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Posted: 8/21/2017 9:09:18 AM EDT
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I picked up my first m1 garand the other day and took it the range yesterday. I greased it with Mobil 1 synthetic grease to garandgear.com's spec. I looked all over town for M2 ball spec ammo but couldn't find anything. I did find Remington corelokt 150gr SP's that I've read are safe to shoot and I cleaned the barrel for lead scrapings after. Which I didn't see any.
About half the time I had FTF's and a light tap would send it home. What's the issue here? Do I need a new op-rod spring? Would M2 ball cycle a gun that corelokts wouldn't? Would a garandgear gas plug fix the issue? Maybe I have too much grease? |
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Make sure the Op rod spring is not binding. A light coat of lube on the spring is all that is needed. Make sure the inside of the Op rod is not filled with old grease. If the Op rod spring is questionable, replace it.
A worn gas system or underpowered cartridges will cause the issue you are experiencing. A loose gas plug or defective clip can cause issues as well. Please let us know what you have to do to get your Garand up and running. |
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Your stock could be rubbing somewhere. Or better said, the action might be rubbing on the stock. I had this problem. Take out the op rod spring, assemble gun. tip front down, tip front up, see if action moves freely. As soon as I cleaned mine up just a little bit, it has run like a top ever since.
But also make sure op rod spring is in spec or just order a new one from Orion 7. And yes make sure it's greased in the proper spots. That is my input for you. It was frustrating at first with mine, but once I fixed that, it has never jammed once after that. Mine was actually not picking up the next round at times because the rubbing retarded the action under firing. |
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The action does move freely. I read that without out the oprod spring the action is supposed to unlock when held up to less than a 60 degree angle. Mine unlocks at about a 30 degree angle.
Garandgear.com said to get a latex glove, spread grease on the palm, then apply it to the spring with your palm. That's what I did. I ordered new clips and a gas plug wrench so I can clean the gas plug and gas port area. I think I'll go ahead and order a new spring as it can't hurt. I'll also just go ahead and order some M2 ball spec ammo as to alleviate that potential issue. I'll order a schuster plug before deer season to shoot the 150gr SP's and be sure of the peak pressure. I'm in my junior year of engineering and left my rifle at my parents house as to not have it any wear near a college environment. So in two weeks I'll be able to try the remedies. Hopefully the new clips, spring, ammo, and clean gas port/plug will fix it |
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There is no reason to buy a new commercial plug if you are shooting 150gr ammo. Your commercial ammo should have functioned just fine in the rifle. You do not have an ammo issue. What length is your spring? I won't be able to measure the spring for a couple of weeks, so i'll just go ahead and order one and replace the original spring when i can. Worst case scenario is i have an extra spring I guess. |
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I do like the thought of the commercial plug for having even a lower pressure than m2 ball with the standard. I won't be able to measure the spring for a couple of weeks, so i'll just go ahead and order one and replace the original spring when i can. Worst case scenario is i have an extra spring I guess. |
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It sounds like your malfs were FTRTB, correct? (Failed to return to battery). And you just needed to nudge it a little?
So yeah, if it's not rubbing then you have: 1. gas system (plug not in all the way, leak somewhere) 2. weak op rod spring 3. not enough lube 4. Aaaaaaaahhhhh.... some other obstruction in the action? bad refinish? barrel bulge? Clips out of spec (this one could be viable). 5. solar eclipse 6. SARS 7. Bird Flu 8. That about covers the serious ones. 
Am I missing anything guys? Where's M1-G when you need him. Wait, I forgot this one: You accidently dropped it in a freezer over night, or you did it on purpose to torture test....... And you know the ole GI fix for that is to pee on it. Just a side note, I used to not care about different pressures, but it's probably wisest to use M2 ball or ammo with approved or spec'd pressure for Garands. But they may be more robust than people make them out to be. I've shot a few hot rounds through mine but I got that out of my system. At least there are commercial manufactures making acceptable rounds now. The core lokts 150 grain probably aren't too far off, but who knows. |
| Mine had a bunch of failures to get all the way into battery back in the 80's. Turned out to be too much grease in the op rod channel. The grease was getting packed in the front of the channel as well as picking up little bits of debris from the surrounding area. Once I removed all the grease it ran great. Now I use just a touch of lubriplate or sometimes graphite powder. |
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Mine had a bunch of failures to get all the way into battery back in the 80's. Turned out to be too much grease in the op rod channel. The grease was getting packed in the front of the channel as well as picking up little bits of debris from the surrounding area. Once I removed all the grease it ran great. Now I use just a touch of lubriplate or sometimes graphite powder. |
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It sounds like your malfs were FTRTB, correct? (Failed to return to battery). And you just needed to nudge it a little? So yeah, if it's not rubbing then you have: 1. gas system (plug not in all the way, leak somewhere) 2. weak op rod spring 3. not enough lube 4. Aaaaaaaahhhhh.... some other obstruction in the action? bad refinish? barrel bulge? Clips out of spec (this one could be viable). 5. solar eclipse 6. SARS 7. Bird Flu 8. That about covers the serious ones.
Am I missing anything guys? Where's M1-G when you need him. Wait, I forgot this one: You accidently dropped it in a freezer over night, or you did it on purpose to torture test....... And you know the ole GI fix for that is to pee on it. Just a side note, I used to not care about different pressures, but it's probably wisest to use M2 ball or ammo with approved or spec'd pressure for Garands. But they may be more robust than people make them out to be. I've shot a few hot rounds through mine but I got that out of my system. At least there are commercial manufactures making acceptable rounds now. The core lokts 150 grain probably aren't too far off, but who knows. I have a new spring and clips on the way as well as a gas plug wrench so that I can clean the gas plug/port and snug down the gas plug to spec. |
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Definitely agree with JJREA and others who've said you might want to install a new op rod spring.
I've done that mod from the git-go on EVERY M1 I've acquired - whether from CMP or elsewhere - and have had ZERO issues as in NONE, whether it's feeding, firing, extracting, or ejecting. I can strongly recommend stocking up on a pack of Orion7's op rod springs. 
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I wouldn't get in the habit of taking the gas cylinder loose/off the barrel. The more you take it off/put it on the more you wear the contact points/splines between the two. A loose gas cylinder will be a problem. I can't remember ever taking the gas cylinder off except to tighten up the splines when I got one that was loose (from the CMP).
Removing the gas plug to wipe it off, clean the inside of the gas cylinder is okay, but I don't do it every time I clean the rifle. If the bolt is going back far enough to pick up the next round from the clip is sounds like you've got the gas. You should still check the gas plug to make sure it's tight. I have several M1's so I just bought a bag of 10 recoil/op rod springs. Sooner or later, they'll get used, if not by me, by one of the kids. |
| The Orion 7 spring is a good thing to do if you do not have the history of the spring that's in there, and you got that covered. There are many great books out there that cover the garand and its greasing. The m1 garand complete assembly guide by Walt Kuleck and Clint McKee is very instructional and excellent photos. Another cool publication is The Fighting Garand owners manual, again excellent information with decent photos. Good luck enjoy your piece of history. |
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I wouldn't get in the habit of taking the gas cylinder loose/off the barrel. The more you take it off/put it on the more you wear the contact points/splines between the two. A loose gas cylinder will be a problem. I can't remember ever taking the gas cylinder off except to tighten up the splines when I got one that was loose (from the CMP). Removing the gas plug to wipe it off, clean the inside of the gas cylinder is okay, but I don't do it every time I clean the rifle. If the bolt is going back far enough to pick up the next round from the clip is sounds like you've got the gas. You should still check the gas plug to make sure it's tight. I have several M1's so I just bought a bag of 10 recoil/op rod springs. Sooner or later, they'll get used, if not by me, by one of the kids. |
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Now you have my attention. What is the issue with Wolff Op Rod Springs? |
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They can cause short stroking, fail to pick up the round, spring is to stiff. Usually doesnt cause any issues with Greek HXP as its alittle hotter but can cause problems with Lake City etc |
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I can agree with the HXP being a "hotter."
While the HXP works great in my M1 Garands if I fire it in my M1917's or 03's the bolt handle is "sticky" and a little hard to lift. It's okay/normal once you start to pull the bolt to the rear, but that first bit of movement of the brass in the chamber is draggy compared to even commercial hunting loads I've shot in the bolt action rifles. |
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I can agree with the HXP being a "hotter." While the HXP works great in my M1 Garands if I fire it in my M1917's or 03's the bolt handle is "sticky" and a little hard to lift. It's okay/normal once you start to pull the bolt to the rear, but that first bit of movement of the brass in the chamber is draggy compared to even commercial hunting loads I've shot in the bolt action rifles. |
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