M1 Garand gunsmith

andreys21 · Apr 29, 2013

I've recently acquired myself an M1 Garand on a trade and I was wondering if someone can point me in a direction of a knowledgable individual who knows a thing or two about these great rifles. I'm looking to have it tuned up and advice on item that need to be replaced. Thank you.

dobeman · Apr 30, 2013

I had a Garand as well. There's a couple of great forums on the internet with people knowledgeable in these guns. Unless it's not shooting correctly or you are having some issue with it, there's not a lot of tuning to do. You could check the headspace with a gauge - purchase online for relatively cheap. Maybe Op Rod Spring. Couple other springs. If previous owner(s) shot a lot of commercial .30-06 in it, that could wear on the op rod itself. There is a plug available to replace the stock gas tube plug that lets you safely shoot commercial ammo.

MountainBear · Apr 30, 2013

dobeman said:
I had a Garand as well. There's a couple of great forums on the internet with people knowledgeable in these guns. Unless it's not shooting correctly or you are having some issue with it, there's not a lot of tuning to do. You could check the headspace with a gauge - purchase online for relatively cheap. Maybe Op Rod Spring. Couple other springs. If previous owner(s) shot a lot of commercial .30-06 in it, that could wear on the op rod itself. There is a plug available to replace the stock gas tube plug that lets you safely shoot commercial ammo.

Unless you are comfortable stripping the gun all the way down, let the gunsmith check headspace. It technically should be checked with the bolt stripped completely (i.e. extractor, firing pin, springs) to give a true reading. The Garand is a great gun, but not really a kitchen table gun. Lost of guns (i.e. Glocks and 10/22's) are great do it yourself, kitchen table gunsmithing projects. The Garand, not so much...

That being said, I do agree with dobeman that if it's shooting reliably, just clean it, grease (not oil) it, and shoot the heck out of it. For user level maintenance, get a hold of either the US Army or CMP manuals. Have fun!

Velzey · Apr 30, 2013

andreys21 · May 4, 2013

Thank you everyone for your PMs and info. I'm not going to get back to everyone so don't be offended, I appreciate it nonetheless. The reason I asked was because the gun did not run well when I took it out the first time. I took it apart, lubed and cleaned ( gun was mostly dry). It runs way better now and I figured out that the problem is the ammo. Euro surplus FN55 headstamp. Lots of duds, late discharges and corrosive to boot. It's feeding and cycling a lot better than than it did now that I cleaned/lubed it. I'm going to get new mainspring and some decent ammo and I figure I'll be ok. Thanks again everyone.

jbett98 · May 7, 2013

There is an alternative to just using surplus ammo.

One is a vented gas plug, but it has to be tuned to the ammo being used. And when you switch to a different manufacturers load, you have to re-tune the vented plug to work properly.

There is a second alternative and that is a ported gas plug that's sold by "Garand Gear".
It's been hollowed out and it allows the gas to build up in the hollow recess until the bullet leaves the barrel, thus dropping the pressure before reaching critical pressures.
Below is some info relating to ported gas plugs.
It's a great site that only deals with M1 Garands, and has a lot of good info.
I have bought one, but haven't had the chance to try it out.

Ported Gas Plug
Price: $35.00

Ask a question about this product

Our custom gas plug has been designed to help you safely shoot commercial ammunition hassle free in your M1 Garand. Our gas plug has a tuned port that delays the operating rod for several microseconds and lowers the peak gas cylinder pressure by over 30%! Unlike a vented gas plug, ours requires no adjustments and is ready to use right away. The gas plug can be installed using a standard 1/4 socket driver!

Our ported gas plug does NOT vent gas like a vented gas plug. The secret is the hollowed out area in the base of the plug which increases the initial volume of the gas cylinder. By increasing the volume, the peak pressures are reduced without the need to vent the gas.
Customer QuestionsQ: Will the ported gas plug work with normal M2 Ball Ammunition? A: Absolutely! The ported gas plug does not vent gas from the gas cylinder. The port decreases peak pressures by increasing the starting volume in the gas cylinder. The total impulse acting on the op-rod is normally within a few percent of a normal USGI gas plug.

Q: Will the gas plug work with low pressure loads? A: This is a harder question to answer without knowing the load being used. If there is enough gas pressure to cycle the rifle with a normal gas plug, then the ported plug should operate correctly. If the load being tested is marginal, the ported plug may not cycle the rifle reliably.

Q: The product mentions the potential for increased accuracy. Can you explain that? A: Accuracy in it's most basic form is the ability of the rifle to remain unchanged from shot to shot. The M1 has several factors inherent in its design that can cause the rifle to move or shift slightly from shot to shot. Forces acting on the barrel can change between shots. If this occurs then the accuracy potential is degraded. The ported gas plug does two things. The first is to delay motion of the op-rod for a few microseconds. (delays the forces applied to gas piston). This helps keep the system more static until the bullet has left the barrel. The second is to reduce how hard the op-rod is forced rearward. This reduces the natural flexing and bending the operating experiences and helps the rifle return to the same state between shots. Recall that accuracy potential is a result of the sum of all the factors acting on the rifle. The gas plug will not make a 5 MOA rifle a 1 MOA rifle.

Q: Will the gas plug work with a gas system that is worn out? A: The gas plug is designed to work with an M1 Rifle that has a gas system that is in spec. That is to say, not worn beyond the normal reject levels. That would be a gas piston with a diameter between 0.5250" and 0.5260" and a gas cylinder that is between 0.5280" and 0.5320". The operating rod spring should also be in spec and not worn excessively and the rifle properly lubricated.

Q: Can I use the ported gas plug on a Tanker or a M1 Garand with a short barrel? A: The ported gas plug is designed to work with a standard length M1 Garand Rifle. A Tanker or short barreled M1 moves the gas port closer to the chamber and results in port pressures that are many times higher then a M1 Garand was ever designed to operate with. The ported design is not suitable for use in this application.

Q: What causes an Op-Rod to get bent? A: There are three factors that can result in damage to the Op-Rod. The first is high pressure in the gas cylinder. The second is binding of the Op-Rod, and the third is poor lubrication. If any two of the these three conditions is present then damage is possible. If the op-rod is binding then the operating rod will flex and bend when cycling until the bind is overcome. This causes the operating rod to flex and damage is possible. Our ported gas plug reduces the peak pressures in the gas cylinder, which in turn reduces the peak forces acting on the operating rod. Always check your M1 for binding by performing the [Tilt Test].