M1 Garand questions

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October 06, 2017, 01:52 AM

RNshooter

She came today!
Someone show me how to upload some pics!

Bruce

October 08, 2017, 10:51 AM

45 Cal

quote:
Originally posted by RNshooter:
She came today!
Someone show me how to upload some pics!

Bruce

That seems pretty fast turnaround,
What are the chamber and muzzle #'s and rack grade did you get.

October 08, 2017, 12:04 PM

Gustofer

quote:
Originally posted by steel96:
For ammo, you need to use ammo specific for use in an M1 Garand.

I shot standard Remington '06 ammo out of mine for years without any problems.

The biggest gun related regret that I have is selling that rifle. But, at the time, it was either pay the rent or keep the rifle.

October 08, 2017, 06:24 PM

RNshooter

quote:

That seems pretty fast turnaround,
What are the chamber and muzzle #'s and rack grade did you get.

Service Grade. 1+ muzzle. 2 throat.

Bruce

October 08, 2017, 09:00 PM

marksman41

quote:
Originally posted by Gustofer:
quote:
Originally posted by steel96:
For ammo, you need to use ammo specific for use in an M1 Garand.

I shot standard Remington '06 ammo out of mine for years without any problems.

That doesn't mean it was the correct ammunition, rather it's luck and a testament to the strength of the action of the rifle that nothing untoward happened.

steel96 - The civilian '30-06 rounds will make a higher pressure than what the Garand was designed for which makes for greater wear and tear, and possible catastrophic failure. Here's this from the Lyman Reloading Handbook, 49th ed. -

While the 30-06 is an extremely flexible cartridge, shooters loading for the M1 Garand must follow certain precautions. The Garand's gas system is designed around military issue ammunition with bullets usually weighing either 152 or 173-grains. Garand shooters should stick with spitzer bullets weighing between 150 to 168-grains. Round nosed bullets may not feed properly through the M1's mechanism. Moreover, the use of heavier bullets can eventually damage the rifle's operating system. Shooters reloading military cases should keep maximum loads one to two grains below those listed here. Cases should be full-length sized for proper functioning as in any semiautomatic rifle.

If you do want to shoot the higher pressure civilian rounds, it would be a good idea to get an adjustable gas plug for your Garand. Earlier in this thread I posted links to a few different types of gas plugs.

October 08, 2017, 09:07 PM

lyman

quote:
Originally posted by marksman41:
quote:
Originally posted by Gustofer:
quote:
Originally posted by steel96:
For ammo, you need to use ammo specific for use in an M1 Garand.

I shot standard Remington '06 ammo out of mine for years without any problems.

That doesn't mean it was the correct ammunition, rather it's luck and a testament to the strength of the action of the rifle that nothing untoward happened.

steel96 - The civilian '30-06 rounds will make a higher pressure than what the Garand was designed for which makes for greater wear and tear, and possible catastrophic failure. Here's this from the Lyman Reloading Handbook, 49th ed. -

While the 30-06 is an extremely flexible cartridge, shooters loading for the M1 Garand must follow certain precautions. The Garand's gas system is designed around military issue ammunition with bullets usually weighing either 152 or 173-grains. Garand shooters should stick with spitzer bullets weighing between 150 to 168-grains. Round nosed bullets may not feed properly through the M1's mechanism. Moreover, the use of heavier bullets can eventually damage the rifle's operating system. Shooters reloading military cases should keep maximum loads one to two grains below those listed here. Cases should be full-length sized for proper functioning as in any semiautomatic rifle.

If you do want to shoot the higher pressure civilian rounds, it would be a good idea to get an adjustable gas plug for your Garand. Earlier in this thread I posted links to a few different types of gas plugs.

not the action that one needs to worry about,

the gun will shot any 3006 single shot,

it is the pressure curve of the powder that will eventually affect the op rod, as in possibly bending it, or working the action too fast,

October 08, 2017, 10:21 PM

RNshooter

If there is no note on the tag about barrel date,does that mean the barrel is original? Mine is a SA in the 4,000,000 serial number range so I believe that makes it a '53?

I'll upload some pics as soon as I figure out how.

Bruce

October 08, 2017, 10:34 PM

RogueJSK

quote:
Originally posted by RNshooter:
If there is no note on the tag about barrel date,does that mean the barrel is original?

Not necessarily.

You can check the barrel date yourself. Pull the op rod all the way to the rear until it locks open. Then look in the gap between the lower handguard and the stock. The barrel should be marked inside that area with a maker, drawing number, date (month and year), and heat lot number.

For example, the below barrel was made by Springfield Armory in November 1954.

October 10, 2017, 01:39 AM

RNshooter

Barrel says: "SA F6535448 12 53 A208B"
Sounds like this one is original?

Bruce

October 12, 2017, 10:25 PM

RNshooter

Is the Scott Duff book the best reference for post-WWII Garands? I want to learn more about my rifle.

Bruce

October 13, 2017, 05:54 AM

SgtGold

Bruce Canfield has a really good book on the M1 rifle. Scott Duff has two books out there, a red one and a blue one. Together they cover pre/during/post WWII.

October 13, 2017, 06:50 AM

RogueJSK

One or both of Duff's two book set - the Red Book (pre-WW2/WW2) and Blue Book (post-WW2) - is potentially a better choice for a beginner. They're smaller and more accessible, but still have lots of good info.

Canfield's tome is a better book from a purely informational standpoint, being more comprehensive and having the most info, but it's huge and might be intimidating for a beginner.

Whichever history book(s) you go with, you'll also want to invest in Duff's Green Book - The M1 Garand Owner's Guide. It isn't so much about the history of the rifle, but instead goes into detail on things like disassembly, sighting-in, cleaning, lubrication, malfunctions, etc.

October 16, 2017, 09:25 AM

lyman

quote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:
One or both of Duff's two book set - the Red Book (pre-WW2/WW2) and Blue Book (post-WW2) - is potentially a better choice for a beginner. They're smaller and more accessible, but still have lots of good info.

Canfield's tome is a better book from a purely informational standpoint, being more comprehensive and having the most info, but it's huge and might be intimidating for a beginner.

Whichever history book(s) you go with, you'll also want to invest in Duff's Green Book - The M1 Garand Owner's Guide. It isn't so much about the history of the rifle, but instead goes into detail on things like disassembly, sighting-in, cleaning, lubrication, malfunctions, etc.

add Hatcher's Book of the Garand to that list to round it out