Garand Problems...again

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D.B. Cooper said:
Does anyone know where I can find the:

1.) min and max length of the firing pin?
2.) min max diameter of the gas tube? (I can't find go/no-go gauges anywhere in stock. I might try to measure the front and rear ends with an inside dial caliper.)
3.) min and max diameter of the op-rod at the muzzle end
4.) min and max diameter of the gas port (and some way of measuring for that, e.g. are there known common drill bit diameters with which I could use the drill shank (not the cutting end) and go/no-go gauges)
5.) any other critical or high-wear item dimension.
Click to expand...

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1014426018/the-m1-garand-owners-guide-book-by-scott-a-duff

D.B. Cooper said:
I may as well as measure/inspect everything while I have it apart. I hate like hades to remove that gas tube and front sight from the splines. It gets looser every time you mess with it, and that leads to a front sight that moves around which leads to larger shot groups.
Click to expand...

Maybe that is true, but you need to clean the carbon from the cylinder and op-rod piston periodically. In fact, carbon build-up could be dragging your op-rod and causing it to short stroke. If it becomes loose, you can peen the splines to tighten it up.
 
D.B. Cooper said:
Got the rifle apart right now. Old op rod spring is 19-1/4. Things that make you go "hmmm." (It also has some bends in it.)
Click to expand...
2-1/2 hours later and I'm done.

I'll shoot it later this week, but I'm pretty positive about the op rod spring having been the culprit. It took me half an hour to get the spring and arm connected to the follower. It took every ounce of strength I could muster, and, in the end, I had to attach a pair of vice grips to the arm because I could not hold on to it with my bare hands; the spring kept launching it out of my hands. (Good advertisement for wearing eye protection.)
 
I am so lucky to have a Garand expert close by here in Richmond, VA. I'd be exasperated if I had to troubleshoot the old gun myself. Feel your pain!
 
@Reloadron thanks for the pics and suggestion on how to take down the bolt! Other than taking off the bands (taped em off) for a stock refinish (Gunnys School of Stock Refinishing :)) and disassembly of the bolt, pretty much have broken down my M1 (the trigger group was a PIA) and replaced op rod spring.
 
D.B. Cooper said:
It extracts and ejects just fine if I pull the op-rod fully to the rear by hand.
Click to expand...
But NOT in semi-auto mode, if I get your post correctly. IF the case is being extracted, but not ejected, then the bolt isn't moving back far enough. The M1 ejector is like that on the Remington 700 -- once the case mouth is clear of the chamber, it can't help but be thrown out of the action. So either the case isn't coming out in the first place, or the action is short-stroking.
 
P5 Guy said:
You all know there is a tool that makes that a piece of cake.
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I'm not aware of a toll for stripping/reassembling the trigger group. Besides, getting it apart was easy, it was getting the new clip ejector spring in that was difficult.

I am, however, aware of the tool for disassembling/reassembling the bolt. I have one and it works.
 
Reloadron said:
M1/M1A/M14 TRIGGER GROUP ASSEMBLY

About $60 USD and I guess if you do enough of them a good investment. :)

Ron
Click to expand...
I've searched that site numerous times, but I've never seen that.

I paid the same price for the bolt tool, but having now done the trigger group, I don't think I would pay that price for that tool. As an owner of a single M1 rifle, with no plans to buy more, I don't think I will ever need to strip the trigger group again. (Same is probably true of the bolt, but that job would have been a terror without it. I have no idea how you would do it with the M10 tool.)
 
D.B. Cooper said:
I've searched that site numerous times, but I've never seen that.

I paid the same price for the bolt tool, but having now done the trigger group, I don't think I would pay that price for that tool. As an owner of a single M1 rifle, with no plans to buy more, I don't think I will ever need to strip the trigger group again. (Same is probably true of the bolt, but that job would have been a terror without it. I have no idea how you would do it with the M10 tool.)
Click to expand...
While the tools, fixtures and jigs are nice to have unless you are working on the rifles constantly they are not needed. During the early 90s I was working on and selling M1 Garands. I always had 25 to 30 in the shop. Most of my tools are from back then. Today I own two. :)

Ron
 
Trigger group designed to be dissasembled by using the bullet tip of a .30-06 cartidge, bolt can be stripped with a coin.
Consult the experts. Visit the CMP website: Education,Tech, and Training, Armorer’s Corner, Field Stripping the M1 Garand.
 
Old Sandman 71 said:
Trigger group designed to be dissasembled by using the bullet tip of a .30-06 cartidge, bolt can be stripped with a coin.
Consult the experts. Visit the CMP website: Education,Tech, and Training, Armorer’s Corner, Field Stripping the M1 Garand.
Click to expand...

I used videos from a youtube channel called norwhich93CMP. He does a great job of instruction, and all of his videos are good quality with good lighting, and he doesn't obscure what he's teaching with his hands while he's doing it. https://www.youtube.com/user/norwich93CMP
 
Just back from the range. The rifle is mostly fixed. Mostly.

The first 3-4 rounds went okay. Extract, eject, reload...no problem. Then it became a single shot rifle. It would fire, extract, eject, and reload, but it seemed as though the trigger didn't reset or the hammer rode the bolt forward without firing the round. I could pull the op-rod back until just before the unfired round would eject, then release the op-rod, and that would cock the hammer and then the gun would fire. This went on for about the next 15 or so rounds (2 clips).

After about the third clip, it started working fine. Then it would do it once every other clip. Then I noticed it was doing it on the first couple rounds after setting the gun down, changing a target, whatever. (Gun cooling off) So I think it's possible that this might have been weather/temperature related. It was 4˚F down to 0˚F at the range today. I'm running Amsoil synthetic grease in the op-rod track, under the rear f the receiver, on the bolt locking lugs, and under the rear of the barrel. It may be that the grease just froze and it took some friction to warm it up.

Anther possibly temperature related issue I noticed was the bolt sticking to the rear when a new clip was inserted. My dad an uncle were in the military during the Korean War, and both have talked about having to urinate on their Garands to keep them from sticking in the cold weather and/or kicking the op-rod handle with their boot heels to get the bolt to open, so I wonder if this is similar.

In addition to the issues listed above, it either doubled or I bump fired it once. But I'm thinking that was on me as the last time I had it out in weather this cold, it doubled then, and I wonder if I'm just holding the gun wrong (gloved hands etc) and causing this.
 
The rifle is designed to function in arctic climates. I just don't see this as thermal or temperature related. With full bolt travel the hammer should lock back and be ready for the next trigger squeeze.

Ron
 
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