New (To me) M1's

[pendennis]

My first post-introduction post.

After not owning one for years, last week a purchased two Springfield Armory M1 Garands, both produced in 1943 -

• The first is a Boyd laminated-stocked Springfield Armory, built in December 1943. In March 1966 it was rechambered to 7.62mm NATO for the Navy (my first US Navy qualification was with a 7.62mm M1).
• The second is a Springfield Armory, built in July 1943, and rebarreled at Springfield in September 1951.

The 7.62mm version shoots beautifully at 200 yards. Off the bench I was able to to shoot 93-3x, after not shooting open sights for years.

The one in .30-06 doesn't shoot nearly as well. At one hundred yards, on the bench, the shots rambled only within the 7-ring. I used some Lake City ammo, and also some Korean-made 150gr (I didn't expect much from it). However, neither would group all that well. I just finished scrubbing the bore with copper and powder cleaners today. I suspect, wthout having it tested yet, that the muzzle may have some excess wear. If so, I may end up having this one rebarreled. Since I bought it as a shooter, and only paid $450 for it, a new/better barrel would not bother me, cost wise.

I'm heading to the CMP store at Camp Perry in a few weeks, so I may just look at a barrel there, and have one of the local M1 guys install it, if I buy one. Before buying, does anyone have any knowledge on the CMP barrels?

In the mean time, are there any other user-friendly things to do?

Information

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[ww2farmer]

Just a friendly F.Y.I. on the barrel dates, that is the month the barrel was made, not when it was installed on the rifle. If the barrel on your rifle reads SA 9-51 it was made at Sprinfield Armory in Sept. of 51. It could have been put on the rifle in Oct of 1951 or July of 1955, or December of 1968.....or pick any other date from now back to sept of 1951. IT also could have been rebarreld at SA, or Anniston Army Depot, or Rock Island Armory, or another US military facility, or perhaps even in Bob's basement.

Have you checked the muzzle wear on a good MW gage? I would do that first before just assuming the muzzle is shot and rebarrel. You may find the muzzle is ok, but you need to tighten up some other area of the rifle , like the stock, or gas cyl.

[Kirk]

A tight fitting stock is as important as a good barrel for good accuracy.

Unlatch the trigger guard and, with the left hand holding the stock & action together and with the right hand grasping the rear sight, push/pull the action fore & aft. If there is any play, the stock is loose & accuracy will suffer.

Check these other parts to make sure they are tight:

Front sight
Gas Cylinder
Trigger guard, when latched.
Lower band
Rear sight cover & aperture

Check the crown to see if there are any dings or other damage.

[Devil Dog]

"I suspect, wthout having it tested yet, that the muzzle may have some excess wear."
You can do a quick muzzle check with one of your L.C. rounds. Insert the bullet into the muzzle and observe how much bullet can be viewed. 1/4" is great, zero is bad. Anything under 1/8" will probally have accuracy problems.

[pendennis]

Thanks, Devil Dog. I measured using a LC round, and it came out to a shade over 1/8". That would be marginal. I'm taking it to a local guy tomorrow, and he'll use the gauges on it to confirm.

"I suspect, wthout having it tested yet, that the muzzle may have some excess wear."
You can do a quick muzzle check with one of your L.C. rounds. Insert the bullet into the muzzle and observe how much bullet can be viewed. 1/4" is great, zero is bad. Anything under 1/8" will probally have accuracy problems.

[Devil Dog]

It will probally gauge around a three. A three is not "death" as some threes will shoot quite well. Listen to what Kirk says above. He is right about stock fit.

[pendennis]

I finally got to the gunsmith today. Here's what was found:

• Throat erosion - .006"
• Muzzle erosion - .003"

According to the gunsmith, the throat erosion should not exceed .010", and the muzzle should not exceed .004". If his specs are correct, then the .30-06 rifle is within spec.

One of the guys at the range had a throat gauge, and we measured the throat at 2.5.

This past weekend, I used Hoppe's Copper fouling and powder fouling solutions again, giving the bore a second good scrubbing. I also checked the trigger group, lower band, front sight, and gas cylinder. All were snug.

The accuracy did improve. Even the Korean stuff did okay. Shots were holding in the 8-ring with no problem.

A new barrel is on order from CMP.

Just a little aside here. I've been shooting more rifle and pistol/revolver lately. My other rifles all have scopes (DPMS LR308, Olympic Arms AR15 match target, Remington XR100 in .308, and Kimber 82G). It's surprising how much of a switch it is to go from scopes to GI sights. It also helps to use the proper target. I tried using a B52 (600yds reduced to 200yds) at 100 yards, but the bull was too large, and my front sight tended to wander a bit. When I moved out to 200 yards, the target was easier to sight.

Thanks for all the help so far.

[mdoerner]

Just out of curiosity, what's the s/n of your 12/1943 rifle? Mine is 2264XXX. Just wondering if yours is close to mine.

Mike D

[pendennis]

Just out of curiosity, what's the s/n of your 12/1943 rifle? Mine is 2264XXX. Just wondering if yours is close to mine.

Mike D

Mike, mine is 2223xxx.