I've been down this road before......

The other year I made a deal with another of my club's members and part of the deal was another M1 Garand (and a few bucks, not unreasonable) and rather nice for the total cost. After shooting it and having minor issues with it feeding the first round twice (which may be due to the stock being sanded several times and the fact that it takes little pressure to snap the trigger assembly into place, yet it shot and functioned just fine after the first round if which the charging handle was struck smartly) I decided to try another stock from the CMP. I'm still a'waiting it's delivery.

My choices were to either glass bed part of the action and trigger assembly or try another stock. In my view to glass bed I'd need to first route out a channel underneath the action (not hard for me) and bed that. Allowing just a tad of pressure from the trigger assembly while it cured. Then do the same for the trigger assembly. Voila, tight bedding.

However, the stock was oiled originally. It was sanded with power tools (quite apparent) and then either shellacked or varnished. Or something else but I've not the desire to actually find out what finish is on that stock. The rifle is import marked (on the right side of the barrel just behind the gas cylinder), but from whom is up for grabs as the import marks are impossible to read. Maybe with computer scanning and the proper software it's possible, but I'm not going down that hole. And the stock is weeping oil under the action. So, to glass bed the stock I'd first need to bake out as much of that oil as possible and that would include a re-finish. Thus "changing it's history" and "offending" some. I'm not sure if the stock is birch or another light colored wood, but I'll bet money it's no kind of walnut.

So, it was a new stock or mess with the old stock. I'll be boxing up the "original" stock and using the CMP stock. And let's hope this does the trick.

When I said "down this road before" it was in the context that years ago a close friend gave me a Garand that was just being imported from Korea. It is an H&R and looked like it had been through the entire Korean War. But it shot just fine. But after awhile looking at that lumber which was supposed to be the stock (think of wrapping a rope around the muzzle and driving on a forest service road for an hour or so) I bought a Boyd's National Match stock for it. I was happy for a few months, then looked at the finish of the metal. Sent it off to Fulton Armory for gaging and re-parkerizing. Two replacement parts and it was as if brand new. However there are those that will cry about "damaging history." Maybe so. But I prefer working and meeting standards first. Let the history buff's argue about it after I'm gone.

If it's giving you problems, you have to sort them out. Then the reparkerize as you stated...newish or new wood will make it a shooter. If you were after a collector, it would be a different rifle. Save it before it deteriorates to scrap... The history was probably issued to a half dozen countries as support and then being returned at dime on the dollar. History you can't trace anyway.

I think Steve762 has the correct answer. You have a maltreated - but original (?) stock. So why maltreat it further, when the problem appears to be the not-tight-enough fitting of the trigger assembly. That is the first priority for a fix, and the shimming method would not be making irreversible alteration to an original stock. Shims can be glued into position with a dab of Paraloid B-72 (a.k.a. Acryloid B-72), which is reversible.

Try that first!

1. The first thing I did upon gaining possession of this Garand was to order a new stacking swivel, screw and operating spring from Fulton Armory and replace said parts. And as I've been shooting, repairing, and owning M1 Garand's for about 40 years I'm quite familiar with needing to give the bolt handle a slight whack for the first round. This one requires a hard whack as the bullet tip hangs up and it shouldn't. And yes, I tried multiple clips to include clips produced during the Korean War.

2. If I were to glass bed the stock (which is really impossible to confirm or deny as the "original" stock as it being birch (or possibly walnut sap wood) on an early 1954 SA I'm thinking not) I'd do it myself but not to NM standards. I'd only bed under the receiver and the trigger guard, thus restoring the "original" fit of the action and trigger guard. There are zero cartouches or any other means to place the manufacturer of the stock, but like I said I'm convinced it isn't the "original" stock but a replacement that has been thru multiple re-finishing's.

3. I don't shim anything. The stock works as intended or it is repaired or replaced.

However I did say originally I had two choices. The first was to bed the action only enough to return the fitment of the action to the stock. The second was to replace the stock. As the supposed "original" is out of specification I chose to replace the stock with a new CMP walnut stock. The old one will go into a well marked box and is available to go back onto the rifle at any time as changing a stock is easily reversible, so there would be no permanent changes to anything. I'm all about history, but I'm more for functionality and adherence to the "original" specifications than keeping something "original" with flaws.

Regarding this "--The loose trigger guard in the butt stock because of sanding/wood shrinkage? That will degrade accuracy." It does more than that. It changes the relationship between the action and the trigger guard as the sanding has reduced the dimension between the action and the trigger guard bringing them closer together thus changing that relationship and raising the clip higher in the stock which changes the "sweet spot" that the bullet tip hits upon the action of chambering. I think we can all agree having a loose action can led to multiple problems.

Lastly, I hesitated in starting this thread as I already knew there would be those that say "oh wow, you must keep it as "original" as possible as it's history." Now please explain how changing a stock to return the rifle to it's original specifications and is completely reversible is "changing history." I'll also say that this rifle has all Springfield parts with the exception of the hammer which is a WRA hammer. As is the CMP purchased Greek return Springfield I got from them in 2008, in it's "original" walnut stock and finish.

Edit: This will make me no friends, however I'd like to point out that firearms are a tool, and as a tool it was expected that they be maintained and repaired as necessary. Here's where the "no friends" part come in. "Originality" may be preferred by some, but then you shouldn't shoot it as that wears the tool out. If a person returns a tool to original specifications, that was the original intent. Maybe some people should collect stamps or salt and pepper shakers.

I've checked everything, everything, more than three times, to insure the action and components work "as advertised." I'm pretty sure it's the fitment of the stock. And in a few month's I'll make a report.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steve762

I disagree on the loose trigger group causing the clip to go deeper into the receiver. The clip latch determines the position of the clip in the receiver and its position to the bolt/chamber. The op rod spring pushes up on the loaded clip via the follower. The clip spring in the trigger guard ejects the empty clip. I do not think your loose trigger guard lock up is the cause of the feeding problem since all the feeding alignments are done in the receiver. Inspection of the clip latch & spring may be in order.

---

After peering at the rifle for sometime, moving the parts, and looking how all the parts interface I must admit I was incorrect about the lockup of the trigger assembly to the action and hadn't thought the thought entirely thru. I'll be investigating this further, but I have already looked at most of the issues you mentioned and will proceed cautiously. I will say though that I believe the timing is correct as once chambered it fires the entire clip with no malfunctions and ejects it to Olympic Javelin standards.

Regarding the clips, I'll need paw through a few boxes, bandoliers, and a bag or two to make certain, but I haven't paid much attention before recently.

Edit: After pawing thru a few clips at hand and going thru a bag of about 40 clips (though there are still a few bandoliers to check) so far I've clips made by.....

S - Stanley Works (or SW) New Britain, CT (WW2)

BLM - Barry L Miller Eng Inc Irvine, CA (WW2)

BR-W - Borg Warner Spring Division,Bellwood, IL (Post War) (**Markings also have a single digit 1 through 7 which denoted what press number clips were made on)

SA (Large Letters) - Springfield Armory, Springfield, MA (WW2)

SA (Small Letters) - Springfield Armory, Springfield, MA. Use started 1943 through 50's. Variations include; SA, SA dash over, SA dash over and under, SA dash under.

WEP WEP1 WEP2 WEP3 WEP4 WEP5- Wade Electric Products Sturgis, MI (WW2)

DAQ - Dominion Arsenal Quebec Quebec.....

and about six I'm still trying to read. However at this point I'm willing to conjecture that most my M1 Garand clips are WW11 manufacture or from an approved vendor.

As I see it there are two types of glass bedding for the Garand. Full glass bedding for a NM rifle, or "restoration" glass bedding where a guy can place the action into the stock, draw a line on the stock with a pencil (or a scribe if wanted) and then route out an 1/8 wide, 1/8 deep channel just inside the line or scribe mark. My milling machine makes the straight lines "easy peasy," the radius at the back of the receiver will require some concentration. A little glass bed in the channel, a credit card between the stock and the trigger group (don't lock it up tight), and let it cure. Same thing with the trigger assembly (which is the common bedding procedure for the Garand) and then don't quite lock that up tight. It seems to me that is the least intrusive method to return a stock to original "fitment" and restoring it to service standards. And the most durable if not most accurate.