The last time I took my Garand out to play it had some issues. If anyone can clue me in to the possible cause and cure, I'd appreciate it.
In the first string of fire, the trigger guard popped open. After reassembly, it popped open again several rounds later. I fastened it with a cable tie, and that seemed to work, but then the op rod began popping off the bolt. After this happened a couple more times, I put it away and switched to my FAL.
So, how broke is it, and how do I fix it?
Send the op-rod to have the tab rebuilt http://www.columbusmachine.com/shooters.htm. How tight is the trigger guard lock up? Are the locking lugs on the trigger guard round or worn? You may find your answer here http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/garand/m1.htm
As you close the trigger guard at what point do you feel resistance to closing? I don't like it to be more than about 3/4" before the tab on the back of the trigger guard locks down. If it gets tough with the trigger guard farther open than that I try a different trigger guard or remove a little wood from the bottom of the stock where the trigger guard sits. I've seen one CMP M1 show up (one of those H&R's they put in the new stocks) that was almost 2" off the lock up point when the trigger guard got tough to continue closing. I didn't force it back closed after cleaning/lubing until I got the chance to remove some wood.
Another thing I do (may not be necessary but it make me feel better) is I put a little dab of grease on those locking points where the hooks on the trigger guard lock into the legs on the receiver. Its not a high friction spot like the bolt or op rod but I always like to do everything I can to reduce wear/tear.
Back to the thing about it popping open (trigger guard). It replacing the trigger guard itself doesn't fix it (to the point where you get that resistance to closing at the right place) you might consider adding some shim stock (cardboard will work for your initial trials) under the trigger housing where it sits in the bottom of the stock. Your stock wood may be compressed from years of oil/being clamped (heard of this but none of mine have had this issue in "real GI" stocks). If that's the case you may need to either have the stock bedded (to tighten things up in the wood) or you might find getting a replacement stock to be cheaper than bedding. I shy away from bedding because mine aren't match guns and I like to take them apart to clean/lube them. A stock with bedding in it will get a lot of wear/tear from taking the action out of the stock/bedding a lot.
Good luck with it. They are great rifles. This reminds me. I really do need to pick up a spare op rod or two. Its about the only spare parts I don't have.
Too loose of lockup can make the trigger guard pop open , worn locking lugs can let the trigger guard pop open, could also be a bent trigger guard. A good lock up is when you feel Resistance to closing as the trigger guard passes the bottom of the trigger. The trigger guard should not close with no resistance , a tight lock up is key to accuracy. The factory workers used mallets to close the guard when your rifle was made, some compression of the wood takes place during use and will loosen up the lockup of the trigger guard. Like Old Dog said , it's good to have spare parts for the Garand the longer you wait to get these spares the more the price will go up. I use to buy firing pins for $7.00 now they go for about $25.00.
Wooden stocked M1 and M1A's should be stored for inactive storage with the triggerguard unlatched. This eliminates the possibility of compressing the wood during long term inactive storage.
You may have to apply bedding compound to get the lock down where it needs to be. How to do it is available in the Army TM's and on the internet.
Bedding compound on a stock may make it illegal for some matches. I don't believe storing Garand type actions with the trigger guard closed compresses the wood. shooting disassemble and just knoking the rifle around does more to wear the stock. The Army stored M1s this way, the newer GI stocks that I got from CMP would still lockup pretty tight and they were 50 or 60 years old.
https://www.dupagetrading.com/m1-stocks/m1-stock-sets.html
I see that same info all the time on the internet (errornet??). My M1A was stored for almost 30 years with the trigger guard closed on the original wooden stock. No issues with it, just put the GI synthetic stock on it so I could beat/bang it around more.
All the M1's sitting in the racks at the North Store at Camp Perry when I was up there had the trigger guard closed.
You guys are both right, but the OP has a rifle that the trigger guard and action, is loose in the stock. I don't know how it happened, but it is real for him.
The two problems are related. The action moving around in the stock is dis-mounting the op-rod.
Yes, using using bedding compound will dis-qualify the rifle for certain matches, I didn't know we were talking about making a CMP legal M1.
You can use tooth picks behind the lugs and between the trigger housing and stock to tighten things up. Legal for CMP and cheap and easy to do.
could buy a stock/handguard set from the CMP (or some other vendor). Seems like the new wood costs around $125. Could buy a synthetic stock/handguard set like the Ramline set I put on my shooter M1. You can get those for about $50 on sale.