FNG questrions about a 308 Tanker

[sobrbiker883]

Good morning folks,
First off, I know that no "tankers" were issued, and are to be suspect.
However, I have one being offered as a trade for a pistol I'm selling and am intrigued.

I have always been interested in having an M1 as a shooter, but stick to mainly 223 and 308 so I haven't pursued the M1's much.

The rifle I've been offered is a 308 Tanker that was bought by the current owner from the Armory of Orange a while back. From the little I've found they were pretty reputable as far as the conversion folks go. The rifle has an IHC receiver, and I don't know much more about it. I understand many of these receivers were weld jobs. This doesn't scare me off too badly, as long as it runs properly and there's no evidence of cracking. I will be bringing a straightedge along...

What little research I've done hasn't dissuaded me from the offer, as I'm not looking for a collecter.

The qustions I have are:
-Does anyone have the IHC draw numbers handy (I'll be much more inclined to trade if the draw numbers are correct, of course)
-Is there any way to tell visually if the 308 is actually chambered or if its a conversion sleeve?
-Any input on Armory of Orange builds?

Thanks in advance for your help, from what I've seen so far it looks like there's a lot of knowledge here. I look forward to learning and maybe even sharing if I happen across something I actuall know about (as opposed to passing along 'net hearsay).

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[garyc]

Three types of drawing numbers on IHC rifles:
IHC D6528290
6528290 IHC
and 6528290 IHC over a single letter.

Garands that were originally converted to 7.62 NATO had a plastic block installed to keep anyone from putting a 30-06 round in them if that helps you any.

Just for info, those short barrelled "tankers' kick like a mule and have a muzzle flash like a barn on fire which is one reason that Springfield decided not to make a short barrelled Garand..also the original tests were not to make them for issue to tank crews (they were mosly issued the 45 cal M3Submachine (Grease) Gun, cheaper to make and took up alot less room than even a short barrelled rifle) but rather for issue to paratroops since there were some complaints that the m1 carbine round lacked stopping power.

The short garands can be fun to shoot but just something to know if recoil is an issue for you.

[sobrbiker883]

Thanks Gary.

I went ahead and grabbed it.
It is a welded receiver, IH 5094200, with the drawing number of D6528291-W. Most of the parts I have bothered to figure out are SA. The barrel is an Arlington Ord 7.62 barrel with a really good looking bore, and it has a Smith Enterprises brake on it.
It does have a plastic spacer in the bullet guide, and op rod looks great (piston head looks almost new). the stock has some dings, but locks up tight.

I did read Scott Duff's input on welded receivers somewhere online yesterday before I went to check it out. I did pull the spring out and the op-rod and bolt slide freely fore and aft when the rifle is pitched up and down within 30* of horizontal.

I'm going to try to get it out tomorrow and try it out. The owner stated that a few times out of the maybe 200 times he fired it it didn't fully return to battery.
I think I will get a Wolff spring made for the "tankers" just to be safe.

[Devil Dog]

I don't have any real issues with the "welded" receiver as long as it was done properly. Of course, I would rather have a "whole" receiver. Be sure there are no cracks and the thing is aligned properly. Most importantly, check to make sure the rifle will not fire when the bolt is not fully closed. There is a "bridge" that is slotted near the rear of the receiver. This slot is designed to stop the firing pin from striking the primer when the bolt is not fully closed. Sometimes, if the welded receiver is not the proper length or aligned properly, this safety feature will not fuction. An M1 firing out of battery is dangerous. Check to make sure yours will not fire out of battery.

[Calif-Steve]

The problem with most re-welds is they normally don't run right. There are added issues with all Tankers and they are most likely to change hands soon. Good luck.

[sobrbiker883]

Well, I got the rifle out this morning and I'm pretty pleased with it.

Out of the 98rds fired I had 3 that misfed-the nose of the bullet became misaligned with the chamber it seems as they were srtipped from the clip (two were nosed to the left of the chamber and one was a stovepipe, but with the unfired round). Other than those issues (and I'm curious if they couldn't be indicative that I should get the Wolf spring made for the shorties) is shot really well.

I got 7/8 rounds onto the black of 200 reduced for 100 target that I shot off a wobbly carpeted block on a bench at 200yds, and was hitting about 60% on 10" plates at 200yds offhand. It zeroes at 200 with 8 clicks up and 3 clicks left of mechanical center.

I ran Portugese surplus 7.62X51 and to my unknowledgable inspection powers I couldn't see any signs of the action or rod getting battered. What should I look for to tell if anything is getting beaten up?

One thing I can say is that the Smith Enterprises Brake is a very effective brake, the shorty feels like a 223 offhand! Its got a heck of a bark, but no teeth to its bite.

Are all enbloc clips very rough parkerizing? The ones the owner gave me are all bone dry and the park'ing is very rough-could this drag be related to the few misfeeds?

Anyway, myself and the two friends that shot it also were pleasantly surprised. Both my friends are 3-gun competitiors and were all smiles and chatting that it would make a great rifle for the "he man" division, it handles and shoots so nicely.

[Griff Murphey]

Rough parkerized clips will give good service but if you like you can polish them with small wire wheels and a Dremel tool. I always try to select my "slicker" clips for match use. You especially want to polish inside. You can do it by hand with steel wool but that's pretty fatiguing. Whether it will actually help the functioning in your "tanker" remains to be seen. A "good" normal M-1 will malfunction once in 500 or more rounds, so your shorty is giving you considerably more trouble than a normal, service grade Garand would be expected to do. Glad to hear it is a good, fun shooter, when it works, and for casual use that frequency of failure may be tolerable to you.

[dryheat]

_shot off a wobbely carpeted block- hmmm, that sounds familiar...let's look at the avatar... yup, Rio Salado!
A tanker is something a "real" Garand fan should own once.
I had the front half of your IHC receiver a couple of weeks ago. I showed up on a SA back. It went back to the previous owner.
I own a tanker now and I like it a lot. I had one once before and it gave me some problems. I sent it back to the co. and they fixed it up, but I sold it shortly thereafter.
They don't kick anymore than a full sized one.
If it isn't going into battery- part of the problem could be that the sharp turn in the operating rod is binding up on the oprod spring. See if the spring slides easily in and out of the orifice. The trickiest part of tankers is the oprod. When it is bent, it should be heated so the metal bends withoout kinking. Of course that brings up heat treat issues.

[sobrbiker883]

Close, it was PRGC......
The spring slides in and out very easily. As I mentioned, I think I'll try a Wollf spring for the shorties and see it that helps.
Its definately a fun rifle that will be a keeper if I can get the little bit of bugs out of, if not oh well.

Since its not a collector, I'm curious about the stocks on these buggers. are the rear handguards the standard length and the front cut down, or are both modified?

[dryheat]

The usual Tanker gets just the front h.g. cut down to a stubby inch and a half. Sometimes it's left off altogether, which I think looks unfinished. I had my barrel machined back at the barrel band so my rear handguard and stock are one inch shorter. I used an Italian 1/2" short stock and took another half inch off it. Now my front handguard is two and a half inches long and it balances out the look.