[U.S.SFC_RET]

I have a USGI Springfield M1 Garand that will occaisionally fire on full auto for two rounds. I noticed the rifle doing the "dirty" deed today for the first time. I have had this rifle for about six months and never noticed it before. I am shooting greek ammunition. I have noticed this peculiar action during the first two rounds fired the second time it happened. No predictibility, none whatsoever just seems to have a mind of it's own accord. Only two a round burst and it only happened twice.

[1911Tuner]

Most of the time, it's static doubletap on the trigger when ya pull it really really slow. Normal trigger pull...even a slow squeeze...generally won't do it.

I've had'em do it like that occasionally...and one that I could make do it if I took my time...but never did it unless I worked at it.

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Roger Tuner I was trained to "squeeze" the trigger and Squeeze I do. I accurized that thing and can you believe I shot 2 groups today that were well under 2 inches at 100 yards? they were just over 1 1/2 inch groups. This was with an M1 Garand! I had her apart but once she settled down she really started to shoot tight, well beyond my expectations. HXP Greek Ammo.

[Onmilo]

Hey, on the bright side, you aren't squeezing the trigger and finding the muzzle up in the air, you looking at an open bolt and an enbloc pinging over the top of your head!

I too can get my match Garand to double tap if I work at it.
Best way to avoid it is completely releasing pressure on the trigger the moment the shot breaks.
I can get a Glock pistol to double tap the same way if I work at it also.

[4v50 Gary]

The hammer has a hook both fore & aft. The aft hook is suppose to retain the hammer in the cocked position after the bolt passes over it in the process of reloading the gun. When that back hook fails to hold, either the fitting is bad or more likely the spring that acts upon it is too weak and fails to hold it in position to intercept and arrest the forward movement of the hammer.

[U.S.SFC_RET]

I have shot this beauty alot and only when I hunkered down to do some serious shooting did I notice the doubletap. Oh I am wary of it happening again alright. They caused two flyers on an otherwise two very good shooting groups.

[1911Tuner]

Gary is spot on with the possible issue with the hammer hooks. If something is wrong there, it can cause burst-fire and even a complete full-auto event with a Garand. Wicked scary when it's unexpected. If you have presence of mind to get off the trigger by the fourth shot, the rifle is usually point skyward at about 45 degrees.:eek:

Ask me how I know...

The occasional slow-sqeeze double *usually* results from moving the trigger so slowly and so deliberately that you actually freeze your finger at the instant of the shot...and the rifle's recoil dynamics does the rest. Kinda like that old "Hellfire" device that was all the rage a few years back. It stops the trigger right at the hammer's break point so that only a tiny movement will cause it to bump fire. It's an interesting phenomenon that I've seen happen with brand-new M1s and M1As. Seen a couple do it once, and never do it again. Seen a few that you can induce it if you're very careful and steady on the trigger...but I've never seen one that can be manipulated to do it on demand.

[bowline]

Would you believe a 3/4 inch group from an H&R, with surplus '60's LC ball?
When I got mine the rules were '1 per lifetime'. A chief I worked with didn't want a Garand, he wanted a carbine. I dug up an inland (IIRC) and swapped him for the IHC he received the week after my H&R came in.
The only time I've had doubles, it was the ammo.

[Bwana John]

If this happened while firing the rifle off a rest, and the trigger was pulled very slowly and softly I would say you got a
"bump-fire", its no big thing. Some people do it on purpose.

If it happened while offhand while deleberatly pulling the trigger I would check the enguagement of the hooks.

[ken grant]

I have shot M1's and M1A's for years and never had a double but I went to a rifle camp and the instructor said I was not followering through and said " I bet you have never felt the trigger reset"
I had always been fast off the trigger and he was right about never feeling the reset.
I started trying to follow through and then started having the first doubles in my life. They happened randomly and really screwed me up. I was milking the trigger. I was letting go of the trigger and my mind said " you need to hold it back" and I pulling it again. I then tried to go back to my old way of fast off the trigger. That didn't work anymore either, I was punching the trigger all the while thinking about doubling.
Determined to cure the problem, I loaded some dummy rds. and used a dummy as the 2nd. rd. up with a live rd. on top. It took awhile but I cured my doubling problem.
I have one M1A that has a lighter trigger than my others and it was the worse, but I did it with all of them.
Now I can even shoot the lighter trigger and have no doubles at all.

[HankB]

According to the War Department's FM23-5, "Basic Field Manual, U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1" (circa 1940) if the rifle fires automatically, the cause is "Sear broken or remains in open position." The cure is "Replace trigger assembly or hammer spring housing."

[10X]

The discussion about the rear hammer hooks are right on.
Often when accurizing to lighten the trigger pull the rear hooks are honed. When honed too much they don't grab the sear during firing and you get a double shot. Recoil and suprise (at least with me) makes one totally release the trigger and the sear is engaged. Even if the shooter milks the trigger during firing, the hooks should grab the sear.

Assuming the sear is not worn or broken, the solution is a new hammer.

[Silent Bob]

Also, what kind of ammunition are you using? I have heard several stories of M1s slam-firing from ammo with soft commericial primers (apparently military ammunition used harder primers). Maybe worth checking out.

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Greek HXP '70, can you say... accurate?

[rmw]

It's the secondary or primary sear , it is either worn or someone has attempted a trigger job . After you pull the trigger releasing the primary sear the gun goes bang then the bolt cocks the hammer and the hammer is caught by the secondary sear then when you release the trigger it releases the secondary sear and it is caught by the primary sear . But when you release it slow or "just right" it will miss the primary and we go bang again " you can probably get it to miss the primary dry firing it then cocking it and releasing it slow" . When I was at gunsmithing school guys would try to do this on purpose for the fun of it but it is actually dangerous because the sear is not being tripped by the closing of the bolt and it is possible for the gun to fire before it is locked up . Witch is not a good thing with a pistol caliber and is a very bad thing with a 30-06 . Make sure your primary sear engagement is neutral to slightly positive and give you secondary sear a little more engagement . If you are not comfortable doing it take it to a gunsmith but I would not shoot it like that if it was me

[4v50 Gary]

Thanks RMW for coming up with the right terminology. I was too lazy to pick up my manual. It's downstairs and that means trying to crawl back up in the night. Death Marches are not a feasible way to go right now. :p

[U.S.SFC_RET]

rmw Make sure your primary sear engagement is neutral to slightly positive and give you secondary sear a little more engagement .

I am comfortble in doing it alright. I will make triple sure that I get a bit of a more neutral to positive engagement in the primary sear.
I will also be buying Jerry Kuhnhausen's appropriate if you know what I mean.
This gun came out of the CMP and if anyone attempted a trigger job than they did it in '65, that's the date on the barrel. Either that or the CMP switched out the trigger group, either way the trigger group came out of the CMP not from private hands. Yes "Margaret" they attempted trigger jobs in the military.