Merry Christmas to you all!
I have a Springfield M1 that I have had for several years. It functions fine, shoots well and is as accurate as I expect from a 70 year old gun that has had nothing at all done to it in terms of accurizing.I don't shoot it a whole lot, but would like to now that we have a local outdoor range.
The other day I read something about the "tilt test". I tried it and my rifle failed it. The bolt would go 75% back and then stop. I isolated the bind to just inside the rear of the gas cylinder.
The op rod has a bend (slight)in it in the up and down direction, but is straight with respect to right-left. I does not bind where it goes through the handguard, but has a shiny streak where it has rubbed on the lip of the gas cylinder or the front handguard ferrule and when I pull the bolt back I can feel the piston rub on the side of the cylinder.
Question: Is the op rod bent? Will it hurt to shoot the gun and if it is a problem would I be better off to have a professional straighten it of just get another op rod? (the gun has the usual post-war mix of parts)
Thanks in advance!