Cleaning advice for my M1 Garand?

[scythefwd]

I want to keep my garand in as good as shape as possible. I have a presentation grade stock (I need to get a brass placard to inset into the butt where the old one fell out), and there is next to no pitting or fading of the finish on the barrel/reciever. The bore is absolutely incredible, and I still need to get it guaged. I use a plastic coated bore snake with brass fittings to clean it out after shooting, as I don't like the possibility of the steel cleaning rod scratching the bore on the way down to get the brush in the breech. My question is what cleaning agents have been found to wok well without doing anything bad/odd/unwanted to my 65 year old firearm? I used breakfree/clp in the army, and I like how it performed. If I use it on a patch through the bore after brushing, will there be any problems? What other common cleaning agents are available that work well on the rifle? I do have a cleaning kit with chamber brush, 4 steel rods, patch holder, grease pot, and T handle/bolt tool/flat blade screwdriver that I only use part of. I use an otis cleaning kit for the bore. What other tools are recommended? I do want to get a plastic "toothbrush" for the bolt face. My ammo, match ammo from the factory, left a slight red residue on the face of the bolt surrounding the firing pin.

 

[nicholst55]

IMHO you're being way too anal about cleaning a battle rifle. But, it's your gun so do what makes you happy. I personally wouldn't own, much less use, a boresnake but that's just me. I use a coated, one-piece steel cleaning rod, with a muzzle guide and a cleaning rod-stop on my Garands. I have neither scratched the bore, nor jammed a bore brush into the bolt face to date.

CLP does an okay job of lubricating, but I prefer a dedicated bore cleaner for removing carbon fouling and bullet jacket fouling. CLP doesn't do either one very well. I won't recommend a specific bore solvent because there are dozens of them out there. Pick one that works for you.

I hope you're removing your barreled action from the stock and cleaning the gas piston (op rod tip) and gas cylinder. They don't necessarily need to be cleaned every time the rifle is fired, but they do need occasional attention.

Lastly, I hope you're lubricating your Garand with grease. Use CLP as a rust preventive, but the M1 was designed to be run greased. You can either use the grease in the grease pot that came with your cleaning kit, or there are numerous other greases that will work just fine.

 

[scythefwd]

nicholst55,
Yes, I am using the grease in the grease pot on every place the bolt makes contact with the reciever body. Anyplace else I should use it? I do remove the op rod and wipe it down. I use a .35 cal bore brush down the barrel a few times, then swab up everything I have loosened with a wet patch. After the wet patch stays clean, I run a couple of dry patches through to mop up any excess.

Why wouldn't you own a bore snake? I have been happy with mine so far and it won't let you reverse directions in the barrel (not that I would do it, but it helps when teaching someone how to clean a firearm).

 

[Slamfire]

The bore is absolutely incredible, and I still need to get it guaged. I use a plastic coated bore snake with brass fittings to clean it out after shooting, as I don't like the possibility of the steel cleaning rod scratching the bore on the way down to get the brush in the breech.

I have never used a snake. I don’t see why it is better than a cleaning rod with a bore guide. The only contact points are the guide and then with the brush/patch.

My question is what cleaning agents have been found to wok well without doing anything bad/odd/unwanted to my 65 year old firearm? I used breakfree/clp in the army, and I like how it performed. If I use it on a patch through the bore after brushing, will there be any problems?

CLP is too expensive for me, but it is a powder solvent. It will not remove copper fouling, but copper fouling will not cause any problems in a GI barrel. Powder fouling is your enemy, it attracts moisture and causes rust. CLP will remove the fouling. I do use a bronze bristle brush which does a good job of scrubbing the bore, and smoothing out the copper.

The back of the operating rod needs to be wiped down at least once a year. Fouling collects on the thing.

Rub in linseed oil once in a while on the stock. Assuming you have not varnished the thing.

What other tools are recommended?

I recommend a gas cylinder wrench, to hold the gas cylinder when you break the gas cylinder lock screw loose.

You do not need to remove the gas cylinder when you clean the rifle. Knocking the thing off only loosens the splines.

I do recommend using Antiseize on the gas cylinder lock screw. You can find this at an auto store.

What other common cleaning agents are available that work well on the rifle?

Any commercial bore cleaner will work just fine. As a lubricants, so will any motor oil, or wheel bearing grease. A Garand is not fussy. It will rust, for long term storage, like 6 months and longer, RIG is the best stuff.

I am way too anal about cleaning, I was using the GI bolt disassembly tool on my M1a, in the Hut at Camp Perry, and my Hut mate, a crusty guy who had been shooting M14’s since his days in Vietnam, asked me "what the XXX I was doing". In all the years he had shot on rifle teams, and in deployment, he had never disassembled a bolt. Unless you have grease in the firing pin channel, maybe it does not need to be disassembled.

My ammo, match ammo from the factory, left a slight red residue on the face of the bolt surrounding the firing pin.

Don’t worry about it. It is waterproofing lacquer. Bore cleaner should dissolve the stuff.

 

[scythefwd]

Slamfire1,
That is why I asked why not use a bore snake. He/She stated that he would never own one like there was something wrong with using one. I don't have a guide, but I do have 3 snakes (two that can take any patch holder, brush, or even a solid brass piece to tap out stuck casings (don't know how well it will work since there isn't any real force you can apply).

I am a bit more anal about my oprod, I clean it every time. I do have another question though. When reassemling after a full takedown of the action, there is a piece that is a pain to get back into its slots. It is what the lever that the clip bottom connects to goes through. It is one of the three pieces that atatch to the pin. It is a bit of a pain to get back into the grooves. Is this normal?

 

[DMK]

My question is what cleaning agents have been found to wok well without doing anything bad/odd/unwanted to my 65 year old firearm? I used breakfree/clp in the army, and I like how it performed.

I prefer Hoppe's #9 as a bore cleaner. It's much better at removing powder and copper fouling. Hoppe's won't hurt anything on your gun. Let it soak in the bore a little, even overnight if the gun is really fouled.

Use the remainder on your CLP as gun oil. After you run out, buy BreakFree Collector instead. It's a much better protectant than CLP.

For grease, Lubriplate is highly recomended.

Watch out for aggressive cleaners. I once used Wipeout Foam on a Czech Mauser with a beautiful stock. A tiny bit of that foaming cleaner got on the stock and ate the finish right off. Hoppe's #9 won't do that.

Now whenever I use foaming cleaners, I remove all the wood first.

 

[DMK]

I am a bit more anal about my oprod, I clean it every time. I do have another question though. When reassemling after a full takedown of the action, there is a piece that is a pain to get back into its slots. It is what the lever that the clip bottom connects to goes through. It is one of the three pieces that atatch to the pin. It is a bit of a pain to get back into the grooves. Is this normal?

I have a rough time getting my Garand back together too.

This sight should help:
http://www.civilianmarksmanship.com/detailstrip.html

However, I don't completely strip my Garand every time I shoot it. I remove the trigger assembly, separate the stock from the action, then I turn it upside down to clean the bore, then I clean the chamber, receiver and bolt with a toothbrush. I oil everything with CLP on another toothbrush, wipe off excess and grease the proper points.

I put the stock back on, insert the trigger group, but do not lock it. I only lock the trigger group when I'm ready to shoot. Storing the rifle with the trigger group locked can compress the wood over time and make the stock fit looser.

For similar reason, I do not remove the gas cylinder. A loose gas cylinder will negatively affect accuracy(after all your front sight is attached to it). The relationship between the gas cylinder and the handguard is also very important to keeping your Garand accurate. It can't be too tight or too loose. If you wear the splines out they will need to be carefully peened to allow proper tension.

Mine is a CMP Service Grade 1943 Springfield that I got rebuild by Deans Gun Restorations.Everything is tight as a drum and it shoots beautifully. I want to keep it that way.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Unless (for some reason) you're pumping corrosive ammo through your weapon, resist the temptation and overwhelming urge to clean the daylights out of it at every turn. Especially I'd let that gas sytem be as much as I could stand. Remember, Joe wasn't even authorized to take the gas system down without direct supervision of a senior NCO or Officer (at least on paper).

I know it runs counter to the way most of us were trained, but you can reach the point of diminishing returns very quickly and risk doing more harm than good.

I'd forget about that nasty segmented GI cleaning rod. It's only use (for me) is for the rare occasion when I take down the gas system. I use an aluminum one. Coated steel would be OK, too. I don't use snakes, but can't see how they'd be an issue.

As far as the parts fit, if you have a fairly low-mileage rifle--it will be tight.

 

[johnmcl]

Bore guides and my Garand have always been a challenge for me

I have a 30 cal coated cleaning rod from Dewey. I also have their M1 Garand Bore Guide. The problem is that I can't get a patch through the bore guide. The fit with the rod is too tight.

So either my patch is too big or my rod is too thick. I'm using the 30 call Mil spec patches from Brownells that are 2.25 in sq.

Can I please get some advice on what guide, rod, and patch size works for you experts?

Thanks in advance,

 

[Chipperman]

I like Bore Snakes. I typically use a standard rod and patch to get out the majority of debris, then finish up with a Bore Snake.

 

[Slamfire]

It is what the lever that the clip bottom connects to goes through. It is one of the three pieces that atatch to the pin. It is a bit of a pain to get back into the grooves. Is this normal?

There are several parts which could fit your description. There is an exploded diagram with part names at:

http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/garand/expl-vue.htm

I am going to assume that you are talking about the Bullet Guide, Follower arm and the operating rod catch.

And yes, there is a lot of jiggling and experimentation in assembly order. Only goes in one sequence, what that is, well I have to rediscover every time. I generally have to assemble these things a couple of times before I get everything lined up and the pin through.

 

[Mr White]

Can I please get some advice on what guide, rod, and patch size works for you experts?

I put the tip of my cleaning rod thru the guide, put the patch on the cleaning jag, start the patch down the bore, put the guide over the muzzle, then run the rod the rest of the way thru.

 

[scythefwd]

slamfire1,
The bullet guide is what I was talking about. The two tabs on the bottom of it when looking at the top of the rifle dont go into the two grooves where it atatches (opposite side from the pin) without a little ... persuasion.

 

[SMLE]

I use an Otis cable pull through on my M1. Hoppe's #9 for cleaning and Hoppe's gun oil and GI grease for lube. I sometimes use Sweet's 7.62 to get out copper fouling.

You can clean the gas system without removing the gas cylinder from the barrel. Removing the gas cylinder too much will wear out the splines and grooves that hold it steady and your front sight will move around.

 

[scythefwd]

I dont remove the cylinder to clean the op rod / gas piston. I remove the op rod while leaving the cylinder in place.

 

[johnmcl]

Mr. White,

Good idea. Thank you.

Brass is softer than the barrel, and the coating on the Dewey rod is good insurance against bumps and scratches on the way down. I sometimes wonder with the softness of brass and the coating on the rod just what I'm worried about.

DMK, that's one beautiful rifle.

 

[nicholst55]

scythefwd:

Sorry if I came across like I was talking down to you; I was in a hurry when I replied to your initial post and didn't explain myself very well.

Grease: Apply it to the right receiver 'hump' where the bolt cams over it; to both locking lugs, to the op rod track on the receiver, and to the bare spot on the bottom of the barrel where the op rod rubs it. I lightly grease the op rod spring guide and the spring itself. I also apply a dab where the hammer spring guide rides the hammer, and a small dab on the teeth of the elevation pinion if I have to disassemble the rear sight.

Some people discount the need for grease with the M1 and M14/M1A, but I have repeatedly seen malfunctioning rifles resume running perfectly once they were greased.

Bore snakes: I don't like bore snakes because you keep dragging the same crap, grit, etc. down the bore with them. I come from a precision rifle background, and the cleaning rod gets wiped off after each stroke down the bore to keep it free of grit.

I have also heard some first-hand reports of instances where they have become nearly irretrievably stuck in some small bore rifles (.20 and under). These were experienced shooters that had this happen; none of them still use bore snakes.

Some folks like them fine, but I'm not one of them.

As several folks have stated, resist the urge to remove the gas cylinder unless there is a specific need for it. Dismount the op rod to clean the gas piston, and brush the gas cylinder out at that time (once you remove the plug and lock). The wrench mentioned earlier is a very useful item to have, as it serves to prevent you from damaging the gas cylinder splines and their mating slots on the barrel. An alternative is to gently clamp the gas cylinder in a padded vise, provided that you can rest the weight of the rifle on a workbench.

I don't recommend disassembling the bolt unless something inside is broken or not functioning. I do recommend having an extra (USGI, preferably) extractor, spring and detent, and ejector assembly in your spares kit.

One last thing - how old is your operating rod spring? If you can't answer that, I recommend replacing it with a new one from Orion 7. Resist the urge to buy an extra power spring made by anyone else. Buy an original power spring from Orion 7; simply put, they are the best available! The owner had a batch made up to original USGI specs, only made from stainless steel. They're cheap - under $10, and your Garand will thank you!

 

[scythefwd]

nicholst55,
My boresnake gets a new patch every time it goes down the barrel, so I don't keep dragging the stuff through the barrel. Your other point is something I will keep an eye out for.