U. S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 Garand Overview

Mr. John C. Garand developed the Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 which was adopted as the standard shoulder weapon of the US Army in January of 1936, and soon after by the U. S. Marine Corps. The M1 Garand replaced the bolt action M1917 widely used by the military as the primary shoulder weapon. The 30-06 Springfield cartridge is the interchangeable ammunition used between the two weapons. My introduction to the M1 Garand was in February of 1952 as a US Marine during the Korean War.

I was quite amazed at what I saw in this 9+ pound, 43 inch rifle. Overall balance was quite good. The peep rear-sight and flat top blade front-sight served our sighting needs perfectly. The Garand semi-automatic rifle is gas-operated and uses an en-bloc style clip holding eight rounds of 30-06 Springfield ammunition. A small amount of gas passes through a port at the muzzle into a cylinder, which in turn initiates action of a springloaded operating rod.

The operating rod, from below, extends backward engaging the bolt. Rearward thrust rotates and opens the bolt, pushing it fully rearward as it extracts and ejects a fired case. At the same time the firing mechanism is cocked. On termination of the bolt’s rearward thrust it is immediately carried forward by the spring-loaded operating rod, chambering another round from the clip. When the last round is fired and ejected, the clip is ejected upward leaving the bolt in the open position ready for anew clip of ammo.

Operation is very smooth and positive. As the Korean War escalated M1 rifles were produced in abundance by Springfield Armory, International 30, M1. The rifle was developed by John C. Garand. This particular rifle was manufactured by Harrington & Richardson Arms Co. during the post WWII era. Nearly five and a half million M1 Garand rifles were manufactured. From top, trigger assembly group and clip with eight rounds of ammunition. Center, barrel and receiver group.

Note the long operating rod which extends from the bolt through the front handguard into the gas cylinder near the muzzle. At bottom, stock group with sling. A convenient lowering and removal of the trigger guard permits separation of the parts we see here. Harvester and Harrington & Richardson. It was at this time I really got into shooting the M1 Garand.

We practiced for hours on end without ammunition from all the required positions that would soon be used in final qualification—many of the shooting positions I had never assumed as a civilian. With the M1 Garand in my hands I had no trouble shooting "Expert Rifleman" in qualification. With a production rifle, just as it was issued to me, accuracy was quite amazing. Maintenance And Cleaning As Marines, we were instructed in how to keep our rifles shooting and ready for action. Not unlike other

rifles, the old M1 Garand required proper care and cleaning. There really was no mystery involved in the process. The M1 field strips quickly and easily by simply lowering the trigger guard and pulling the trigger assembly downward. The barrel and action can then be separated exposing all parts for inspection and cleaning. The combination tool, which is stored in the buttstock, along with a tooth brush or small paint brush, a few rags and a cleaning rod were all that was needed to keep our M1s shooting well.

Following cleaning, a light coat of oil should be applied to camming surfaces like the bolt, operating rod, bolt lugs, bolt camming lug on hammer and top of hammer. Excessive oil or lubrication would tend to attract dust or dirt and should be avoided. Recommended bore care of the M1 is not unlike any other target or sporter rifle. Care must be taken as the bore is cleaned from the muzzle. The bore of a battle rifle was wiped dry and often left uncleaned for extended periods of time.

The chamber should be cleaned with the chamber brush on the combination tool, and dried completely. The gas cylinder and piston require periodic cleaning as well. These may be cleaned with a very mild abrasive or solvent, but not steel wool. The gas system was designed to operate dry and any oil applied here would be used only for longterm storage. A well maintained rifle will out perform a poorly cared for rifle any day whether it is used as a sporter or in combat.

M1 Accuracy Improvements Early tests on the M1 Garand delivered approximately 1 3/4-inch groups at 100 yards. For a semi-automatic production rifle, made to specifications at different plants, this was very acceptable performance for a military rifle and worthy of an excellent marksman.

The late Colonel Townsend Whelen, a renowned rifleman and skilled handloader, stated in his book Why Not Load Your Own, "If you have an 8 to 9 pound hunting rifle that averages one and a half minutes (1 1/2-inch group at 100 yards) with a certain handload, you have a jewel of a weapon and load." I believe most shooters and hunters would tend to agree with his mentation written more that 50 years ago, even though accuracy standards have come along way in the interim.

Be all this as it may, there are some measures that can be taken to Not unlike accuracy bedding other rifles, the M1 Garand offers good bedding possibilities to help improve accuracy. Note how the operating rod passes through the front handguard and rearward to the bolt. The operating rod must be absolutely straight and move freely for best accuracy. Accuracy improving modifications can be applied here by removing the metal liner and bedding the floating handguard to the middle band (ferrule).

The M1 Garand actually has a number of shaky, moving parts that can contribute to inaccuracy. enhance the accuracy and performance of the Garand, at least to some degree. The following is not so much a "how-to", but more of a "what-todo" in the accuracy improvement arena of the M1 Garand—points to arouse your thinking. Most owners of a vintage Garand wouldn’t allow anyone to touch their rifle with thoughts of accurizing it, for obvious reasons.

Thus, as accuracy improving measures, some might find the following helpful: Glass bedding the action, reworking the handguard, reworking the gas cylinder and smoothing a few things out on the trigger. Those with experience in bedding bolt action rifles can apply their skills in bedding the M1 Garand. Good, stable wood-to-metal contact is the primary objective. The skilled technician or gunsmith will immediately recognize the surfaces where bedding material is most useful.

Ingredients like release agent, masking tape, modeling clay, and the like will all be needed. Brownells bedding materials will be unbeatable

The gas cylinder lock screw retains the gas cylinder which can be removed with the combination tool stored in the stock. This is removed during gas cylinder servicing. The flat blade of the front sight is protected by laterally opposing wings. Elevation graduations are in 100-yard increments to 1200 yards. Windage adjustments are made with a calibrated knob on the right side. Later M1 rifles had a finger operated bar to lock the rear sight adjustment. and Steel Bed is a perfect choice.

A very careful study of the rifle and its action area must before attempting the job. Not unlike any other stockto-metal bedding, the objective is to settle down those loose parts, thereby reducing the accuracy robbing harmonics. Accurizing the M1 Garand handguard involves complete free-floating of the barrel and operating rod so the end result finds the barrel floating within the handguard and the handguard attached firmly to the rifle via the lower band.

Removal of the handguard liner is required to make space for the barrel. Where barrels are subject to rapid fire heating, the use of a bonding material that withstands at least 500 degrees is strongly recommended. J-B Weld will be a fine choice here. Attention to the gas cylinder assembly can be a bit tricky, akin to fitting a piston into an engine cylinder. Excessive tolerance will result in poor operating rod function. A carefully reworked piston and cylinder may be required in attaining proper specifications.

Lastly, the operating rod must be straight and without bind. Some machine shop work will likely be required in the gas cylinder department It is easily removed from the rifle by pulling the trigger guard downward. Disassembly of the trigger allows for stoning and polishing of certain parts. The photo on the left is a bifurcated side view of the uncocked hammer and the same hammer in the cocked position in the right picture. and should be left to a gunsmith or someone with machinist skills.

On to the trigger/sear assembly. As Marines we were instructed "hands off the trigger aside from inspection and cleaning." Admittedly, the trigger on the M1 Garand is far from smooth and crisp. For proper function and

safety, the trigger pull must remain at a 4 1/2 pound minimum. The rifle I used in conducting these tests ranged between 4 pounds, 7 ounces and 4 pounds, 11 ounces, with a pull movement of 0.150 inches. The M1 Garand trigger assembly weighs 12 ounces and can be removed to polish the sear and trigger surfaces. Extreme care must be exercised in stoning and polishing the sear and bifurcated hammer surfaces. The hammer has laterally opposing camming surfaces and work on these is best left to a qualified gunsmith.

Either way you’ll still end up with a fairly long trigger creep and a 4 1/2 pound minimum pull, albeit much smoother. Conclusions This is a somewhat condensed overview of the accuracy measures that can be applied to make the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle perform better. You will need to use your own good judgment on which measures, if any, may apply to you and your rifle and who does the work—you or a qualified gunsmith.

Accuracy largely depends on a serviceable barrel, without which further accuracy measures may be of little avail. Bores should be carefully examined with a good bore scope. Your expectations must be realistic and will depend on good marksman- Precision work on the gas cylinder assembly is likely to enhance the accuracy of the M1 Garand. Improving the fit between the gas cylinder and piston is a job for a qualified machinist or gunsmith who must know these required tolerances.

The best group is shown here, using 150 gr. FMC Ball ammo, shot into a very respectable 1.509 inches. ship skills. While cutting larger group sizes by one-third or even one-half may be possible, reducing two-inch groups to one-inch may be a far more difficult task. I was rather pleased to be able to take an unaltered M1 Garand rifle, nearly six decades after leaving the US Marine Corps, and shoot a 1.509 MOA 5-shot group at 100 yards. That’s pretty good testimony for an old service rifle. AG