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Got my M1 today, what a thrill, made in September 1944, at least the receiver was. The rest are refurbs, but...the front part of the stock, that covers the top of the barrel is loose...rattling....should I be freaking out? What can I do to fix it?
Other than that, wow, what a rifle and so heavy!
Holy crap, I can't imagine what it was like lugging this beast around with a full ammo load out!
Thanks for the help bros.
Hurry, I'm kind of worried.
Just got my first M1 Garand today, receiver is in superb shape, made in Sept. 1944. The rest looks great, but....
The front part of the stock is wobbly/rattling...make sense?
Anything I can do to fix it? Should I be freaking out?
Would appreciate some advice guys.
Help a brother out.
Bueller? Bueller?
Come on guys....I'm dying here.
I'm not a Garand guy, but all of mine wobble and rattle a bit too. :lol:
When I asked an expert, he told me they're designed that way and need to be a bit loose. If it's tight, it can cause accuracy problems. I've shot them and never had any problems with them.
Regards,
Doug
Ok, thanks brother.
I can't wait to get some rounds down range with this thing.
I really can't believe I'm holding in my hands a piece of history ... an example of the weapon that helped win WW II.
My uncle carried one of these into action at the Battle of the Bulge, where he had his leg blown off by a German "shoebox" mine.
You guys can understand what an emotional moment it is to have this in my hands.
God bless America!
You're welcome... :)
Check the "sticky" threads at the top of this forum, for some excellent contemporary government videos on how to shoot and handle the Garand. :thup:
Regards,
Doug
Check to see if your gas cylinder lock is tight. Turn it in as far as it will go and then turn it back out untill it lines up correctly. Some handguards are a little loose, some say it affects accuracy. One of my Garands has a handguard that is a little loose but it doesn't affect the accuracy much, the rifle still shoots better than me. Changing the gas cylinder lock or the front handguard may help. Either way it's not a problem I would consider costly or serious, if it bothers you it can be fixed. I'm sure others will chime in with more help.
Thanks, I do need all the help I can get.
These guys are right. You will have a bit of movement in the upper handguard. Don't worry about it. It's not like the 1903 that's solid from one end to the other. If it's tight when the heat expands things the wood can split from the ends. It shouldn't flap all over the place but a little movement is OK. Just shoot it for the time being and eventually you'll run across someone that can examine it for you. We can guide you through the things to look for over time but there's a lot of info so take little bites.
In fact, it needs to be slightly loose so that the expansion doesn't cause problems with inaccuracy. If it is too tight, you can watch the pattern "walk." By the way, except when you are using the bayonet, :cool: you don't want to handle the rifle by the upper guard.
Bob
"I can't wait to get some rounds down range with this thing"
Don't know your age or experience, but if you came up on the .223 Mouse Guns, be prepared for a blast when you shoot .30-06! Get a good spot weld and don't get your face too close to the back of the receiver :)
Not to worry, I have been shooting the Mosin-Nagant M44.
What did you mean by "spot weld"?
Your face postition on the stock comb.
"I can't wait to get some rounds down range with this thing."
Don't know your age or experience, but if you came up on the .223 Mouse Guns, be prepared for a blast when you shoot 30-06! Get a good spot weld and keep your face away from the rear of the receiver :)
I've put photos up on Flickr of the M1 field stripped, here is the link.
Amsdorf, one thing that will help you considerably is to purchase a few books. I would start with Duff's Red Garand book. It is about the best you'll find. Great read! Canfield's book is another one. Not as good as Duff's but it has a lot of photos. Welcome again and have fun!
Stock looks birch or beech which is typical for rebuilds. The front parts look wanut. You can probably find a used one here that will match. The rear sight is the latest and the follower is later type too. Op rod is also late. Doesn't look to be anything unusual here and as a shooter it will serve you well I think. Now, cartridge belt and bayonet. Clips.
If you are a righty, your right hand grips the small of the stock and your thumb is next to your face... press your cheek against your thumb between the knuckle and the joint. Your cheek bone should be between the two hard points and just above them. Press hard so that when the gun recoils, your head will simply rock back with it. A poor spot weld will allow the rifle to recoil and hit your face. I saw lots of recruits with broken eyeglasses and bloody noses :)
Ah, gotcha. Thanks, I definitely would not want my first session with my M1 to end in a trip to the emergency room for this problem.
---------- Post added at 02:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:00 PM ----------
Clips, ammo and cartridge belt on order from/with CMP.
ETA? Not sure.
Oh, and a few hundred rounds of Greek ball ammo.
Everyone here is correct, out of the 23 garands I have there is movement in the front hand guard on all of them, including my type 1 and 2 national matches. As for the accurracy, it can and will be effected if the hand guard is to tight or to loose. If its to tight the harmonics of the barrel are thown off as its not allowing the barrel to flex and move the way it wants. To loose and it will rattle the end of the barrel during firing and can move point of aim easily. They learned the same thing about the cone flash hider seen on M-1C's. As long as the gas cylinder is snug, and the gas lock is fully turned to its proper position you will be fine.
Gastraps makes some very good points here Paul. I've seen barrels with muzzle wear that would swallow a gauge and still shoot great with all else right.