Hi Everyone!
I just received an M1 Garand from the CMP yesterday. MY FIRST ONE!!--4-month wait was worth it! It is a 1965 LEAD rebuild with all SA parts. The barrel is crisp and clean and the stock is G.I.
The first thing I did with it was to apply grease in the wear points and inspected the parts for any issues. Lastly, I used dummy-rounds to test feed and function. The gun feeds properly and everything works fine BUT whenever I load an en-bloc, the clip never "clicks" in causing the bolt to move forward. I can push the en-bloc down as far as possible and nothing "clicks". However, it will load when I rest my hand on the op rod, pull the rod back slightly and insert the clip. Then it clicks and feeds the round.
It seems like all the parts are working smoothly and correctly. Any thoughts as to why this happens? Poor en-bloc clip condition? Clip latch?
Note: When I don't have an en bloc in the magazine, I can push my thumb into the magazine and hear the "click" from the catch, sending the bolt forward. This only happens when I put a loaded en bloc in the gun.