First time Garand build and problems –M1 smiths, please help! (very long)

[Gus Fisher]

Brett,

From what point on the receiver did you use to align the barrel? If it wasn't the flat milled out section under the rear sight, that could well be a problem. The top of the front ring of the receiver is NOT the place to put a level or parallel bars.

I've found the very best way to align the receiver is to use a piece of 1/2' or better still 3/4" square stock about two inches long, that has been precision ground on two opposing sides. You lay that block where the rear sight base sits with a ground side down, use a angle finder that is graduated in every degree of 360 degrees and get a reading off that. Then put the angle finder on the gas cylinder with the front sight taken off. (If there's ding on the top of the cylinder there, you have to clear it with a fine file so you don't get a false reading.) There should be no more than one degree difference between the front and rear for a standard barrel. For a NM barrel, there should be 1/2 degree or less.

If after ensuring the barrel alignment is right and the op rod still doesn't slide freely, that isn't all that uncommon with M1 op rods. Many, MANY of them had to be hand bent to work correctly. If you don't know how to do that, then I suggest you send the op rod to Jim Schwarts and have him bend it to the gage.

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[Brett]

Gus,

I used the Badger Ordnance gauges from Brownells. I aligned the barreled receiver with a very tight NIW gas cylinder (no burrs) and using the rear sight flat. I measured the barrel alignment multiple times and am confident it is under 8 minutes from vertical. The NIW op rod passes the tilt test fine in other barreled receivers, but other op-rods (4 so far) fail the tilt test in this particular barreled receiver. So I can rule the op rod out and I'm confident I can rule out barrel rotational alignment, although there may be some less common barrel alignment problem?

Thanks for chiming in,

Brett