My Garand arrived today

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Jmurman

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Its been a LONG 6 weeks, but my Service Grade Garand arrived today.

This is going to be a fun relationship!

Ok, so the stock is really dinged and dented...and mismatched. I will repave the wood eventually, but in the meantime, I will try to srip all the crap off of it and refinish it.

Any suggestions on this?

I ordered a ammo can w/enbloc of Korean from Ammo man...its not much only about 300+ rounds, but it is a start. I received my cleaning suppplies from Brownells so I'm good to go there.


Any suggestions on getting started with the Garand, would a field strip be in order here?
 
Congrats o your M1......you'll love it.

When I got my SA/SG I field stripped the rifle......., the internals were very clean and oiled......I just dried and re-oiled. Punched the bore, greased it with Lubriplate. I cleaned the stock with Murphy's Oil Soap......which was not in that bad of shape. Did have a couple of dings......but I accepted that as beauty marks. A couple of coats of Tung Oil and the stock looked great.

It shoots very good to. Quite well for a 60 year old rifle that who kows what its been through.

Prepare to buy lots of ammo......or do what I do.......reload. And buy lots of clips!!!!
 
jmurman,

What they said.......

Also, the Korean M2 ball ammo that comes on clips is corrosive......

Check the headstamp. If it's "KA", then it's corrosive no matter WHAT the seller told you.

Usually the boxed M2 with the "PS" headstamp is non-corrosive.

No problem either way..... most likely thousands of rounds of corrosive have been fired through your rifle already... you just have to make sure to break it down and clean it THOROUGHLY after firing... just like the GI's in WWII and Korea did it.

Congrats on the new M1.

Swampy

Garands forever
 
Good luck, good shooting, best wishes.


Now, find some of that late 80's & 90's made Danish BallM2 ammo, and blaze away.

Soon, you will know the 'Song of The Garand'

Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam! Blam-Ping!
 
Congratulations on your new service rifle! I absolutely love my Garand.

One thing that I've made it a habit to do with all used semi-autos I buy is replace all the springs. As a matter of fact, my CMP Service grade M1 double fired occasionally when I first got it. A new Wolf spring kit fixed it.

http://www.gunsprings.com/RifleShotgun/Garand_RsNF.html

RIFLE SERVICE PAK - contains 1 each ejector spring, extractor spring, extra power hammer spring and extra power recoil spring.
Stock No. 18060.....$ 25.99
Click to expand...
 
What Swampy said:

KA = Corrosive, most often found in bandoleers and enblocs. Make sure you clean it well immediately after shooting.

PS = Non-corrosive ... usually found in boxes and not enblocs.

Garands are addicting!

Lock and load,

/Rusty
 
I recommend you NOT buy the extra power op rod springs. I have heard that they tend to cause more problems than anything.

The best ones I've heard of are the stainless steel springs from Orion 7.

http://www.m1garand.com/news.htm

"M1 Rifle Operating Rod Springs We went back to the original Springfield Armory drawings to duplicate the original spring with one exception. Our new springs are manufactured from the highest quality 17-7 STAINLESS STEEL wire available in the industry. We now can offer what we believe is the finest main spring ever made for the M1 Rifle! These springs are manufactured exclusively for Orion 7 Enterprises Inc. right here in the USA on state of the art machinery. Samples were tested and the computer projected continuous cycle readings recorded were off the scale! These springs will not weaken! We are so confident that you will agree with us that these are the best M1 rifle main springs made, we will offer you a * free lifetime replacement guarantee if our spring ever fails or wears out. No questions asked! 6.00 each Gunsmiths, gun shops, gun show dealers, and M1 hobbyists, please call for your special pricing on this item in larger quantities"
 
ok, so where can I get "Lubriplate"? One of the guys had mentioned wheel bearing grease too, with this work?

I will wait on the spring kit until after I take it to the range.

These guns are beautiful. When I opened it up from the box, I found myself asking it...."so, just where have you been?"
 
Sir you can get Lubriplate 130A from most bearing supply stores, but there is no reason particular reason to. Any light automotive grease will work, as well as the little Plastilube tubs. I most often use Tetra Gun Grease because it's readily available at just about any gun shop and even WalMart. While it costs more, the plastic tube makes it easier to apply so you don't waste any. If when you shoot your Garand the rounds are ejecting in the 1 to 3 oclock range, you're recoil spring and lube job are fine.

You should probably start on the wood with something mild and see how it cleans up. If you are going to refinish I often use Minwax Antique Finish Restorer and rub it on with 0000 steel wool (and gloves).

The easiest finish is probably one of the commercial Tung Oil Finishes. They are a mixture of solvents, Tung Oil (usually), and driers, so it's easy to apply and probably somewhat more durable than Boiled Linseed Oil, or BLO. On a repro stock set I used Tru Oil, but iit's very shiny unless you knock down the gloss, although more durable. Minwax is carried by HD, but Formbys, Danish Oil, and other brands work well also.

You can see detailed disassembly instructions at: http://www.civilianmarksmanship.com/.
You can also read CMP's treatise on stock wood at: http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/wood_cleaning_article.htm

If you are ordering a new recoil spring, first take a look at the pins on your trigger guard. If they are worn, you won't get a tight stock lockup, which affects accuracy. Orion 7 has new stamped guards available.
 
Congrats on the new family member! I was recently narrowly outbid for a WWII Winchester Garand on Auction Arms. Had to drown my sorrows by getting another Enfield.

Garands are a work of art, and I will have one soon!

If only they could all talk.
 
quote:I recommend you NOT buy the extra power op rod springs. I have heard that they tend to cause more problems than anything.

What kind of problems? Ever since I put the springs in mine, it was rock solid reliable.

Dave
Click to expand...

I spoke with Wolff Tech Support earlier this week. Some op rods have binding problems. They will soon be introducing a regular power spring for the Garand as well.
 
If you use tung oil I would avoind Formby's and Minwax. These are nothing more than rubbing varnishes with very little to miniscule amounts of actual tung oil in them. Pure tung oil will take forever to dry. For most of my stock refinishing projects I've used the Behr #600 Scandinavian Tung Oil Finish available from Home Depot or directly from Behr. It contains a mixture of tung oil, boiled linseed oil, wax, and solvents to accelerate drying. It has the protective qualities of the tung oil, and the warmth of the boiled linseed oil. I first heard about it from a wood guru on another gun forum and have had really good results with it.
 
My ammo arrived yesterday. I received three boxes, in two were cigars that I had ordered, went to pick up the third, and about dropped a nut!

Ammoman ships very fast, I am really impressed with their service. I bought this after reading your post on corrosive ammo. So, I'll just have to buy more....:)

I am hoping to strip my Garand...I feel like maybe giving this rifle a name...and work on stripping the crap off of the stock. The markings that normally are on the inside grip must be covered up, so maybe I can see whats there after I'm finished.

Hey...by the way...Happy Thanksgiving!
 
ok, so I have the rifle taken down. The stock and receiver/barrle group are seperate. I was alittle intimidated at first, but I would take a piece off and themn put it back to make sure that I could. The book supplied with the M1 is good.

However, there is nothing about taking the rear hand guard and front hand guard off of the barrel so I can refinish them. It looks like I might need a special tool, like a large ring pliers for the clip holding the rear hand guard.

Any thoughts?
 
Go to www.fulton-armory.com and click on Garand info......scroll down to the How To Guide and scroll down once again to the sections you want. I've downloaded and printed all of the info and keep it in a binder.

You do not need a special tool to remove the rear handguard from the Garand.....but removing the metal clip from the handguard can be tricky.
 
OK, I think I've got a pretty good grip on what I need to do.

I do have a couple of questiosn that you might be able to help me out with.

1. In order to remove the front hand grip, I need to remove the gas cylinder. The CMP book says to take a block of wood and smack it with a hammer, driving it off. I NEVER like to hit any gun with a hammer, but if ths is how its done....should I use any penetrating fluid before I do this? Is the gas cylinder pressed on? How hard is it to remove?

2. After I get the first grip off then I take and drive the pin out of the holder for the other hand grip, right? Now, this hand grip has a metal band around it, do I remove this band before I put it in the "dish-washer"?

3. After this is all done and my Garand looks like Swampys...should I wear a bib (drooling) when I take it out of the case? :)
 
I don't own a Garand yet, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.:rolleyes:

The gas cylinder is screwed onto the barrel. Once you unscrew the plug and remove the lock, the cylinder should unscrew. Sometimes they're on kinda tight. They make wrenches just for this purpose, but a smack with a block of wood and a hammer forcing the cylinder counterclockwise (viewed from the muzzle) should loosen it enough to turn it with your hand.
 
Houndog wrote:

The gas cylinder is screwed onto the barrel. Once you unscrew the plug and remove the lock, the cylinder should unscrew. Sometimes they're on kinda tight. They make wrenches just for this purpose, but a smack with a block of wood and a hammer forcing the cylinder counterclockwise (viewed from the muzzle) should loosen it enough to turn it with your hand..
Click to expand...

Uh... Scuze' me.... but NO WAY Dude... the gas cylinder is indexed to the barrel with splines, NOT threads.

To remove the Gas Cylinder:

1) Unscrew the lock screw, which is threaded into the end of the gas cylinder tube.

2) Unscrew the gas cylinder lock (the figure "8" piece) which is threaded to the end of the barrel.

3) Remove the gas cylinder by sliding it STRAIGHT FORWARD. If it needs help, use a block of wood and a mallet as described by the CMP.

Best regards,
swampy
 
jmurman asked,

1. In order to remove the front hand grip, I need to remove the gas cylinder. The CMP book says to take a block of wood and smack it with a hammer, driving it off. I NEVER like to hit any gun with a hammer, but if ths is how its done....should I use any penetrating fluid before I do this? Is the gas cylinder pressed on? How hard is it to remove?
Click to expand...

Penetrating oil should not be necessary. The GC is not pressed on, but some do fit tighter than others. In most cases they will slide off with just a couple of taps to the back side of the sight base.

2. After I get the first grip off then I take and drive the pin out of the holder for the other hand grip, right? Now, this hand grip has a metal band around it, do I remove this band before I put it in the "dish-washer"?
Click to expand...

After the GC and the front handguard is off, drive the cross pin out of the lower band and slide it forward. It too may take a few taps with a block of wood and mallet if it's stuck tight. Most likely not.

When the lower band is off the barrel the rear handguard can be slid forward an inch or two and it will pull straight up as the clip edges come out of the engagement detents in the sides of the barrel. It is not necessary to remove the metal piece from the handguards to wash them. If you SAND them after washing, cover them with masking tape to protect the metal finish from the sandpaper.

3. After this is all done and my Garand looks like Swampys...should I wear a bib (drooling) when I take it out of the case? :)
Click to expand...

Advice: grow a beard.... the drool gets absorbed. Problem solved.

Best regards to all,
Swampy

Garands forever
 
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