M1 Garand "Starter Kit"

[George S.]

So I'm sitting patiently tapping my fingers and feet waiting for the delivery guy to show up with my CMP M1 I ordered and I got to thinking about what things I will need for the care and feeding of my new toy.

I would really appreciate it if some of you M1 experts would help with some recommendations on cleaning procedures, lubrication oils and greases and any M1-specific tools neeed. Also what is a good manual to get for break-down and cleaning instruction? I have heard that the GI FM 23-5 for the M1 that you can get from Midway is a rather poor quality copy of the original.

I use B-C Gun Scubber for cleaning my other guns after a range session (I know that non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner works too)and I use a lot of Hoppes #9 and CLP Break-Free. If I shoot corrosive ammo and clean up with Windex or ammonia/water, can something like Gun Scrubber be used to flush that mixture after I apply it? Will Gun Scrubber harm the gas cylinder?

I would really like to be somewhat prepared for my first range session in advance. I assume that the CMP Garands come loaded with some form of preservative like Cosmoline or grease that has to be removed before use.

Any help is greatly appreciated. TIA!!

 

[Steve Smith]

Easy-Off and some Veggie brushes, for starters.

 

[AZ Jeff]

For everything you want to know about care and feeding of the M1, here is a good site for starters:

http://www.memorableplaces.com/m1garand/index.html

 

[30Cal]

The gas cylinder is stainless, and I doubt any of your typical cleaning products will harm it if you follow the instructions.

The Garand is cleaned from the muzzle end, which also happens to be the most delicate part of the barrel, the easiest to damage and the most crucial for accuracy. You should use a single piece cleaning rod and muzzle guide or some sort of pull through system. Be careful when sticking rods in the barrel--it takes very little to damage that crown. You'll also want a GI chamber brush.

This rifle will work best with grease instead of oil for lubrication. Grease stays where you put it and oil will be flung onto your shooting glasses. Most any grease will work fine as long as it doesn't start to run when the gun warms up. Leave the gas system dry. A rifle in good shape, clean and properly lubed will usually toss brass between 1 and 3 o'clock.

FWIW, the rifle will be fine if you clean it without removing the stock and the gas system doesn't need to be disassembled although most choose to do it because the field manual says to. The gas system is seldom if ever opened on a match grade Garand. Keep in mind that the Gvmt's operating environment was frequently much much worse than your average trip to the local firing range.

Clean the barrel with the rifle upside down and the muzzle pointed slightly down--this will keep solvent from running into the gas system and back down into the stock.

Not too much cosmoline on Garands these days. Most of them clean up pretty quickly with a little mineral spirits.

Enjoy!
Ty

 

[AJ Dual]

Stock Cleaning

I don't have an M1 yet, but the one's my friends have gotten have been pretty clean.

If you do get an unusualy greasy specimen, and the wood is cosmoline soaked, here's what I do with my other Curio & Relic milsurps:

I reccomend washing it with a degreaser like "Purple Power", it's $5 a gallon in the automotive aisle at Wal-Mart. It's mildly caustic very strong detergent, but much safer than any solvents like mineral spirits, or the lye in the Easy-Off spray. As long as you don't squirt yourself in the eyes, or drink it, Purple Power is 100% safe. The only thing it will do is chap your hands as it's such an efficient de-greaser, it will strip the natural skin oils out of your palms a few layers in. If you don't use gloves, a little hand lotion will fix that pronto.

I remove the stock pieces, remove all metal hardware possible, and wet the stock down with Purple Power, and some hot water. I scrub gently with a plastic or nylon bristled scrub brush, rinse and then repeat. Be sure to wet the entire stock evenly! Even if there's only one greasy end or a trouble spot you intend to work on. The wood needs to be evenly wet on all sides or it can warp.

While the wood is still wet is a good time to steam out any dents with a clothes iron, or a soldering iron pressed against the dent with the corner of a wet rag in between to drive in some steam and raise the crushed fibers in the wood.

Also, once the stock is rinsed, wipe it down with a towel but DO NOT dry it in the sun, an oven on low, with a heat gun, or a hair dryer! DO leave it in an undisturbed corner at room temperature to dry slowly for the next 24-48 hours.

The stock will likely look somewhat bleached or grey-ish, like driftwood, once it's dry. No worrys though, apply and rub in your favorite Boiled Linseed Oil/solvent mix (Only a sadist would use raw Linseed oil...) or Tung Oil, and the wood will look magnificent. I personally prefer Tung Oil, as it dries (polymerizes) more completely than BLO, can be applied in a matte rubbed finish so it still has an un-varnished "military" BLO look to it, but feels clean, smooth, and dry to the touch when shooting, more like a modern varnish or polyeurathane finish.

 

[BamBam-31]

What AJ said. Good writeup. I do exactly the same. I finish with a BLO/beeswax/thinner mix, though.

 

[VG]

Sir, did you get a US Service Grade, or a Danish rifle? The Danish rifles have a lot of cosmoline othem, typically. The USGI rifles often need little but a cleaning. Hot water and detergent will usually clean the metal parts.

Mineral Spirits will clean the finish without removing much of it. A product like Minwax Antique Finish restorer is a mixture of more aggressive solvents but will leave some finish on the stock.

Purple Power is an extremely harsh industrial cleaner with the same active ingredient as oven cleaner. If you surf the web you can find the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) which list the primary ingredients. There are others who claim it's perfectly safe to put a Garand stock in a dishwasher. I tried it on a throw-away" stock and it split right through the thickest portion of the stock, so beware this advice.

If you refinish the easiest finish to apply is probably one of the commercial "Tung Oil" finishes, which contain solvents and other ingredients to promote penetration, uild, and cure. BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil) is also easy to apply. Once you refinish a stock it's not original anymore, and both were used, so you're just looking to help preserve it while sacrificing any real collector value. SANHS never refinishes stocks - they just apply a Walnut colored paste wax to preserve it.

Any 30 cal cleaning gear will work OK, but because you can't clean from the breech, the Otis cable kit is great.

The rifles come with a chamber flag, one clip and a sling. You will need some sort of rifle grease. The only special feature of Garand grease was a certain amount of waterproofness. You can use the milsurp rifle grease, Lubriplate 130A (one original lube), Tetra gun grease, most of the light lithium greases available, and many automotive greases. You should apply only enough to see your fingerprint when you touch it.

Most rifles will zero at 100 yards with milsurp ammo and 8-15 clicks of elevation. If you need a lot of windage correction you can move the front sight later.

Not all 30.06 ammo is safe to shoot in a Garand. Milsurp M2 Ball (USGI, Danish, or Korean) is safe. So is Federal American Eagle, Federal MAtch, PMC Bronze Line, and some others.

The Memorable Places website can also be found through www.civilianmarksmanship.com. Another useful sight is www.surplusrifle.com/garand/index.asp.

The most active Garand collector's site is at www.jouster.com. Another active one is at www.battlerifles.com. Have fun!

 

[George S.]

Thanks for the information all!! VG- the M1 I ordered is a Service Grade Danish Issue with VAR barrel. I have read that the Danish rifles as they come from CMP may not have the best stocks in the world on them but there's always a chance that I may get something in decent condition.

This rifle will be used primarily for target use and the occasional match at my range. I have also heard that the Danish rifles may have a lot of European parts added to them so USGI originality is probably not going to be too much of an issue for me with this one.

I will have to inspect the stock carefully for any potential damage like cracks in the wood. The refinishing process you describe sounds like it's not too hard to do so I'll bookmark this page and sit (impatiently!!) until it gets here If it turns out pretty good, I'll post a pic.

I can pick up some Terra gun grease locally and I should be able to use that on my Mini-14.

 

[dfariswheel]

First, here's some really good M1 rifle links. These places are loaded with free manuals and info:

http://www.fulton-armory.com/

http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/

http://www.surplusrifle.com/downloads.asp

http://www.jouster.com/lanestips/

As to a "starter" kit, I'd recommend the following items:
A service rifle cleaning rod, with bore guide, from Brownell's. This is a coated or stainless cleaning rod, made to the exact length to clean the M1.

A M3 combination tool with chamber brush. This is the M1 maintenance tool used to disassemble the gas system, tension the rear sight, clean the chamber, etc.

The M1 REQUIRES grease, so pick up a good, heat resistant, water resistant grease. The original greases were Lubriplate and Plasti-lube. Both of these are available from Brownell's. Really, any good grease will do fine.

To have a complete rifle, buy the M1 butt stock cleaning kit. This includes:
A canvas tube which holds the 4 sections of the cleaning rod, a bore brush and the rod tip, joined by a short section of clear tubing.

A M10 cleaning rod handle/tool.

A tiny jar of the GI rifle grease.

A long brass or plastic oiler. One end holds lube, the other holds either a thong and brush, or the M10 handle.

You shouldn't really use the GI sectioned cleaning rod for normal cleaning, but it's good for field use, and does make the rifle complete.

Read the manuals on the above sites. Once you get your rifle do a complete disassemble, including the gas system and the rear sight, so you can inspect for any worn or damaged parts the CMP may have missed.

Reassembly the rear sight, and tension it according to the manuals.
After you get sighted in, you will need to adjust the elevation drum to regulate the rear sight.

Have fun, M1's are a ball.

 

[VG]

the M1 I ordered is a Service Grade Danish Issue with VAR barrel. I have read that the Danish rifles as they come from CMP may not have the best stocks in the world on them but there's always a chance that I may get something in decent condition.

The Danish Beech stocks are pretty ugly but some fit well. Beware that some of them have plastic inserts to tighten up the fit, and this is not legal for JC Garand matches. But you will at least have the stock metal if you replace it later.

One of the Danish rifles I got had a Walnut stock, but all the others have been Beech. If the Italian parts bother you, sell them on eBay and buy USGI parts, it often works out to about the same cost.

Some of the Danish rifles seem to have had the finish scrubbed off - down to bare metal on the corners of the receiver. Or, you might get lucky and get a Danish Naval rifle. In general, you get what you pay for but the VAR barreled rifles often shoot almost as well as the late SA's or HRA's and after restocking don't cost much more