Fed Ord Tanker Garand

R

Rusty S

New member
I bought a tanker, had some headspace probs, and shipped it back to them. A few weeks later, it came back w/ svl parts listed as replaced. Shot it, put it away. Fed Ord then went out of business a couple months later.

Anyone else have a tanker or fed ord garand? Anything I should look out for other than using ball or PMC SP or ball instead of current commercial loads? Are there commercial loads other than the PMC I can use?
 
I have a friend who had one and at my recommendation, began converting it to a regular length match rifle.

The problem with the Tanker is that unless an entirely new op rod is built, along with a modified helix cut in the op rod (for the timing of the bolt), the gun will tear itself apart.

Note on your Tanker how the op-rod is probably entering the gas cylinder at an angle. Sooner or later, it'll give. Sorry to share the news with you. If you want to read more, there are old threads which I've posted on the Tanker.

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Ditto,

4v50's comments. Get your Garands in the original length G.I. issue. Also check out the comments about fed ord receivers at www.fulton-armory.com They are not big on them, and Clint is one of the best smiths in the country when it comes to U.S. Service rifles.

It's easier to get em going when you rebuild em in the original 06' but once you get everything going (gas system) they work well in .308 too.

Orso
 
Hi, Rusty,

Sorry to make the picture bleaker, but if the receiver was GI (not made by Fed Ord), it might be a "cut and weld" as many "Tanker" models were. If it was made by Fed Ord, it is necessary to say that Fed Ord does not have the top reputation among makers of M1 and M14 type receivers.

Jim
 
On my friend's ex-Tanker, it was built on an uncut receiver. Happily, an inspection of the receiver and the bolt showed both were sound for building a match gun.

Fed Ord was known to many as the "Spark and Chips" boys who would grind out products you'd think came from some 3rd World Country. Frankly, I hold those village gunsmiths in Pakistan in higher esteem. Maybe those Pakistanis didn't have the materials, but they sure tried their best unlike Fed Ord. Apart from the recent coup, too bad the area they're at is lawless (even the govt. doesn't go there) otherwise it would make for a fascinating gunsmith tour.

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Another side note on fed ords. I almost bought a fed ord m14 type rifle at a show. I knew that the receiver was "American made" but the rest of the gun was Chi Com. I figured I could "Rebuild" it to a nice rifle. Forget it. The receivers are pretty much garbage I found out after I did some research. YOu are better off getting a CMP (or other G.I.) Garand or a Springfield Armory, Inc. M1a (m14) rifle and doing it right the first time.

Moral: Dont make an impulse buy on a rifle. Research it, check it out and plan what you want to get next.
 
I don't know who did the casting for the Fed Ord M14, but I worked on one once. The barrel was shot as it had a lump (yes, a lump) in it which required the entire barrel to be replaced. The receiver was also not mil-spec and it had the same problem with the bridge as does a current manufacturer. The gas cylinder was also some sorta military reject and prior to unitizing, had to be trued. Fed Ord means junk.

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