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Stonecoldchavez

M1 Garand experts - please help

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Hello All-

Yesterday I finally was able to shoot the 1943 M1 Garand I have at Shooters. I had some problems with failure to feeds. I was able to get the en bloc clips in with no problem. No Garand Thumb for me! :)  It would fire the first round and eject it, but would not take up the second round. I was shooting military surplus at first. The RO suggested I try some new stuff. So I went inside and purchased a box of American Eagle 30-06 (M1 grade) ammo.

It was still failing to feed. The guy behind the counter asked to look at my rifle. He was very helpful and seemed knowledgeable. He took my M1 apart and greased all the wear parts again. 

Back out on the range it still FTF.  He field stripped at the range and everything looked okay he said. I am thinking something is amiss with the gas plug or operating rod spring....

What could be wrong with my rifle? Where should I look first?  Any good M1 gunsmith recommendations?

Thanks, 

S. 

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Maybe a problem with your operating rod spring, you may want to replace that. It could also be that your gas cylinder or operating rod end is out of spec (worn)  and that will cause issues with ftf/fte. Other causes could include a bent operating rod, or a receiver that is not straight (common with reweld receivers). 

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#1 I would replace the oprod spring with a known good spring.  The symptoms of a weak spring are sometimes confused with being under-gassed, because you get such high bolt velocity that it skips the second round or will misfeed.  You didn't quite fully explain the details of the malfunction so I don't know if this is more or less applicable.  Is the bolt picking up the second round and failing to feed it because it doesn't have enough "oomph"?  Or is the bolt picking up the second round and it's jamming?  Or is the bolt skipping over the second round completely and returning to battery on an empty chamber?  All 3 scenarios could be considered "the bolt not taking up the second round"

http://www.garandgear.com/m1-garand-spring.html

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/receiver-parts/recoil-parts/recoil-springs/m1-garand-operating-rod-spring-prod38877.aspx

While you have it apart, clean the gas port out with a #47 drill bit.  If the port is fouled, gently spin the bit with your fingers as you clean the port.  DO NOT USE A POWER TOOL OR A BIT HOLDER.  If you're malfunction is from being under-gassed, this is the easy and most likely culprit.  

Most military surplus .30-06, like the HXP greek, the PS/KA Korean, and the LC is as "garand friendly" as factory ammo gets, from a functioning standpoint.  So, I'd rule ammo out of the equation unless you didn't have one of the above "flavors" of surplus.

I would say with 90% certainty, if you did both these tweaks, your gun will run.  The nice thing is, you should do those two things anyways, so it's a perfect starting point.

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Okay, so, you press in a clip, remove hand and first round strips off the clip and chambers, pull (press) trigger, it goes bang and ejects spent shell (so we know the bolt is moving back like it's supposed to and the extractor is working) second round does not get chambered.  Is the round stripping off the clip but not chambering?  Can you chamber the second round by manually cycling action? After the first round pops off, is the bolt open or closed?

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A weak OP Rod spring will cause this to happen. AMMOGARAND.COM has an entire spring kit for like $30. Make sure to grease the spring when you install it. I'd also just check the op rod for tilt, a slightly bent rod can be the cause, but rare.

If you tried different ammo It's probably not that. As someone else mentioned a fouled gas plug could cause low pressure and not allow it to return. 

http://www.garandgear.com/m1-garand-inspection

 

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On 7/17/2019 at 5:24 PM, Scorpio64 said:

Okay, so, you press in a clip, remove hand and first round strips off the clip and chambers, pull (press) trigger, it goes bang and ejects spent shell (so we know the bolt is moving back like it's supposed to and the extractor is working) second round does not get chambered.  Is the round stripping off the clip but not chambering?  Can you chamber the second round by manually cycling action? After the first round pops off, is the bolt open or closed?

That is correct. The bolt closes after ejecting the first round but does not pick up the second round.  The round is not stripping off the clip. Yes, I believe i was able to manually able cycle the gun for the second round. The bolt close after the first round goes off. 

Thank you to everyone who has responded. I will look into a new operating spring and clean the gas port. 

S. 

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On 7/18/2019 at 8:32 PM, Stonecoldchavez said:

That is correct. The bolt closes after ejecting the first round but does not pick up the second round.  The round is not stripping off the clip. Yes, I believe i was able to manually able cycle the gun for the second round. The bolt close after the first round goes off. 

Thank you to everyone who has responded. I will look into a new operating spring and clean the gas port. 

S. 

So did you get s knew oprod spring?

 

Did you do a full spring replacement?

Do not fiddle with the gas hole in the barrel do not enlarge it...  The gas cylinder should be cleaned and bone dry for use...

 

The gas cylinder should also be gauged to be sure it is in spec.

 

Also what enblocs are you using?  Heavily parkerized enblocs can be an issue at times....but your first step, is a compmete tear down...clean and lube...then springs

 

Also ensure you are using m2 ball ammo

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On 9/1/2019 at 6:53 AM, USRifle30Cal said:

So did you get s knew oprod spring?

Yes. Ordered and have a new spring kit. 

Did you do a full spring replacement?

I have not changed anything yet. 

Do not fiddle with the gas hole in the barrel do not enlarge it...  The gas cylinder should be cleaned and bone dry for use...

Will do. 

The gas cylinder should also be gauged to be sure it is in spec.

I do not have the gauge to do that. 

Also what enblocs are you using?  Heavily parkerized enblocs can be an issue at times....but your first step, is a compmete tear down...clean and lube...then springs

Looks like stock metal enblocs. 

Also ensure you are using m2 ball ammo

Yes. I first used surplus ammo, then new store bought M1 specific ammo. 

 

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