kman

Very interesting, apparently there is a specification for the angle of the follower which is supposed to be checked during a rebuild or service. See Figure 36 of this manual, on page 44 of the manual (p. 48 of the PDF): http://stevespages.com/pdf/m1_garand-tm9-1275.pdf I have not checked my old follower for angle yet, but will tomorrow. The old follower is so worn where it bears on the receiver that it wiggles around anyhow, can't maintain a consistent angle in the first place. I went to Sarco today and bought a new follower to make damn sure that I got a good one. Makes sense - the follower and the enbloc clip are the two things that aim the cartridge at the chamber. If the cartridge is missing the hole when going forward, then it has got to be that either the follower or the enblock are aiming it incorrectly.

I'm just going to get the parts anyhow. It's $11 in gas to go to and from Tony's house each time, so I spent $22 today on gas alone, not to mention time and semi-frustration - both times I went there he told me that these guns are beasts and sometimes they just don't work even when everything is right, and he made some sort of analogy to remanufactured tools. Doesn't really make sense. He seems like a nice guy and was polite, but I went there twice and he didn't even look at the follower and etc., even when I asked specifically about the parts in the action. Maybe it is an Italian thing, I'm supposed to argue with him or something. I'm not interested in arguing people into doing what they are supposed to do, I'd rather just bypass that nonsense and do it myself and learn something. Especially my elders. I can't argue with the guy, he's like a grandpa. It's not respectful in some way. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. In the end, it just makes sense to get new parts anyhow. Suppose I argue with him and he puts some worn old part he got out of another Garand in there and it works for a bit and then starts causing problems again. Then I didn't do myself a favor at all. I can't stand guns that malfunction. Some people say only accurate guns are interesting. To me, only reliable guns are interesting. Jam-o-matics are just frustrating, I get rid of them if they can't be fixed right and relied upon thereafter.

Looking up parts, looks like I can get these items at Sarco in Easton next time I am out there, at a decent price too. Can anyone recommend any other parts to pick up while I am out there? I already have the complete spring kit from Orion7.

Thanks Nick, that's good information. You are definitely right, I am learning how it works at least, regardless of anything else. I relieved the stock and it was binding less but still binding even though I relieved it a lot, so I called Tony and went back to his place again today to see if he could find what else was binding. He showed me that the binding that was left was actually the bolt pushing the hammer down, which is normal. Even so, the rifle was binding on the wood too before I started grinding the stock today, so I am glad I relieved it more. Probably less likely to jam if dirt or mud gets in the action with more clearance anyhow. However, Tony still didn't look inside the action itself for worn parts. I'm not the type of person that likes to argue with someone, if that is Tony's idea of service then I guess we all just know it then. I like to fix stuff myself anyhow. So I got home and looked the thing over more closely and I can see that the follower is very loose in the action, it can tilt in the slots more than I would think it should. So that definitely is worn out and needs to be replaced. I'm looking at the book "The M1 Garand: Owner's Guide" by Scott Duff, and he says on page 87-88 that most of the time it is the bullet guide, follower and follower arm that is a problem. That corresponds with what Nick says. So I am going to see if I can find these parts for sale and buy new ones and put them in and see if I can make this rifle jam free. Nick I might need to see you sometime if this doesn't work. Is Mastodon Ammo and Camo your place?

I just tried the tilt test at home with the stock on, and the bolt wouldn't move. Looks like it is binding on the wood stock. This might be it! I have to say, why didn't the Garand Guy do the tilt test with the stock on when I was there at his place today? Or before he sold the rifle in the first place, for that matter? Looks like I might have found the problem. Any advice on sanding this wood down? I'm just going to use sandpaper and a wood block, and sand it down a little more than necessary so I can put some boiled linseed oil on it.

I just got back from the Garand Guy's house, he invited me over to look over the rifle. First, he ran an en bloc clip of 8 dummy rounds through the action manually, and it didn't jam. Next, he put in a clip gauge and it locked in, confirming the en bloc retention was correct. Next, he gauged the gas tube and the gas piston, and they both gauged OK. Then he put the gun back together and said that it must be the ammunition. I asked him to do the tilt test, and he did that but not with the gun together (with the stock off). The op rod went fully back and forth when he titled it vertical each way. He said it's the ammunition, not strong enough. I asked him if it could be any of the moving parts in the action, he said nope. He said those things are always good, no point looking in there for any problems. End of the story, it is weak ammunition according to him. So that is what he said. Really, it is good to know that the gas items gauge correctly (since I don't have the gauges) but I find it really unbelievable that none of the moving parts back in the action could possibly be out of spec, worn out, bent, or otherwise in need of replacement. Either he wasn't interested in even looking at these parts when he had the opportunity to, or he doesn't know enough about them to really evaluate them. I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't know anything about them given his experience and reputation, but what other reason would there to be for him to dismiss the notion of even looking inside the action, at the follower, at the bullet guide, etc., other than he really doesn't know enough to diagnose the problem there? Unless he's out of spare parts or something and doesn't want to order any new parts? Anyhow, being as these rifles are mass produced to specification and the parts should be interchangeable, can anyone recommend any likely parts in the action that would cause feeding issues, so I can just order new/surplus ones and replace them myself? Based on his "inspection" today it looks like he doesn't look over these parts in the action whatsoever when he is "rebuilding" garands, so any part that is likely to be worn in the action of these guns are probably due for replacement anyhow. I have to say I am disappointed since this is the reason why I didn't go for a CMP Garand in the first place, because I wanted something that was already fully vetted and brought up to spec. Kind of boggles the mind to think that someone would just basically assume internal action parts don't wear out, especially in a gun that was manufactured nine months before Pearl Harbor. Any suggestions for parts replacement? I'd rather just order parts and replace than go through the pain of going to the range and back over and over again replacing one after the other. I get to the range so infrequently that I'd just rather replace a bunch of parts than methodically determine which one is bad, which would take forever. Chances are anything in there that is likely to wear out has already worn out and needs replacing anyhow. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all your help and comments and offers for assistance! I'll see what the Garand Guy will do when I bring the gun to him on Wednesday. As I think more about it, if the Garand is that finicky over enblocs and "weak" ammunition (ammo that nevertheless passed the military's inspection back in 1969 and was speced for machine guns can't be that weak, can it?) then that doesn't speak too well for the Garand. It is my understanding that a Garand set up right is pretty damn reliable. That's why I wanted one. It's gotta be timing or something, some part or other that's inside the action that is off. I did change the oprod spring, with an Orion7 one, and it didn't help. I have the whole spring kit, so eventually it looks like I am going to change all the springs out, although I don't think any other spring would have an effect on feeding. Hopefully the Garand Guy will be able to solve this. I will let you all know how it goes. If he can't help me, maybe I can meet up with one of you at the range sometime and buy you lunch or trade some ammo or something so you can look at it!

I remember Nappen saying someone got convicted of a felony for ONE loose hollow point .22 bullet police found in the car. Now that was pre-Heller and McDonald, but still I dont take any chances. .22 hp ammo is only in my car when I am going to the range. Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

I don't know, it could be. Think about it, sometimes it doesn't feed a round at all, which means potentially the bolt didn't make it back beyond the rim of the next cartridge before it started going forward. And when it does mis-feed a round, could be the bolt made it back just that far, but not far enough back to have any momentum going forward, so it can't ram the round home over the resistance of the feed lips with authority, and it goes forward crooked. I'm just speculating here, but I can see how a consistently weakly loaded round could malfunction in this way. Momentum is why the Kalashnikov action is so damn reliable - you look at that bolt, it goes waaaaay back and beyond the magazine before it starts going forward again - by the time that bolt gets to the next round when it is going forward, it's got plenty of momentum and isn't stopping for anything and is going to feed that next round "or else".

Just spoke with him, I'm going to bring it to him to look at next week. He said something interesting, he asked if the Lake City 1969 ammo I am using is delinked machine gun rounds, which they are. He says these rounds are usually weak and that might be the cause - not enough power to operate the gun. And I do notice in shooting the same ammo through my bolt guns that the recoil is reduced. So it could be just an ammo issue. I need to get my hands on some garand safe ammo to try that out. But he says he will check the gun out anyhow if I stop by. Anyone know if garand-safe 30-06 rounds are available anywhere? Cabelas?

If we are talking about 'should have' then Martin should have informed Zimmerman that he was staying with his family there at Unit Number XXX, and therefore was a guest of a member. That would probably have been the end of it. Dont forget this is not a public road, Zimmerman is more than simply 'neighborhood watch' here. He was a member of a private community. Private property-streets, sidewalks all privately owned. As a member, Zimmerman was entitled to inquire the bona fides of people on the property. If someone is in your backyard, are you legally forbidden from asking that person why they are there? Are you required to call the police into your backyard and have them ask? Is that what everyone is saying here? That a 911 operator's phone instructions as to what you are allowed to do on your property must be obeyed immediately and without question? If this was a public street it would be an entirely different thing than it is. Unless it is illegal for an owner to patrol their private property. In which case, we really are living in a police state. Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

Right and neck sizing is only if you are shooting it in the same exact bolt action rifle that you fired it in the first time. The lee reloading manual is a good read it explains everything I recommend you read it first before doing anything. Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

I go to Easton now but back when I went to Ray's and The Bullet Hole all they required in terms of paperwork was cash. Times have changed I guess. Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

Another dimension nobody talks about is that it was a gated community. It was not a public street. Private property for member shareholders and invited guests. Every member is entitled to inquire if someone on the property is a member or there with permission of a member. Even if Martin was minding his own business, as he was present on private property he was not entitled to be left alone but was required to respect inquiries of one of the property owners as to whether he had permission to be there. And Zimmerman as a member of the private community was entitled to make that inquiry. Martin was either unaware of this or didn't care. It pays to be polite to strangers to avoid misunderstandings. Police are invited guests on private property. It is a ridiculous notion that you have to call the cops before you ask someone on your property what they are doing there. Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

I remember a few years ago you could buy from Ebay a magnifier that was basically an east german surplus optic that had a reticle of various tanks on it (so you could estimate range to a tank by fitting the tank in various sized spots) that was used on an anti-tank weapon to estimate distance from a tank. Basically you could use it as a high quality magnifier if you were willing to ignore the tank drawings on the reticle. I bought one and still have it and never used it (since I never got anything for it to magnify). Anyone else use something like this as an affordable magnifier?

Nobody's considering what weapon selection is going to give you the best shot of prevailing in front of a jury should you survive the encounter and the home invader be shot. In this state, that is a huge consideration. The more "tacticool" your tool looks, the less slack a judge and a juror in this state is likely to give you. Hence the appeal of a wood stocked shotgun or an ordinary handgun, and the peril of using an AR (which the prosecutor will call an "assault weapon") and looking like some sort of Rambo character when you are being indicted, arraigned, facing a preliminary hearing or put on trial or seeking an appeal of your conviction. Since it is a factor, this consideration ought to be weighed in making your decision.

I picked mine up on May 15th after an 18 day wait.

My god I just checked my phone, and he did call me back, on the same day in fact, he just didn't leave a message and I missed the call and I didn't recognize his phone number. So it's totally my bad here. Thanks for your help everybody, I'll call him again.

One other thing to keep in mind is that chiropractors themselves might be doing different things. Within the chiropractic profession, there are completely different philosophies and disciplines on how to adjust the back. There are many ways to skin a cat, and many ways to adjust a back. So you take one chiropractor, he might do things completely differently than another chiropractor would. The good ones are the ones that continuously improve their technique as they practice, until they are really really good, until they work out their own technique to perfection. The bad ones are the ones that just pop the back like they were taught in school and try and sell you something.

If it's just the clips that would be great. I just bought some old surplus ones on ebay, hopefully these will work good.

The en blocs I have are very tight - very hard to get the last round in, perhaps that is it. The jam is usually near the end of the magazine too. I have no frame of reference as to how tight they should be since I never used these before. Where did you get good enblocs? I'll just buy a new batch and try again. Can you recommend an online site where you bought good ones?

Two problems: 1) Cartridge gets jammed to the side so instead of feeding into the chamber the bullet tip gets jammed to the side with the bullet jammed where the chamber meets the receiver, and the primer end hard against the bolt. 2) No round feeds at all (chamber found to be empty after rifle doesn't fire even though clip still has rounds) That's why I am thinking maybe the gas cylinder or the gas piston is worn out - not enough oomph to get the bolt back far enough to ram the next round into the chamber with authority (or not far enough to engage the round at all). I notice sometimes when I cycle the slide the op rod hangs up when it is near the cut-out where you pull it out when you take the gun apart - like when I pull back and have a little force pulling out also. When that happens i push in and down on the handle to free it. Is that normal? I've been meaning to do the "tilt test" but have not done that yet. Think that this is a test I should do?

Using the enblocs that came with the gun, and some others that have the same stamp I bought from Dillon - stamped "AEC 3" which according to Dillon are made by the same company (on the same machines) that used to make them for the government. I read that sometimes the enblocs have parkerizing too thick or too dry so I put some rem oil on some (and wiped them off so no excess) and on others I used emery cloth to take some of the parkerizing off. Still jammed. Shooting Lake City 1969 surplus 30-06 so should be the right ammo. The op rod spring was really worn when I took it out, the circular wire on the coils was worn flat where it rubbed on the channel in the op rod - perhaps there is another spring in there that might need to be changed? I was looking at some tables on some Garand websites and read it could be a bunch of parts in the action (bullet guide, etc) but I don't want to just go ahead and order a whole bunch of parts at random. I'm assuming that Garands are reliable when they are put together right - my prior experience with semi auto rifles are SKS and Saiga, and those never jammed at all, so I'd appreciate if someone could confirm to me this Garand will be reliable once it is set up right. This damn thing sure is accurate, those sights are fantastic.

Yup plug is on tight. With the new op rod spring in there, all I can think of is either the gas cylinder is worn beyond spec, or some other part in the receiver is worn out. I hope that his wife is OK, if that's what it is I can wait, family comes first.

Just writing to see if anyone has any recent experience with the Garand Guy. Reason being I bought a Garand from him in January, and it keeps jamming. I took it to the range four times, tried cleaning and regreasing it, tried a new op rod spring to replace the old worn one, and it still jams at least once for every clip of 8. Since his Garands include a guarantee, I figure he will be able to make it work right. Should be easy for him, probably a part needs to be replaced. I emailed the Garand Guy three times, and left a message on his phone number. Email and phone number are what I got from his website. He never replied to me. Before I get mad, I just want to make sure that god forbid he doesn't have a medical issue or something. I hate to think that he sold out his inventory with the current high demand and is just giving up on the business. Because I have a $1000 jam-o-matic right now. Anyone have any info?