LynnMassGuy
Member
My Dad bought a Garand. A pretty nice one. He took it down cleaned it and said the barrel looked good. I warned him about corrosive ammo. Over and over I warned him about corrosive ammo. Over and over. I told him how to clean up after using corrosive ammo. I shoot a ton of corrosive ammo. He'd been using surplus ammo for a year. Lately the rifle has been shooting 7-8 inch groups a 50 yards. ( I shoot 2-4 inch groups a 100 yards with my Enfield No.1 so it is not my marksmanship.) My Dad's uncle who is like 80-something years old (don't get me wrong, a very smart guy) and actually has a civil war museum in PA told my father he doesn't to worry about corrosive ammo. My Dad hasn't cleaned his barrel in a year because he really hasn't put that many rounds through it.
Tonight when I went by the house he told me to take the Garand and bring it to the range with me and see if I could figure out why it was shooting around corners. First thing I did when I got home was tear it apart. I took me an hour and a half to get a clean patch out of the barrel and it still didn't look very health to me when I put a light in the receiver end and looked sown the muzzle. Not bright and shiny like all my rifles. Then I looked at the receiver end with a flashlight and got a knot in my stomach. The barrel at the muzzle end is all pitted. Then I looked at the end of the operating rod. Rust. Ugh. Crap. Man.
My Dad really digs that rifle. I WILL NOT take pleasure in telling him, "I told you so." I feel sad for him. I'm sad. I know he thought his uncle wouldn't steer him wrong, I just wish he would have listened to me.
Anyway, anyone know what is involved in putting a new barrel on one of these. Maybe I'll fix it for him for Christmas.
Tonight when I went by the house he told me to take the Garand and bring it to the range with me and see if I could figure out why it was shooting around corners. First thing I did when I got home was tear it apart. I took me an hour and a half to get a clean patch out of the barrel and it still didn't look very health to me when I put a light in the receiver end and looked sown the muzzle. Not bright and shiny like all my rifles. Then I looked at the receiver end with a flashlight and got a knot in my stomach. The barrel at the muzzle end is all pitted. Then I looked at the end of the operating rod. Rust. Ugh. Crap. Man.
My Dad really digs that rifle. I WILL NOT take pleasure in telling him, "I told you so." I feel sad for him. I'm sad. I know he thought his uncle wouldn't steer him wrong, I just wish he would have listened to me.
Anyway, anyone know what is involved in putting a new barrel on one of these. Maybe I'll fix it for him for Christmas.