So, an Appleseeder asked me some Garand questions yesterday and figured I'd post what I know/learned. Interested in anyones thoughts on this:
So...on Garands, I pretty much just shoot mine, I am not that knowledgeable on them.
But...
I did get lucky and found a guy named Charlie Maloney (google him), he was an old AMU armorer in the 70s, and actually helped to stand up and train the armorers at Fulton Armory.
He lives just outside of Baltimore, so I brought both my Garands up to him for trigger jobs.
Trigger work can really assist with accuracy issues. Just make sure they are set to 4.5 lbs.
Few things Charlie pointed out to me, and I'll pass em on to you.
1. Only disassemble the rifle annually, every 2 years would be ideal in his mind. Tight lockup on the trigger is a very desirable thing. Everytime the trigger group is removed, it loosens up some.
2. When you do disassemble, NEVER remove the gas cylinder. This affects your zero.....and stuff. He staked mine....a little, and advised that when I go to clean it....to remove the trigger group, and remove barreled action from the stock. Remove OpRod and spring and clean the gas cylinder with a cleaning rod/brush from the rear going forward. You can and should remove the gas plug at that time as well.
3. When installing the gas plug, ensure it is TIGHT!
4. Clean the op rod spring with degreaser, and lightly grease (not too much) the spring.
5. Stacking swivel, should NOT be loose! Tighten that bad boy so it will not move. The movement of a loose stacking swivel can affect your accuracy, harmonics...
When I get done shooting a match....or within a week or so.....I use a plastic device called an M1 Buddy (this fits in where the bolt is, and keeps you from getting M1 thumb while cleaning the chamber. It also acts like a bathtub and catches any solvents preventing them from leaking down into the follower/trigger area.
You can get the M1 Buddy at Creedmoor, and also Fulton Armory....they are cheap.
I use a GG&G Garand chamber cleaning tool. It has an articulating head which is PERFECT for cleaning the Garand's chamber. That is ALL I clean when I am done shooting, the chamber.
I use a chamber brush sprayed with Brake clean, work that in 12 times or so...., then a cotton mop, soaked with brakeclean. NO LUBE whatsoever in the chamber, that causes bad stuff.
If you smoke your front sight, ensure to clean that stuff off, it is corrosive.
Annually, I use a DELRIN Garand bore guide and clean from the muzzle very carefully with Mpro-7 for the carbon fouling, then some Sweets (sparingly) for the copper fouling. I do not remove all the copper...., some should remain for accuracy, IMO.
Grease/Oil points, I use Tetra Gun Grease for it all. James River Armory turned me onto that stuff, and it is all they use for their rifles.
Some other things I do...., ENSURE the front sight allen screw is TIGHT, and also ensure the rear sight is tight as well, the screw on the elevation or windage knob is what I am referring to. You can find what I am referring to online. Rear sights do come loose, and will move your POI thru a string of fire.
Lastly, the forearm, make sure there is some FWD/AFT movement on that. It does need to move. NEVER grab the rifle from the forearm. That will affect accuracy as well. I made the mistake ONCE of grabbing a National Match .308 Garand a friend was showing me at Perry (his rattle/battle rifle) and I grabbed from the forearm, he almost had a heart attack! LOL...., lesson learned. BUT....good habit to get into not grabbing rifle from the forearm.
In a match, I do not use a SLED or a 2 round clip. I have 3-4 known good Enblocs that I use, 8 rounders. For slow fire, I simply place a cartridge on the follower, push down a little with my thumb and load.
For Rapid, I use an 8 round clip, stick it in on the load command, and place 2 rounds inside the clip, push down with my thumb and ensure the bolt overrides the top round.
So...no need for a SLED or 2 round clip. They have caused more jams than they are worth. So....I listen to those that have been doing this a LOT longer than me.
R/
Chris
Great information Chris! Thanks.
Thanks for the tips Chris!
Quote from: navybowhunter on June 21, 2017, 10:55:03 AM
I use a chamber brush sprayed with Brake clean, work that in 12 times or so...., then a cotton mop, soaked with brakeclean. NO LUBE whatsoever in the chamber, that causes bad stuff.
Do you ever get any rust in the chamber after the Brakeclean? That's the only reason I run a CLP or oiled patch through, since I don't shoot my .30 cals often enough, and have no climate-controlled storage. Which reminds me…it's time to check all the bores.
Thank you, Chris,
Some great tips. Amazing what an old dog like me can still learn.
Berk
I have not seen any rust buildup in my chamber using breakclean.
I have been told the reason one does not want any lube/grease in the chamber, is that it can eventually cause a stuck case. The lube/oil gets caked/baked in, and is tough to remove. Can cause cycling and extraction issues.
I used to lube all of my chambers, until I learned that it was a bad thing. If one is storing for a period, I would think a patch wrapped around a chamber brush with remoil or something similar would be a good thing. Just remember to clean it out prior to shooting.
R/
Chris
Another point on the trigger assembly. If you have say something like a James River Armory refurb, or...a CMP special, or anything with a fairly new stock, it will be a very TIGHT fit to get the trigger assembly to lock into place. I use a deadblow hammer to close mine.
But....
When I first received my James River Armory rifle, I took it all apart (noob.....didn't know any better) took pics of all the parts and attempted to catalog/date the rifle and parts.
When I reassembled, I went to the range the next day. My trigger felt like it was a 25+ pound pull! No exaggeration, at first I thought the safety was on. It was not.
What it turned out to be, was when the trigger blade is pulled, there is a piece of metal that protrudes down into the rear of the trigger housing in the stock. I needed to relieve some of the wood there. So...in case this happens to any of you, you now know that as well.
I've only heard of the 25# trigger pull happening maybe once or twice on the M1 Garand Enthusiasts group page of Facebook (an excellent group). It is not that common, but it can happen.
Check my post in the "Skill Sets of Shooting" about front sight focus. The Garand and the M1A/14 are likely the only rifles in existence where one can get feedback as to whether or not they are focused on the front sight. All the info on this is in that post.
REPLY #6 in this thread is germane to the M1 Garand:
https://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=50101.0
R/
Chris
(http://app6.websitetonight.com/projects/3/3/4/7/334729/uploads/M1Thumb.gif)
Couple Pics of the items mentioned above.
I've got and like the muzzle guide. Their ar one works from the muzzle (with an a2 flash hider) or it also fits perfectly in the upper receiver so you can clean from which ever end you want.
deleted post body.
Going to Talladega this Friday, no problem with 25 or 100 yards. But what are the starting "come-ups" from 100 to 200, to 300, to 600?
Quote from: Scout706 on August 14, 2017, 03:36:18 PM
Going to Talladega this Friday, no problem with 25 or 100 yards. But what are the starting "come-ups" from 100 to 200, to 300, to 600?
100-200... 2 MOA
200-300... 3 MOA
300-600... 11 MOA
These will get you on paper.
Have a great time at Talladega - it's Candyland for an Appleseeder!
A few more items....
A month or so ago, I had the opportunity to shoot a Garand match with one of the Garand Collector Association's (GCA) directors. Mike Bernazzani. Good dude and my man definitely knows his Garands!
We settle down in our hotel room, and get to chatting. Wasn't long before Mike asked me to show my Garand to him.
This is my Springfield (James River Armory) refurb. Trigger was good, everything was getting the "nod" from my friend Mike.
Till we got to my front and rear sights! LOL
Now...., 2 yrs or so ago, that Armorer I mention in the original post did a trigger job on my Springfield and also my HRA (CMP special). I asked Charlie Maloney which one I should shoot in competition. He said without any reservation the HRA....but never did tell me why, or .....I simply did not hear him.
Mike pointed out that on my Springfield the EARS on the front sight were significantly WIDER than his. HMMM......also my rear peep, the hole he said is larger than the Lincoln Tunnel!
On my HRA the ears on front sight are tighter (closer together) and the rear peep is smaller.
They are BOTH legal for as issued JC Garand matches...., but obviously the sight alignment on my Springfield makes life a little more difficult.
SO.....HRA for me next season...., and I will likely be replacing my front sight on the Springfield to get the tighter ears. Same with the rear peep...., maybe use JB weld....and fill hole....or buy one with a smaller apareture.
Little things one may never notice unless you get a chance to do show and tell with some of the better Garand shooters in the nation.
R/
Chris
What's the purpose/gain of using tighter ears?
The purpose/gain of slimmer ears, coupled with a smaller aperature, is a tighter more easily managed "sight picture", which should translate to tighter groups on the target.
R/
Chris