Yes, great shooters now go buy 10k plus rounds and break it in!UPDATE: I followed your advice. I had someone here contact me with a CMP Special Grade Springfield M1 he was selling. I bought it.
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M1 Garand - School Me
- Thread starter BREWINZ
- Start date
dhuze
NES Member
If you are putting in a full clip it is 100% impossible to get M1thumb even you you aren’t doing it right.
99% of all GT I have personally seen, loading clips was not the problem....curious fingers
Whiskeywon
NES Member
But, but! I must touch! That pretty much sums it up though, never had it happen to me. Only person I ever saw do it was a buddy who only loaded 4 in because that was what was left in the box and got a bit too handsy with it and it bit him right up.
Just so you know, I just checked eBay and found a ton of parts for the Garand. Amazing how they have a supposed restriction on gun parts so prominently displayed.
BREWINZ
NES Member
I bought 3 extra firing pins. Any other parts I should consider having on hand? (If someone says ammo, I swear to God...)
BREWINZ
NES Member
You son of a bitch! Lol
Ammo +1. ![[devil]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/015.gif "Devil [devil]")
A nice 'mod' is to upgrade the op rod spring with one from Orion. Keep whatever CMP shipped as a spare. If you plan to shoot any matches, get a solid gas plug. Otherwise don't worry about the stock one.
Watch your sight screws to make sure they are staying tight, the gas plug, and the front sling loop screw as well.
A nice 'mod' is to upgrade the op rod spring with one from Orion. Keep whatever CMP shipped as a spare. If you plan to shoot any matches, get a solid gas plug. Otherwise don't worry about the stock one.
Watch your sight screws to make sure they are staying tight, the gas plug, and the front sling loop screw as well.
BREWINZ
NES Member
Ammo +1.
A nice 'mod' is to upgrade the op rod spring with one from Orion. Keep whatever CMP shipped as a spare. If you plan to shoot any matches, get a solid gas plug. Otherwise don't worry about the stock one.
Watch your sight screws to make sure they are staying tight, the gas plug, and the front sling loop screw as well.
Thank you. Orion was a great resource. Bought a new complete bolt and a spring kit.
Years ago when I first started shooting the M1 in the National Match Course, the DCM had spare parts at good prices. Later the CMP was selling parts from rifles that Clinton was destroying! Get an op rod spring, Broken case extractor, and firing pin. Someday when funds allow consider a spare barrel. If you ever come across a new gas cylinder, and/or operating rod, think about that as well. I keep a combination tool and GI cleaning kit in my stock. In time you might want to consider a NM rear sight aperture. It has a smaller sight hole, and the aperture itself can be rotated to move the impact 1/2 minute I think it is.
I reload my ammo, and have been using Lapua 170 grains across the course. For me they work better than the 168, don't know why but I have had good luck with them. Lapua is expensive however!!!!
One thing I found out when I first started shooting the M1, sometimes I would unknowingly grab the operating rod with my left hand, this caused the rifle to short cycle. A very nice, but loud USMC Gunny helped me correct that problem!!! Welcome to the M1 world, it is my favorite rifle to shoot!
I reload my ammo, and have been using Lapua 170 grains across the course. For me they work better than the 168, don't know why but I have had good luck with them. Lapua is expensive however!!!!
One thing I found out when I first started shooting the M1, sometimes I would unknowingly grab the operating rod with my left hand, this caused the rifle to short cycle. A very nice, but loud USMC Gunny helped me correct that problem!!! Welcome to the M1 world, it is my favorite rifle to shoot!
BREWINZ
NES Member
Thank you, sir. I've already noticed I need to be aware of my left hand. Good advice.
Additionally, look around for a timing block for the M1 Rifle. Perhaps someone will let you borrow one. Try to get a plastic one, the steel block can damage the stock if removed incorrectly. Brownells might have them in plastic. The timing block is inserted like a loaded clip. This will check the timing on the bolt release. If the timing is not correct, replacing the bullet guide should correct it.
BREWINZ
NES Member
I would love to, but it's incredibly far. On top of that, Sunday is Daddy/Daughter day.
BREWINZ
NES Member
Thank you. This is immensely helpful.
Kisspik002
NES Member
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I recently sent in my CMP paperwork. Figured Id run a few boxes every range trip so 30-06 wasn't a big deal to me. I read that CMP armorers will upgrade a M1 to 308. look on their website its on there under services I believe.
I'm not trying to be "one of those guys" here, fellas, but let's use the correct terminology when it comes to gun parts, particularly Garand parts.
The "clip" that's been mentioned is called an "enblock". It isn't a clip nor a magazine but a kind of hybrid that Garand decided to use with his design. Don't forget that it was introduced back in the mid 1930s before box magazines we're all familiar with were developed. Most repeating rifles used clips to load five or maybe ten rounds into a stripper slot on the rifle which buried the rounds in an internal magazine. Garand got away from that and designed his "enblock" which is distinctive when it pops out of the rifle after 8 shots. Just so you know, there are many manufacturers of enblocks and there are guys who collect just those. There are manufacturer marks/numbers on each enblock. Some are quite rare, too. You'll want to own at least 50 of them and have them all loaded, ready to go in a big ammo can.
Oh....and "Smallarms" is correct, btw. If you insert a full enclock properly the bolt won't close on your fingers. Virtually every single time it'll need that " bump" of the oprod to close and load that first round. I've tried at least a dozen different things to make it close on its own but wasn't successful. The brass just doesn't slide out without that bump.
Rome
The "clip" that's been mentioned is called an "enblock". It isn't a clip nor a magazine but a kind of hybrid that Garand decided to use with his design. Don't forget that it was introduced back in the mid 1930s before box magazines we're all familiar with were developed. Most repeating rifles used clips to load five or maybe ten rounds into a stripper slot on the rifle which buried the rounds in an internal magazine. Garand got away from that and designed his "enblock" which is distinctive when it pops out of the rifle after 8 shots. Just so you know, there are many manufacturers of enblocks and there are guys who collect just those. There are manufacturer marks/numbers on each enblock. Some are quite rare, too. You'll want to own at least 50 of them and have them all loaded, ready to go in a big ammo can.
Oh....and "Smallarms" is correct, btw. If you insert a full enclock properly the bolt won't close on your fingers. Virtually every single time it'll need that " bump" of the oprod to close and load that first round. I've tried at least a dozen different things to make it close on its own but wasn't successful. The brass just doesn't slide out without that bump.
Rome
I never really understood why JCG used the French term en bloc . Maybe it was the French in him. Loosely translated it means in a group or all together.
It is a clip. What we could do is not say en bloc clip vs just saying clip or enbloc.
The U.S. Army did not want a detachable magazine at the time of development of the M1. They figured troops would just loose them. The box magazine (all though not intended to be changed out like the AR and more modern arms) has been around for a long time. SMLE, K31 and I'm sure there are more.
It's all good. Get a M1 and enjoy.
As for M1 thumb it's usually caused by inserting fingers where they don't belong and or fiddling around while loading them.
As for not closing once a an bloc is inserted some garands don't some do. The one I use in matches more often than not will chamber a round as soon as you let up on the pressure of the en bloc when loading.
It is a clip. What we could do is not say en bloc clip vs just saying clip or enbloc.
The U.S. Army did not want a detachable magazine at the time of development of the M1. They figured troops would just loose them. The box magazine (all though not intended to be changed out like the AR and more modern arms) has been around for a long time. SMLE, K31 and I'm sure there are more.
It's all good. Get a M1 and enjoy.
As for M1 thumb it's usually caused by inserting fingers where they don't belong and or fiddling around while loading them.
As for not closing once a an bloc is inserted some garands don't some do. The one I use in matches more often than not will chamber a round as soon as you let up on the pressure of the en bloc when loading.
scatter
NES Member
100% of the times it has happened to me (which would be once), it was not while reloading.
n1oty
NES Member
You may want to read Hatcher's Book of the Garand regarding Garand's early prototype work. Garand actually used a detachable box magazine in his T1920 prototype rifle. It was US Army Ordnance Dept that forced him toward internal magazines and en-bloc clips for a variety of reasons. He simply complied.
The amount of changes is pretty crazy. That's why it took so long for the M1 to come to the manufacturing floor.
Some ask "why 8 rounds" well because JCG had the M1 set on the .276 the up and coming intermediate round. BUT the Army once again said...we got plenty of 06 , chamber it for that.
n1oty
NES Member
I was surprised to read how the Army was all set to adopt the Garand in .276. They were one signature away from adoption. That required signature was from the Army Chief of Staff. It just happened to be GEN Douglas MacArthur.
The clip they included in my case didn't work. Would not fit into the rifle when loaded with 8 rounds. I think it got bent when they put it into the rifle case for shipment. it was a tight fit. I bought AEC clips off eBay and they work great.
My op rod spring also came in 2 pieces, so I'd check that as well. It's cheap to replace and I bought one from Garand Gear, I think.
pics/details please
i know you're on the south shore, but i'll offer anyway. if you want some help breaking it down/cleaning it up/reassembling to shoot, i'll help you out for a few hours at my house (have an industrial parts washer and all the other things we would need here)
open offer.
