Where to lube my M1.

[scythefwd]

I just lubed my Garand, please tell me if I missed anywhere. I lubed the rails for the bolt (where the locking lugs ride), the rail for the charging handle (op rod, right?) , the spring, the guides for the bullet guide, and where the op rod touches barrel. I used about half a pot of grease and a lint free cloth to apply the grease. I didn't coat heavily, but I can see the grease on every surface I put it.

Second, and very relevant question, where can I source more grease and pots?
Third, is the combo tool really better than the tool that doesn't have the ratcheting bore brush attached?

Thanks for any advice. I want to keep this arm in as good of condition as I can. She is a parts queen (sa trigger group/safety, fmr(??) barrel, IH reciever, aftermarket stock, wmr(??) hammer, SA (rod that moves the bullet guide)) but she fires nicely and I already have her. She is a CMP purchase (by my grandfather) and looks to be field grade (I'd rate it as service, but cmp says the parts are to be correct for the time period of service grade).

 

[rcmodel]

The grease is LubriPlate grease available at many auto parts & hardware stores in tubes, cans, & grease-gun cartridges.

Also often used in boat trailer wheel bearings, so boat shops all carry it.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/st...6525&title=LUBRIPLATE 130-A MIL. SPEC. GREASE

You can just refill your little yellow capped pots.

Where to put it:
http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/garand/fig33.htm

rcmodel

 

[scythefwd]

rc,
thats the thing, I only have one. Also, just guessing but you wouldn't be the same rcmodel on tdiclub would you?

 

[Mister Peace]

try this, bro.

http://www.nicolausassociates.com/PDF/M1GarandRifleGreasePoints.pdf

 

[rcmodel]

you wouldn't be the same rcmodel on tdiclub

Nope!

eBay has lots of pots!
http://cgi.ebay.com/10-U-S-SURPLUS-...LL-RIFLES_W0QQitemZ280244118991QQcmdZViewItem

I also see tons of them at gunshows all the time.

rcmodel

 

[Old School]

Check out this forum.
m14tfl.com
It is primarily and M-14 forum but much of it should apply and they have M-1 threads there too.

 

[dmftoy1]

I'm not sure of the terminology, but the only place I can think that you missed is where the bolt rides on the top of the hammer.

I believe that "correct grade" is where all the parts are right for time of issue. You could easily have a service grade.

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[Steve in PA]

The difference between a "field grade" and a "service grade" has to do with the condition (wear & tear) of the rifle.

A "correct grade" means all the parts are made by the same manufacturer; example all Springfield, or all IH, etc. There might be a big difference in years between all the parts.

A "collector grade" would have all the same parts like above, except all the parts would be correct for the year the rifle was made; example all Springfield parts and all parts being correct for say a 1942 M1.

 

[Mr White]

Just use plain old wheel bearing grease. If you don't want to use that, the stuff in the little plastic tubs with the yellow lids is called Plastilube. You can get it in 2 oz jars form www.scottduff.com

 

[Swampy]

A "correct grade" means all the parts are made by the same manufacturer; example all Springfield, or all IH, etc. There might be a big difference in years between all the parts.

Sorry... but not correct.

A CMP "Correct" Grade has all parts that are correct for BOTH manufacturer and time frame of the receiver.

A "collector grade" would have all the same parts like above, except all the parts would be correct for the year the rifle was made; example all Springfield parts and all parts being correct for say a 1942 M1.

Again.... a false understanding.

A CMP "Collector" Grade is a rifle that to the best of the CMP's ability to determine has all the EXACT SAME PARTS that that rifle had when it left the factory. No switches or change outs that can be evidenced.

Best regards,
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[rcmodel]

the stuff in the little plastic tubs with the yellow lids is called Plastilube.

Some of it is, and some of it isn't.

The brown clear grease is Plastilube.
The yellow opaque grease is Lubraplate.

I happen to have a lifetime supply of GI issue ones filled with GI issue yellow Lubriplate.

Don't ask how I know they were really GI issue!

rcmodel

 

[Mr White]

I just read an interesting article by Dick Culver about how you can tell if your Garand is properly lubed...

http://www.jouster.com/trivia/brass.html

By Dick Culver
Here’s a tip once well known to all the old time M1 shooters. I personally learned this lesson at Parris Island so many years ago, I won’t bother to mention the actual date (ahem…). Many a Marine Recruit got lumps on his head when he insisted (to his disbelieving Drill Instructor) that he had cleaned and lubricated his faithful "M1 Gun" properly even though his ejected brass was flying well off to the right and to the rear.

A properly lubricated M1 will almost always eject the brass to the 1 – 2:30 (o’clock) position of the shooter (the direction of the muzzle indicating 12:00 o’clock). The dirtier (and less well lubricated) the rifle becomes, the further to the rear the brass will be thrown!

This allows you to perform a sort of self-diagnostic analysis if your rifle seems to be acting up. Before you head for the armorer in a state of panic if you are having trouble with feeding, extraction or ejection, be sure to "check your brass"!

This little truism may well have gotten lost in the "mists of time", but for the dedicated "M1 Gun aficionado", it’s a piece of trivia well worth remembering.

NOTE: For those of you wondering what the best lubricant for the M1 is, remember that in the jungles during WWII, the M1s were occasionally locking up during torrential downpours. The "fix" turned out to be a marvelous lubricant called "Lubriplate". This pale yellow stuff was issued in little "itty-bitty" plastic containers that would fit in the butt well of the M1. Lubriplate is still one of the all time great lubes and is available from Brownells (among other places). My personal favorite is a lube that came along in the latter days of the M1 (and also works great on the M14/M1A). The stuff is called "Plastilube". It's a dark brown lubricant (originally issued in the same "Lubriplate type container") that is sorta' like "Lubriplate with steroids" and would be my lubricant of choice for either rifle. This is absolutely fantastic stuff, won't wash off in the rain and lasts longer than it should be expected to. The only source (that I am personally aware of) for "Plastilube" is from Scott Duff (check his page out from the Gun Talk Links).

 

[Brian Dale]

Lubriplate and Plastilube are good. They're the originals.

I'm a civilian, I don't have a unit armorer to rely on and I want my original rifles to last as long as possible. I want them to run as well as possible.

I use Sta-Lube Synthetic Brake & Caliper Grease, No. SL3303 from CRC Industries.

The SKU number of my 12 oz. container is 72213 33030.

It has molybdenum disulfide, graphite and PTFE (Teflon) in it. I found it at NAPA Auto Parts after Jim Thompson, author of The Complete M1 Garand and The Classic M1 Garand, told me to look for a grease with MoS2 or, better yet, MoS2 and Teflon.

A 12-oz. tub of the Sta-Lube product cost the better part of twenty bucks a couple of years ago, but I apply the stuff with a toothpick. It's going to last a long time and my goal is to provide the best possible care of these rifles that's consistent with shooting them.

 

[Swampy]

Plastilube is available in a little 4 oz. tub from some of the shooting supply houses. IIRC, I bought mine from Champions Choice. Great for re-filling the little butt-trap containers.

Best,
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[dscottw88]

All my brass seems to eject about 5 to 15 feet directly in front of me.