CMP Garand barrel replacement necessary?

[Jaim03]

Hi all, hope this is the right forum for this question. I purchased a field grade M1 Garand at Camp Perry a couple of weeks ago. Guys there could not have been nicer. Even brought "mine" out from in back when the guns in the rack were pretty high in muzzle wear gauging. It had a 1 muzzle wear. (In fact another collector checked it later and said it was really a .5! AND he thought it looked like a new barrel...)
After field stripping it to de-csomoline-i-fy, I had trouble re-seating the trigger assembly. Went to my local gunsmith. Whacked it into place with a nylon hammer. When I said "CMP" he got out the head space gauges. "GO" guage" was fine. The bolt closed on the "NOGO" gauge. He started talking like it was time to replace barrel. (CMP's being warn and all). I agreed.

My question, is a barrel replacement the answer? (I had NOT fired it yet). Aren't there 2 "NOGO" gauges? (As in "optimal" and "completely/dangerously" out of spec?) Is there anyway to "adjust" the bolt to make up the difference in spacing?

Thanks. Sorry for the longwinded post. This is my first Garand and means a lot to me!

 

[asknight]

The field grade is the same as service grade except that the muzzle erosion may exceed 3 on the muzzle guage. If it's closing on a NOGO guage, then a call to the ODCMP is in order for a replacement as they've sold you a rack grade or parts-only rifle that is unsafe to fire.

They checked the muzzle erosion before selling it to you, but not the headspace? That's not in line with my experience of the CMP, and I would have to ask them a few questions.

 

[Dave P]

How did your gunsmith use the ng gage -- Did he whack that with a hammer too?

AFAIK, you need to remove extractor etc before using the gage, and use light hand pressure only. Is that what he did? Otherwise most rifles will fail.

Dave

 

[Jaim03]

Dave P,

As I recall, he carefully inserted the NOGO gauge, as though it were a cartridge, and gently let the "bolt" move forward and close on the "NOGO"...

 

[Jim Watson]

Dave is right, your dealer is wrong.
Headspace gauges are not to be loaded in the gun like a cartridge, they are inserted in front of a stripped bolt and are not considered to pass unless the bolt will close with fingertip pressure.
Hatcher's Notebook describes a headspace panic over 1917s that would take a no-go if rammed in like a cartridge but were actually at minimum to midrange correct headspace if checked properly.

 

[30Cal]

Take it to someone (not the local smith) who knows about M1's. If the headspace is not right, it can usually be fixed by swapping bolts.

 

[riverdog]

Yep. headspace is done with stripped bolt and no op-rod or spring. Gently insert the gauge and try to close the bolt with finger pressure only. It's how the gauges were designed to be used.

 

[ocabj]

As I recall, he carefully inserted the NOGO gauge, as though it were a cartridge, and gently let the "bolt" move forward and close on the "NOGO"...

As everyone said, this is the wrong way to check headspace on the Garand. If anything, he could have damaged the chamber doing it this way (headspace gauge steel is very strong).

The gunsmith should have also used a field gauge after he checked it with a no-go gauge. If it closes on a no-go gauge but not on a field gauge, your headspacing is still safe for use (but you should check headspace every 1000 rounds or so to make sure it's still good).

Changing bolts is an easy fix for headspace issues. There are extreme cases where the lug recesses in the receiver are worn, and thus, all bolts in the receiver will not have good headspace. But an experienced Garand gunsmith will be able to tell you if this is an issue.

 

[Jaim03]

A big THANKS to everyone for the information provided. I think I need to go have a little talk with my smith...

(He talks a good Garand game... but won't be touching mine anymore... And this is, of course, my baby because it's my first... AND I'm eligible for up to 10 more siblings this year!!!!)

 

[Jaim03]

Went down to the shop last night & picked up my INTACT Garand. Untouched.
Brought it home, ran some more patches & a new bore brush thru the barrel several times. Used a flashlight to see what I could tell from looking at the bore. Man! Does that bore shine! I "think" the collector at CMP who helped me run a patch down the bore may be right. This bore looks brand spanking new.... I am taking it to my FFL dealer over the weekend. He has a set of go_no-go gauges. I'll have him check the headspace & report back.

Thanks again to all who posted. Confirmed my nagging doubts about changing the barrel & I'm glad I cancelled the job.

 

[Jaim03]

Saga Update: Picked up my Garand from the "gunsmith" & took it to my FFL dealer who gave it a PROPER inspection. (You know, as stated above by removing the op rod, taking everything out of tension and doing the bolt closing on the gauges with finger pressure.) Said it's great. Right within tolerances and he even thinks it has a NEW barrel & bolt!

Took it to the local Bass Pro shop, where they have a rifle tube setup. MAN, does this thing shoot! I was using an NRA Official 25 yd pistol target. My first 3-4 shots I thought I was missing the target. They were grouped close together and I was expecting the .30 holes to be bigger.

I put a new target at 72 feet. 2nd shot (after a minor Yip! the first round) was a bullseye!!

I LOVE this weapon!! Thanks again for all of your help keeping my CMP Garand out of the hands of an irresponsible "smith".