5/44 Winchester Garand; Danish Return With Matched Stock

majspud

majspud

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Picked up the Garand today from the LGS. Serial 2.43M dates it to May of '44. Did a field strip only as the spring kit has not arrived yet. I had to go with a Wolff kit as Orion 7 is on his honeymoon until the 25th. I did replace the op-rod spring from my recent CMP Garand as it was about 1/2 an inch longer than what was in it.

I swapped in the replacement WRA bolt and op-rod. The new op-rod is better as the rifle now passes the 'tilt test' where it did not with SA op-rod. Upon closer inspection, the safety, hammer, and front sight are Springfield. As I've already started replacing parts, I'll do these three as well. The trigger guard is WRA, but the stamp is 90% filed off. I've a nicer one I can use, but the finish will probably look too dark.

The stock/rifle is a Danish return from the serial number stamped in the channel and on the keel of the stock. There is also a plug in the grip where the Danes inserted a unit disc or a 10 Ore piece. The stock is marked RA-P. I gave it two coats of cut BLO as it was a little pale.

Took me a second to figure out the lock bar rear sight. Hope to get to the range tomorrow to try it out. Cycled and ejected an enbloc of dummy rounds; worked fine.

T
 
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And some more. There was a lot of dried grease inside that I had to clean up. Muzzle looks good with the bullet test; I don't have throat or muzzle gauges.

T
 
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Since the wife and I are going to be out of town tomorrow, and she's off tonight playing Zombie with her theater group, I figured I'd better get going to the range while the going was good.

56F, mostly sunny, light breeze, 3 enblocs of '78 HXP. On the first round the rifle threw the op rod out of battery. I put Humpty Dumpty back together and everything seemed fine. The rest of the shooting went fine, save one forward assist needed. Missed the target several times; rifle was way high and left. Tagged the upper left corner and began to bring them to center. Moved the rear sight the wrong way AGAIN, and hopefully I will remember now: FSRO. I think the elevation is at 2 or 3 clicks. I'll take it out again when all the new parts arrive.

T
 
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Maybe; I'm seeing a little better, but am going to have my eyes checked in a couple weeks. I'll have to re-sight anyways with the new parts. The recoil is hurting my neck; I'll stick to handguns for the week it takes the parts to get here.

As it is a Danish return, I chipped the brown plastic out of the pistol grip and put in a 10 Ore Danish coin - 1940 - the year my mother was born in Denmark, 3 weeks after the Germans moved in and took over.

T
 
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majspud said:
Maybe; I'm seeing a little better, but am going to have my eyes checked in a couple weeks. I'll have to re-sight anyways with the new parts. The recoil is hurting my neck; I'll stick to handguns for the week it takes the parts to get here.

As it is a Danish return, I chipped out the brown plastic out of the pistol grip and put in a 10 Ore Danish coin - 1940 - the year my mother was born in Denmark, 3 weeks after the Germans moved in and took over.

T
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Very cool to get the matching stock... I know a few folks with Danish return rifles through the cmp and no one has matching serial numbers.

Yes get eyes checked and heal up some its not to common to get 2 M1s that need less than 5 clicks to zero?
 
Got mine at LTC; ordered one an hour ago. The bullet hit at 2:00 just outside the 10 ring is actually three hits right on top of another; looks like a club on a playing card.

T
 
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Actually, it's Front Opposite, Rear Same, or FORS, and it's easy to remember, think Star Wars, use the Force, or in this case FORS.

If you want to move the impact down, move the front sight up or the rear sight down.

Edited to add - congrats on buying the Win. Mine is a 10/43 with a VAR barrel. Probably not near as pretty, but still a shooter.
 
Moving the rear sight left put the groups at 9:00. Moving the rear sight back to the right put them into the black.

T
 
yup, FORS is how I remember it to FORCE the bullet to hit where I want it to. Bullet test looks to be about a 4-5 ME I'd say.
 
Side by side comparison: 6/44 Springfield CMP/SG with a 5/43 SA barrel with a ME of 1 on left versus 5/44 Winchester on right with original Winchester barrel with unknown ME. Both bullets ore '69 HXP from the same lot/tin.

Looks like about 1/2 - so a 2-ish?

T
 
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majspud said:
Side by side comparison: 6/44 Springfield CMP/SG with a 5/43 SA barrel with a ME of 1 on left versus 5/44 Winchester on right with original Winchester barrel with unknown ME. Both bullets ore '69 HXP from the same lot/tin.

Looks like about 1/2 - so a 2-ish?

T
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nice its the condition of the crown that really matters.....anything that doesn't swallow a bullet is ok in my book
 
Just noticed; it turns out the elevation I ended up on was the existing setting for 100 yards on the elevation screw.

T

 
Well, the Wolff spring kit came today and is a little inferior to the Orion7 kit. You save $2, but don't get the plunger or extractor.

T
 
majspud said:
Well, the Wolff spring kit came today and is a little inferior to the Orion7 kit. You save $2, but don't get the plunger or extractor.

T
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2$ swing minus the extractor and plunger....not much of a deal.
do you see any noticeable difference between the springs themselves? Wolffe vs orion7
 
Per Wolff advertising, the op-rod spring is 10% stronger. It was sort of a coppery color instead of stainless. Can't really tell on the others, save they may be "10%" as well. The bolt was advertised on eBay as already having been rebuilt, so I OK there.

T
 
new plungers and extractors are nice if your going to be shooting a lot.
I have lost 4 extractors in 10 years...always at a match!
broken firingpins 2 rifles and I recently lost a clip ejector on my 1955 HRA snapped at the bend.
 
Put the new +10% op-rod spring while I'm waiting for the safety and hammer. The spring is so strong, when I pushed the bullet guide down with my left thumb to close the action with my right hand guarding the op-rod, the handle knocked my hand aside and I almost got left M1-thumbed. Strong spring.

T
 
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majspud said:
Put the new +10% op-rod spring while I'm waiting for the safety and hammer. The spring is so strong, when I pushed the bullet guide down with my left thumb to close the action with my right hand guarding the op-rod, the handle knocked my hand aside and I almost got left M1-thumbed. Strong spring.

T
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Try using right thumb will holding the op rod with the hand just like loading a clip.
10% more applied to M1 thumb is 100X more painful!
 
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My right thumb is not strong enough; dislocation and torn ligaments in '88. I'm also a lefty; eye and left hand dominant. I have to push the enbloc with my left thumb and guard with the right hand.

T
 
majspud said:
My right thumb is not strong enough; dislocation and torn ligaments in '88. I'm also a lefty; eye and left hand dominant. I have to push the enbloc with my left thumb and guard with the right hand.

T
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I was assuming you where trying to trip the op rod to close the bolt.
I'm a lefty also and when actually loading I don't worry about holding the op rod. If you load the rifle with out hesitation the bolt will not close until you let off the downward pressure on the loaded clip. 1 use my left hand to load.

Messing with the follower/bullet guide on a empty mag with your fingers is how you get M1 crunchO.
 
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