Choices on what to do M1 Garand

[Mars5l]

I took my my overpriced 1943 Garand back to the range today and used modern PPU to see in it would even cycle. Well that was a negative. Case heads are bulged a little, was smart to bring a long cleaning rod this time. Ripped the rims off. So I guess my choices are A:Make it a wall hanger B: Rebarrel it, C: Sell it. Any other choices I'm missing out on? 3/4 shot out barrels are on ebay for under $100 but I'd have to get someone else to change it, and the barrel on it is original to the rifle. I saw a fresh Criterion for $200, and NOS 1950s barrels for over $300. For what I paid then a rebarrel I could have had a expert grade from CMP. I do have another choice and trade a friend for his 1944 Mosin. Attached is photos of the cases

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

Wall hanger it.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Have you diagnosed whats causing this?
Rough chamber, under/over gassing, bent op-rod, worn gas cylinder/piston.....
Does it do this with other brands of ammo, or just PPU. As you probably know, Garands are not really supposed to fire commercial hunting ammo without modifications to the gas system.

Once you determine it is definitely a chamber issue, I would send it to the CMP for a .308 Criterion rebarrel.

No way I would trade a Garand, even with a bad barrel, for any Mosin- unless there was a $2000 bill laying on top anyway.....

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Wall hanger it.

Thats an extremely expensive wall hanger. Even a parts-grade Garand, if complete, is worth well over a grand these days.
At that point, better to sell it, buy a nice sword to hang on the wall, and pocket the change.
Come to think of it, there are very accurate Airsoft and other replica Garands out there for a couple hundred bucks that would hang as well.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

Rough chamber, under/over gassing, bent op-rod, worn gas cylinder/piston.....

With Brass THAT bad, I highly doubt any other issues would fix much if they were solved first.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

At that point, better to sell it, buy a nice sword to hang on the wall, and pocket the change.

But its better than trading for a Mosin.

 

[Howland937]

Yeah, I'd get someone well versed in Garands to diagnose it. If the barrel is the issue, rebarrel to .308 like @NIGHTLORD40K said and keep the OG barrel with it. Wouldn't trade it for 4 Mosins.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Im almost wondering if there is epoxy left in that barrel from a lost chamber insert, such as what happened with the Navy .308 conversions.

 

[Mars5l]

Have you diagnosed whats causing this?
Rough chamber, under/over gassing, bent op-rod, worn gas cylinder/piston.....
Does it do this with other brands of ammo, or just PPU. As you probably know, Garands are not really supposed to fire commercial hunting ammo without modifications to the gas system.

Once you determine it is definitely a chamber issue, I would send it to the CMP for a .308 Criterion rebarrel.

No way I would trade a Garand, even with a bad barrel, for any Mosin- unless there was a $2000 bill laying on top anyway.....

This was M1 Garand spec PPU, also did it with MKE Turkish surplus first. I was hoping it was the surplus ammo as a lot ppl stated it was sketchy ammo. Given how pitted up the case is I'd have to say chamber, plus the barrel is shot out. It takes a hole bullet down the muzzle.

I can tell the rifle had a hard life going from WW2 to the Korean War by its condition, so it has some stories

 

[Mars5l]

More photos of the rifle

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

This gun came from the CMP? They are supposed to inspect and test fire guns before releasing them, hard to imagine they missed THAT.

Yikes.

 

[hawg]

I'd rebarrel it. You could put the barrel in a vise and bend it and the gas cylinder and break the stock in half and I wouldn't trade it for a Mosin.

 

[Mars5l]

This gun came from the CMP? They are supposed to inspect and test fire guns before releasing them, hard to imagine they missed THAT.

Yikes.

It came in the case from my regular LGS that deals in used guns a lot. Part of me is suspecting it was stuck in the case and passed off as CMP. But I do think I saw CMP does sell something under rack grade.

 

[BobABQ]

I am thinking that if yo like the rifle find a Garand expert and have them look at it. If you are only so-so with it then send it down the road.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

How does the chamber look? It would have to be visually bad to cause this.

If it looks good, then Im suspecting gas port erosion leading to over gassing and violent, premature extraction. Of course, that would mean a new barrel anyway- and likely an op-rod and cylinder.

 

[243winxb]

It came in the case from my regular LGS that deals in used guns a lot

Depending on the terms of sale, ask for refund or repair. If " Sold as is" or "all sales final" would have stopped me from buying it.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

is the CMP still selling rack grades ?

 

[garandsrus]

I don’t think the CMP sells anything less than Rack a grade. I have never seen a Garand do that to the brass. A new barrel sounds like the way to go.

 

[hawg]

You can try polishing the chamber.

 

[Slamfire]

Your muzzle erosion is beyond reasonable. That barrel is toast.

If you rebarrel, do it with the Criterion. The Criterion is superior in every way to some NOS military barrel. An LMR or VAR barrel in new, unfired condition were good barrels, but LMR barrels are collectable, as they can be used to restore an IHC rifle. I would not pay the extra to have a military barrel installed. It would be a waste of money having a worn military barrel installed. I looked to see what else is available, inexpensive commercial barrels were all out of stock. I am of the opinion that the $164 new commercial barrels that SARCO had would be superior to a GI barrel. Unfortunately, they are out of stock.


Those Oriental characters on the buttstock were a big "Oh No!" When BLUE SKY imported tens of thousands of M1 Garands from S. Korea, I went to the local gun store to look at what they had on the shelves. t had been decades since Garands had been imported and I went through the rack of them trying to find a good barrel. I did not find a "good barrel", I picked the one with the best barrel. A rock must have been in the tube when it was fired, a long scratch was inside. Muzzle was worn, everything on the rifle was worn. All of these S. Korean rifles were highly worn, and I eventually had that receiver rebarreled with a match barrel, the stock was very worn. Only glass bedding could restore receiver to stock fit. As wood and metal parts came on the market, pitted metal and upper handguards were replaced.

 

[lysanderxiii]

Your muzzle erosion is beyond reasonable. That barrel is toast.

Look at the cases. That chamber is rough.

The muzzle is wallowed out. It's time for a new barrel.

If it is a Blue Sky from the 1990s, it will be marked on the barrel between the gas cylinder bands.

 

[243winxb]

Looks like the chamber has rust or crud rising above the metal. If this rust can be polished off, and stop indenting into the brass, function should improve.

A cuntersunk muzzle crown may help accuracy if rifle was cleaned a lot from the muzzle end.

How was accuracy when fired? Any thing resemble a group? Or shotgun pattern?

 

[S.Crockett]

If the barrel’s original to the receiver, leave it alone. Some folks actually shoot coated hard cast boolits through their Garands even if the barrel’s otherwise iffy for jacket bullets.

 

[trackskippy]

Yeah, I'd get someone well versed in Garands to diagnose it. If the barrel is the issue, rebarrel to .308 like @NIGHTLORD40K said and keep the OG barrel with it. Wouldn't trade it for 4 Mosins.

This is your answer. Get someone who is an actual Garand mechanic to go over and diagnose things, and take care of it, and in the long run, youll save money and be much happier.

 

[AlexanderA]

You have a badly corroded chamber, for sure. And the rest of the rifle doesn't look that great, either. If it was mine, I wouldn't want to even have it on display. (Even my rewelded WW2 Garand looks better than that.)

Sell it for whatever price you can get, and chalk it up to experience.