After a few days of research, I've compiled a few things that may help some folks out that are on a budget, but their M1 doesn't shoot well (like mine currently - stock is worn out completely).
http://www.snipercountry.com/articles/accurizingm1garand_i.asp is also a great write up.
EDIT:
Below I've copy/pasted my project log on this rifle. I hope others will find it useful.
A little while ago I made a trip to the CMP North store at Camp Perry. For those of you who don't know, it's a place where you can purchase US Mil Surp rifles for very, very good pricing, and also pick up a hearty supply of food for the hungry rifles for a good price as well. I should preface this story by stating that I didn't know exactly what to look for, and one thing reared it's head at the range, causing me to take on this project.
To those of you wanting to get a M1A/M14, sorry, they won't be getting those. However, you can get a M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, US Krag's, various .22 trainers, M1917's, and on occasion 1903's.
Check them out if you aren't familiar with them. http://www.thecmp.org/
Day one (occured May 16th)
I made my pilgrimage to the CMP after my involvement as an instructor in training with Project Appleseed. As one of my friends states at every AS we work on together, "I believe every AMERICAN should own a 30 caliber semi automatic battle rifle." Well, I agree, and it also is a wonderful rational reason for the use of procuring a rifle I have been wanting since the age of 22, an M1 Garand rifle.
I showed up anticipating to purchase a Service Grade that wasn't made by Winchester (more money towards ammo that way :) ), but found out that they didn't have a single Service Grade there when I arrived. It pays to call ahead I guess. Long story short, after many trips and gauging and talking with the fine folks working there about what I need to find for a good shooter, and that I didn't care about how the wood looked, I found one. It's an H&R. The muzzle erosion gauged at a 2 (.302 inch bore), and the throat erosion gauged less than a 5 (less than .305 inch bore at the throat), and had all the signs that with a little love, it would be a good shooter, and was better off than the field grades that were available to choose from regarding the quality and tolerances of the metal units.
Here's my first semi automatic battle rifle. I haven't chosen a name for her yet, but I'll come up with one.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/DSCN0957.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/DSCN0955.jpg)
She's got enough ammo to keep her happy for a little while. My buddy Corey picked up a Field grade Springfield, and 2 cans of ammo. The rest goes to my rifle :)
Shortly thereafter, I detail stripped the rifle, cleaned it up, greased it, and took it to the range. I was severely dissapointed. I had almost an 8 inch group at 25 yards. Slung up. I shimmed the trigger group, and the groups shrunk down to a respectable size, with most rounds touching, after shimming it enough that I had to beat the trigger guard shut to get a good clamp. During a team drill at an AS event, I forgot to shim the stock and the trigger group fell out on me. That was the kick in the butt for me. Not to mention that how the stock and action mate up makes for about 40% of the total rifle's accuracy according to some of the top M1 gunsmiths.
Unfortunately, when the M1 stocks are beyond dimensional spec, the action moves inside the stock and doesn't settle back to the original position it was in. When it's bad enough that the trigger group will fall out, armories would just pitch the stock and toss on another one. I don't have the money to purchase a stock, so that's out - but some time with fiberglass, some chemicals, water, soap, and elbow grease, and you can bed the stock to the rifle and take care of that problem.
This is my project log - may as well give some folks a real walk through instead of a couple documents and good luck, huh?
Day two - detail strip all wood off of the stock, and detail strip the gun. This was done at 1AM or so when I was stuck staying awake, so no pictures were taken. The gun was detail stripped to take up some time during the day, and I shoot almost exclusively corrosive ammunition due to the cost savings, so it makes sense to take the down time and give it a good solid 100% scrubbing and removal.
The only bit of metal that was removed today was the handguard clip. I'm not about to spend $25+ on a pair of pliars to take this off. Instead, two paper clips, vice grips, and a vice works just as well, if not better, (assuming that it is off the gun) since it can't slip, off of the clip.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20One/DSCN1160.jpg)
I think I stated earlier, but the driving force behind taking on the stock project is to bed the receiver to the action. To those who have never done this kind of work before, the basic concept is to take out as much of the play in the fit between the stock and the action as possible. To do this, I'm using a mix of fiberglass resin, hardener, and finely cut fiberglass matting to make a tough slurry. This slurry will be applied to the stock, a release agent applied to the action, and then the slurry will be allowed to cure and take up this tolerance. However, it doesn't work well when dealing with wood that has been soaked in cosmoline, so this must be removed. This means it's time to refinish the stock as well when I'm done.
This is the stock, as recieved:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20One/DSCN1164.jpg)(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20One/DSCN1163.jpg)(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20One/DSCN1161.jpg)(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20One/DSCN1167.jpg)
The preliminary work is going to be done with hot water, steel wool, and Dawn dish washing soap. Cosmoline has a vasoline/tar like consistency, and when warmed flows like liquid. So, the heat helps get the cosmo on the surface off, the DAWN helps to break it down, and the steel wool scrubs it off well. This is the stock set after about 20 minutes of work. I hit the stock real quickly with a heat gun to dry any water off of the wood and to help keep it from soaking into the stock too far:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20One/DSCN1170.jpg)
To make sure it's all removed, I'm using a semi-paste paint stripper, which will remove the rest of the cosmoline from the stock. Well, as best as I can. The stock has had 3 coats applied to it, and is sitting overnight in the shed. Tomorrow morning work will resume on it, and then it will hang for a few days and dry.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20One/DSCN1171.jpg)(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20One/DSCN1172.jpg)
Day Three:
After an overnight soak in paint stripper, I gave it another hot water/Dawn scrubbing with steel wool. As you can see by the water, quite a bit of gunk got taken off in areas I couldn't reach by hand yesterday:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Three/DSCN1174.jpg)
After a quick rub down with a towel and hot blast from a heat gun, the stock set has been set aside for a few days. I'm giving it a few days in a dry environment to get any water that's still in the stock out, at which point I'll give it a light sanding and begin the bedding process. So, until further notice, the project is stopped at this step for a little while.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Three/DSCN1175.jpg)
Day Four:
After a few days of drying out, the stock looked much like it did before, but felt dryer and somewhat lighter. Just how I wanted it :)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Four/DSCN1176.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Four/DSCN1177.jpg)
I gave the stock a quick sanding with 100, 150, 220, and 320 grit to smooth things over and give a bit of prep for staining later on. I did not sand enough to remove any knicks, dings, any of the dots from American GI's slamming loaded en-blocks into the stock, nor have I repaired any of the cracks in the hand guards. That isn't the goal of the project.
I took the barreled action down to the vice, and peened the splines using a hammer and socket. You'll hear some debate about whether or not to use a bore spud. Frankly, I think that if you think you should use a bore spud you're hitting WAY too hard. Very light taps are all that is needed to perform this work. I'm certain that quite a few paratroppers had barrels that hit much harder and functioned just fine, not to mention bayonetting uses during the wars that this fine US Main Battle Rifle saw use. Just let the hammer fall from a few inches above the barrel, letting gravity do the work.
The reason why this was done is because the front sight/gas cylinder on my particular rifle was sloppy - it would rotate quite a bit with no effort with a tight cylinder lock. This leads to mechanical inconsistencies in the firing sequence, not to mention a front sight that moves all over the place, making tight groups essentially impossible. By doing light taps on top of a socket resting in the grove, you displace a veeeeeeery small amount of metal on the outside of the barrel, making for a tighter fit to the gas cylinder. It doesn't take much work to do this, so just give one or two small taps per spline and test fit. I wound up using a 3/16" 1/4" drive socket. It worked much better than any 3/8" socket like what was recommended to me. So if you want to give this a go, grab a 1/4" drive socket that necks inwards, and do small taps on the base of the socket, moving the socket along the spline with each minor tap.
Yes, the photo shows a 11mm 3/8" socket. I wouldn't waste your time with it. The socket winds up doing pretty much nothing unless you want to beat the dickens out of your barrel, and then I could see you wanting a bore spud. But we're not cavemen dragging knuckles, are we? Well, if you are, go pay a gunsmith.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Four/DSCN1178.jpg)
The rest of the evening was spent applying layer after layer of release agent AFTER plugging all of the holes in the receiver with clay. This is important, because any holes that are left open WILL be filled with the epoxy, and you will have to destroy your stock to get your receiver out. We're not after that. So, first we plug any/all holes in the receiver and skim them smooth with the surface, so it's like the hole was never even there. I then started applying my secret release agent: carnuba wax.
Why pure carnuba wax? Well, it was already around, it should work fine, and I'm cheap. Layer after layer after layer of wax on, wax off. Just like the Karate Kid.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Four/DSCN1179.jpg)
I guess I should fess up - there's another reason why I chose this product besides it's availability for me. It's made in America, and the last thing that I want to do to a US Military Battle Rifle is disgrace it by using any product or tool that wasn't made in the land that it and the American GI defended so valiantly and successfully. That's one thing that I really like about this, not a single tool that was actually used in this project was made anywhere outside of the United States of America - including my antiquated 1/4" socket and my old Sears hammer.
That goes for the wax:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Four/DSCN1180.jpg)
And the sand paper used on the stock:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Four/DSCN1181.jpg)
To the file used to bevel the lugs of the receiver:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Four/DSCN1183.jpg)
I know I forgot to take pictures of packing the receiver with clay or waxing it, but I will make sure to put that up tomorrow along with any other updates that I have.
P.S.
The stain and sealant that I'm using are also made in the USA :wink:
Day Five:
Here's my receiver after receiving a fresh coat of pure carnuba goodness. Notice that all holes, and anything that basically has metal under a cut out, below the inner 'flange' surface of the receiver is plugged and coated in wax.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1185.jpg)
I couldn't find a putty knife that wasn't made in China, so a Buck 110 stepped up to the plate.
It's much easier to work with paste waxes for this than liquid. Besides the advantage of staying where you put it, it also has the advantage of every dollar you spent going towards the wax (the end product you care about) and nothing going towards fillers or additives of some kind. Pretty simple stuff to work with.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1187.jpg)
After I hoped that I put enough wax on the receiver after 2 days, I got about making the necessary jigs to bed a M1 rifle. The first is pretty simple, a U shaped jug out of 3/16 material with approximately 1/4" gap between the legs. I broke my first piece of brass. I forgot in my early morning haze a simple, improtant product of working with metals - work hardening. Make sure to anneal the brass.
Up first we have my primary tools for the trade, a Sears hammer made in Louisville, KY, a 3/16" and a 1/4" drill bit made in the USA, an American made vice, and brass rod from the local hardware store. The brass rod is mounted in my old American made drill, which allowed me to turn the brass down to the proper diameter. It's a poor man's mini lathe.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1201.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1202.jpg)
After the initial shaping, the vice was called in for the rest of the work to make sure the legs are parallel after spring back is taken into account - which is what the 1/4" drill bit is for. The 3/16" one was to check that I had the right diameter rod after sanding it down on the drill.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1203.jpg)
And after some bending and more annealing with very hot air, we have our first jig. This jig will go through the safety and overlap to the outside of the trigger guard to keep the action clamped into the stock while bedding. One down, one to go.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1206.jpg)
The second one is more difficult. You basically have 3 options.
You can use what the military used:
(http://media.midwayusa.com/ProductImages/Large/360279.jpg) You can make that Y yolk if you want to, that's what we're trying to make here anywho.
You can use Brownell's version:
(http://www.brownells.com/userdocs/products/p_080727000_1.jpg)
Or you can take a 3/16" dia piece of rod and make a 1" ID out of it.
Being the budget minded person I am, and having brass rod handy, I went for the later. I used an 18mm socket as a die and played black smith until I got a good fit over that socket. I then heated up the ring, and drove a 19mm socket into the ring. The 19mm socket measured out to be .002" shy of 1", and since I allowed heat to do the final fitting for me, I didn't have much spring back at all. It came out almost perfectly concentric below a 180* line, which is where it mattered.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1208.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1209.jpg)
Now came the fun part - my first bedding job, on a rifle that's not the easiest in the world to bed. Time to jump in feet first! Remember though, we don't want to {inappropriate language} off the rifle, so make sure to use American made materials, like those offered by 3M.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1210.jpg)
We need to make sure the fiberglass/epoxy stays on the stock, so we need to make some room for the epoxy to bond to the stock. Yes, it will bond to a flat surface, but if you make relief cuts, it will work much better. My dremel was made in China, so it can't be used for this job. But, my Buck 110 was made in the states, and did the job just fine and dandy.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1213.jpg)
After applying the epoxy, inserting the action, seating the recoil lugs, clamping it, and making sure the recoil lugs are seated, here she is:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1214.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1215.jpg)
And after removing the excess:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1216.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Five/DSCN1217.jpg)
The rifle now sits in the barn, and come 8AM will have had 11 hours of set time. Then I get to try the most fun aspect of bedding - removing the action, while not messing up your stock!
Day 6, morning:
Well, the receiver came out without a problem. Just as expected.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1218.jpg)
Thankfully, the stock released the receiver without a problem - not expected, and pleasantly delightful.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1219.jpg)
I did learn something very important from this. 15+ layers of carnuba wax will work. It is probably overkill, but it does work as a release agent. I also learned that you should NOT be stingy with your application of the bedding compound. If I had applied a bit more, the result would not have been easy to differentiate from a US Arsenal repair, particularly where the recoil lugs engage the stock. However, I did get a good imprint of the receiver pretty much everywhere else, and with a little bit of file clean up and some more scoring with my knife I can bed the recoil lug when I bed the trigger group.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1220.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1221.jpg)
You can see inside the stock on the part closest to the bottom how the compound formed around the receiver, but failed to do so at the top. I also failed to score deeply enough on both sides, so some of the epoxy popped out when cleaning it up. No big deal though. This is easily seen in the top photo, while the bottom photo better shows the rest of the bedding job inside of the stock. Keep in mind that I did NOT mill this stock like the National Match instructions direct.
Next up, we need to get rid of all of the excess bedding compound (fiberglass for auto/marine body work in my case). Excess is easily defined as any that is not smooth and formed. Any lines or clumps, get rid of them. Don't try to crack it out. Yes, this compound is brittle, but it won't break cleanly, so just take your time and file by hand until you're satisfied.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1222.jpg)
Somebody did ask me a question that I think is pretty important - why jigs are vital to bedding the M1 rifle, as compared to say, pillar bedding a 10/22. Let's break down the mechanics and why we need to do this. Below, we have the bare minimum rifle parts we need to verify that the stock isn't dragging, which conveniently will also show why we need jigs.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1223.jpg)
You will see the stock, the barreled receiver, the bolt, the gas cylinder, the operating rod, the hammer, the safety, the trigger guard, the base unit of the trigger group, the pin holding the hammer/trigger guard in the trigger group, the barrel band, and the jigs.
Since the M1 is a gas operated, piston driven rifle that has a bottom mounted piston, we need to make sure there is room for the piston to operate. This gap is shown below:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1225.jpg)
Without a jig, when you rest the receiver into the stock the barrel will rest directly onto the stock ferrule, which we really, really don't want. Therefore, with the barrel band removed, we place the ring jig on the stepped portion of the barrel and insert the receiver into the stock, resting the ring between the barrel and the ferrule. Since this is a ring, we need to make sure that the ring is square to the stock, otherwise the barrel and receiver will be canted in the stock. Do this by butting the barrel band firmly against the ring.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1227.jpg)
Now, for the importance of the next jig. The next jig goes through the safety and outside of the trigger guard. If you take note on the trigger guard, following the vertical surface you'll see a recessed pin. At approximately 4 o'clock relative to this position, you'll see a raised lug. This lug has a mirrored image on the opposite side, and the lugs engage reliefs in the receiver.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1228.jpg)
Big deal right? Well, it's one of the biggest deals you can think of regarding these rifles.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1229.jpg)
Notice how that same lug is now at 6 o'clock relative to the pin when the trigger guard is closed? That caming action is what clamps the action firmly into the stock, allowing for repeatable shooting. However, if we close the trigger guard, then we won't have any tension on the action when we go to assemble the rifle to fire - well, at least not enough to matter. If we leave it open, the trigger group will simply fall out of the rifle. The horseshoe jig keeps the trigger guard partly closed, with the safety on, and allows for the proper amount of tension to be applied to the action during glass bedding.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1230.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1231.jpg)
Now, back to the rifle.
Assemble the bolt, operating rod, and gas cylinder onto the action and lower it into your stock. You should wind up with something like this when you view from the front of the stock:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1233.jpg)
Notice how everything is clear and free? That's why we needed that ring jig. Now we are also going to test for any dragging wood. Simply hold the action into the stock, and tilt the muzzle towards the sky. The bolt should unlock and go to the rear of the receiver. Tilt the muzzle towards the ground, and the action should go into batter. If it does, congrats, you're not dragging anything and your jigs/glass bedding so far has been a success.
We're not done yet though. We did bed the receiver to the stock. We did NOT bed the trigger group to the stock. It would be a waste of time to simply stop here, as the whole concept of glass bedding is to customize the fit of the stock to the receiver AND the trigger group. So, we get out our trusty American made Buck 110 pocket knife, and properly score the stock in the necessary places for the epoxy to bond, while waiting for our last layer of carnuba wax to dry on the trigger group.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1234.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1235.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Six/DSCN1237.jpg)
Then we repeat the same procedure we used to glass bed the receiver, utilizing the same jigs, except that we are now bedding the trigger group. Then we hurry up and wait for the compound to fully cure.
Day Seven:
Well, this is the last step of the glass bedding, then I move on to finishing the stock and verifying that it did not well in length too much from stripping the cosmoline off, washing it, and the humidity in the shed that it's been in for a while. This would come into play and matter with the hand guard units, but that should be a relatively easy fix. Either way, the stock will be sealed to minimize/eliminate this from happening again.
This go 'round I bedded the trigger group to the stock, using the same jigs as used when bedding the barreled receiver to the stock. I learned from my experiences earlier on, and found out that 2 or 3 layers of wax is sufficient as a release agent, and I put on a lot more fiberglass epoxy. This results in more work for clean up, but produces a better end product.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Seven/DSCN1238.jpg)
After popping it loose and cleaning up the bedding work, I test assembled it, sanz hand guards or anything not needed for the tilt test (which it still passes 100%). The entire reason why this project was taken on was immediately apparent. Prior to doing this, the trigger group would fall out when firing if not shimmed with card board the stock lock up was so pathetic. You could close and almost latch the trigger guard with your index finger to assemble the rifle, and it was visually and audibly evident of the motion of the rifle within it's stock.
Now, I have to lay the rifle on the ground and put my body weight onto the trigger guard to clamp the receiver into the stock. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! Some may think that it's excessive, but remember a few things:
1) The jigs used were made with a hammer and vice, so it may not be 100% like the NM tooling, but it's close enough
2) This was my first attempt at bedding a rifle
3) They used mallets to latch the trigger guards when the rifles were new
4) Tight just means that it's staying put in the stock properly!
On day 8, I'll be verifying that all of the wood and the rifle assemble properly, modify what needs modifying, and work on staining the rifle.
I hope everybody had an excellent Independence Day and gave thanks to all of those past, present, and future, who gave us and safe guarded our Grand Experiment in Liberty.
I assembled the rifle today, and everything fits just fine and dandy. The gaps in the wood aren't at the minimum of NM specs, and I didn't glue/screw the handguards to the barrel band and free float those, but I'm not going for a National Match rifle that can't be handled with anything but the utmost care either. So, no sense in doing that.
The NM specs call for 1/64th min gap between the stock ferrule and the lower barrel band, with no binding in the op rod. I've got over .035" of a gap and no binding.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1242.jpg)
The NM specs also call for .005" gap between the forward handguard and the gas cylinder. I've got exactly .035" of a gap.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1241.jpg)
The NM specs then call for a minimum of 3/8" distance between the stock and the trigger guard as the point where definate resistance is felt when latching the trigger guard. I more than meet that specification.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1243.jpg)
With that said, onto wood finishing. I'm using MinWax stain, ironically enough called Gunstock, stain 231 if you're interested in it. I didn't want to go as dark as I generally choose for this rifle, and it was a close call between 231 and Cherry, 235 for my personal tastes. I applied using the foam brushes, let it soak in for 5 minutes, and wiped it down. In 8 hours I'll decide if it needs another coat or not.
soaking in:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1244.jpg)
wiped down:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1245.jpg)
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1247.jpg)
After I'm satisfied with the color, I'll move onto hand rubbing a matte polyurethane finish to seal the wood.
Now for the evening follow up of Day Eight - copper fouling removal.
My rifle has had a serious case of copper fouling. Copper solvent - did nothing meaningful, even after repeated applications, scrubbing with brass and nylong brushes, dry and with solvent, jags, you name it - nothing.
I then decided to buy a 1/8" steel rod when I bought my wood stain and do something about it.
Mixing 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar and 1 part ammonia, I had my secret weapon ready. I inserted the rod into the barrel, centered it, and used electrical tape to seal it and keep it in place. I then hooked up 3 AAA batteries, with the positive lead going to the barrel and the negative to the rod. This causes all of the gunk to go from the barrel to the rod, removing any fouling and heavy deposits. Don't short the rod out inside of the barrel.
Long story short, it works amazing.
The setup:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1251.jpg)(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1252.jpg)(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1253.jpg)
Total cost: $4 and it's useable in any caliber I have, though it'll get a little tight in the .22 cal platforms 8)
After using:
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1257.jpg)
The crud on my hand just from removing the rod.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1259.jpg)
The crud stuck to the rod after wiping it down.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1260.jpg)
First patch.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/Day%20Eight/DSCN1261.jpg)
All of the copper deposits
Gun cleaning for science geeks :mrgreen:
Day Nine:
After the stain dried, I rubbed in 2 coats of a matte finish polyurethane with a light sanding of 220 grit between coats. I did the final assembly of the rifle, and function tested after a proper lubrication of rifle grease on the M1.
Until I get a chance to fire the rifle, this restoration/accurization is at a stand still. Most would call it complete, but let's be honest. No rifle is complete until it's been shot.
So, here he is with his little sister.
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/DSCN1273.jpg)
Excellent walk through, and great pictures!
Be sure to let us know how it reacts at the range. Do you have target pictures from before all this work was done?
Quote from: ItsanSKS on July 06, 2010, 03:45:00 PM
Excellent walk through, and great pictures!
Be sure to let us know how it reacts at the range. Do you have target pictures from before all this work was done?
I wish I did - but I'll put it this way, without shimming, the trigger group would fall out and it would barely keep all of the shots on an 11" square piece of paper.
Well, my buddy Corey and myself got to the closest ODNR range after shooting an IDPA classifier in the morning. Due to the drive time, we had less than an hour of shooting, and we forgot magnified anything to attempt to use as a spotting scope.
Long story short, I shot corrosive British surplus machine gun ammo just to get the receiver settled down in the stock, and shot an AR I recently built as a function test. Literally the moment I loaded an enbloc clip of M2 rifle ammo, the RSO called "CEASE FIRE, RANGE IS CLOSED."
:wb:
The surplus ammo that I was shooting was pretty underpowered, but the group that I was getting at 100 yards with that ammo, and my first bedding job, and just trying to get the receiver settled into the receiver, was SMALLER than the group I first got at 25 yards with the same ammo.
So, this means that I've basically cut my groups by MORE than 75%. I'm happy with that for a start, I can't wait to get it to the range and shoot for groups :D
I took this baby to the range again, and with machine gun ammo was getting 3MOA slung up in prone. I think we've got a winner!
Hey thanks for the pictures and the work. Looks like you learned a lot and made your rifle shoot better. Good deal.
Awesome job, jeep45238!
I am printing this out and adding it to my gunsmithing library. Love the low-cost approach and the courage to jump in and give it a try. Inspirational.
What's your time worth? $50.00 and match legal. http://e-sarcoinc.com/garandstockandhandguardsetsinwalnut-completestocksetwoodonly-1.aspx
For some, that's more than likely a much better option.
However, at the time I did this I was making $93 per week after taxes while looking for a new job (starting the new one on Monday ^:)^ ). So, new stocks just weren't in the cards. I also learned quite a bit more, had a great time doing this, occupied some hours, and put more sweat and tears into this rifle than simple slapping together another AR or changing some metal out on a wood stock.
So, for me, it was worth the time. That said, even if I was making enough money where a $60 stock wouldn't be a problem, looking back on it I still would have done it this route.
Quote from: HPT on July 25, 2010, 01:32:42 PM
Awesome job, jeep45238!
I am printing this out and adding it to my gunsmithing library. Love the low-cost approach and the courage to jump in and give it a try. Inspirational.
Thanks!
Quote from: Old Dog on July 25, 2010, 01:31:13 PM
Hey thanks for the pictures and the work. Looks like you learned a lot and made your rifle shoot better. Good deal.
Correct on both counts!
Great job and write up. Feels good to put more time than money into a project huh? You will remember this every time you take it to the range. Enjoy!!
Quote from: Mudcat on July 25, 2010, 08:57:23 PM
You will remember this every time you take it to the range. Enjoy!!
Amen to that. I have a pile of guns but the only ones that really matter to me are gifts from loved ones (especially those departed) and the ones that I have put my own hard work into.
Pass that M1 along to someone and they will think of you very time they take it out. Maybe even say a prayer for you.
Call me greedy, but I sure don't plan on letting anybody but myself have this rifle :)
Quote from: jeep45238 on July 26, 2010, 08:34:44 PM
Call me greedy, but I sure don't plan on letting anybody but myself have this rifle :)
I don't mean right away. My sons will get all of mine when I pass but I'm in no hurry to make the transfer ;)
#1 was Field Grade SA ordered from the CMP in October 06. It showed up with it's original barrel from December 1944. A nice shooting rifle with what turned out to be a beautiful wood stock after I got it cleaned up.
#2 and #3 where picked up at the CMP North Store in March 07. The idea was one for each of my sons. Another Dec. 44 SA with a replaced barrel (rack grade Greek return a 1953 LMR barrel that was like new) and a field grade Greek return SA made in May 43 with a 1947 SA barrel in like new condition (when you go to the store you can hand pick for barrle condition, metal finish condition, stock condition, etc. - for me the barrel was the important part - replacing the rest is easy for me vs. replacing a barrel).
#4 and #5 were picked up at the CMP North Store in April 07. Two H&R barreled receivers that my youngest son and I had a great time finding/buying H&R parts for and putting them back into "fighting form".
As much fun as they are I can't really justify buying anymore.
There's nothing like an old M1 Garand. Typing this up makes me want to pull a couple out and look them over, wipe them down and put them away again just to handle them. There's nothing like an old M1 Garand.
Quote from: HPT on July 26, 2010, 08:38:47 PM
Quote from: jeep45238 on July 26, 2010, 08:34:44 PM
Call me greedy, but I sure don't plan on letting anybody but myself have this rifle :)
I don't mean right away. My sons will get all of mine when I pass but I'm in no hurry to make the transfer ;)
That could happen - quite a ways before that process is seriously considered though. Need the youngins first :)