoot consistently. |
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By the end of the day I had shot another dozen or so
clips through the rifle and had a big grin on my face as
I loaded up and headed home.
I have come to the conclusion that if you are planning
on building a single M1 Garand that it is not cost
effective or practical to attempt the project on your
own. It is much more economical and safe to have a
qualified and skilled individual build it for you. The
required equipment and gauges can actually cost you in
the thousands of dollars to properly set up your bench.
That is if you can find everything.
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Adobe PDF
Downloadable Version of Article |
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| Article by Jamie Mangrum |
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| Additional Article Resources: |
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http://www.billricca.com/serv03.htm |
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http://www.rule762.us/product_pages/gun_parts/m1_garand.htm |
| |
|
PALADIN PRESS "COMPLETE M1 GARAND: A
Guide for the Shooter and Collector" by Jim
Thompson |
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|
Scott A. Duff's "The M1 Garand: Owners
Guide" |
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PALADIN PRESS: CLASSIC M1 GARAND An Ongoing Legacy for
Shooters and Collectors by Jim Thompson |
