Garand feed issue

E

enstorm

New member
I posted several months ago about my Garand not feeding new rounds into chamber. Since then I replaced follower, bullet feed guide, op rod catch, op rod (nice NM off ebay), gas plug, gas plug screw, in fact every moving part except bolt and spring/fork. Same problem today, shoot a round, eject empty, but bolt seems not getting back enough to get behind new round to push it forward. In fact, a new issue developed today, some spent cases were not extracting at all. Pattern seems to be that first clip shoots great, then problems develop. First round left or right doesn't seem to make a difference. LC ammo. Ideas? Thanks
 
Try a different Brand of ammo.
Click to expand...

The M-1 should run fine on Lake City. But there could be a bad lot I guess.

enstorm, you only have a couple of things left to check after all the parts swappin'.

I would make sure the gas cylinder is bottomed out and the front end is screwed down as far as they will go.

I would check to see if the stock is binding up on any thing or the op rod is rubbing someplace.

I would replace the Op rod spring with a new one.

Last, I would ensure the gas clyinder is in spec. I know you got a new op rod off e-bay but is it in spec ?

There has to be something in the gas system or op rod spring.

I had one do as yours is doing because the op rod sring was worn and not greased.

I'm no M-1 plummer, but I do shoot them competively pretty often.
 
enstorm,

Others have given good info but I have questions...

1) Is your rifle properly lubed... i.e. GREASE, not oil?? The M1 runs on grease.

2) Did your measure / replace the op-rod spring??

3) Did you gauge the op-rod piston and gas cylinder??

4) Do you have any Greek HXP?? Shoot that. It's a bit warmer than most LC. If it's OK, then your gas system is worn to the point LC won't run the gas system. If it won't shoot... then the gas system may still be too worn, but you'll have to gauge the piston and GC to know.

Best,
Swampy

Garands forever
 
Thanks for the replies. I had thoroughly cleaned and greased the rifle before firing. I measured the piston and it is fine. I have not measured the gas tube and do not know what its dimensions should be. ?? I did not measure the spring or change it, although I have a replacement spring. How long should that be? I only have LC ammo, but I am going to reload 3 or 4 clips worth and try again sunday. Will try varget with 150 g fmj.
 
Check the gas port, could be clogged up with carbon. Get an adjustable gas plug from midway (about 35.00) sounds like the gas system is not putting out enough to push the op rod hard enough. Check the extractor.:)
 
Check the gas port, could be clogged up with carbon.
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Very doubtful. The M1's gas port is self cleaning. Carbon accumulation is not an issue.

Get an adjustable gas plug from midway (about 35.00) sounds like the gas system is not putting out enough to push the op rod hard enough.
Click to expand...

Adjustable port gas lock screws can only REDUCE the amount of pressure available in the gas cylinder. It can't increase the amount of flow / pressure coming in from the port in the barrel.

Best to all,
Swampy

Garands forever
 
Oprod spring would be my #1 guess, then all that other stuff you already swapped out. 60 years is well past its intended service life. Replace the clip latch spring while you're at it.

Does it pass the tilt test now that you've replaced the oprod? Remove the oprod spring, put the stock back on and tilt it 45º up and down--it should cycle fully. It's very common that a replacement oprod will need to be fitted by a pro.
 
In the for what it's worth category, I installed a new op rod spring and it made the feed problem worse when I took it out last week. The new spring is noticably stiffer and the bolt therefore had even more difficulty moving full rearward to strip off a new round (LC) and chamber it, and once didn't kick out the enbloc. One book I have states that if the powder is too fast burning, there's potentially inadequate pressure at the gas port, so yesterday I loaded 7 clips of 150 g hornady fmj into R-P brass (had only shot LC up to that point) with 47.6 grains of 4320 which is about as slow a powder as you can use in the garand, hoping to increase pressure at the port. Took it out yesterday and first clip cycled flawlessly, then to my disappointment the problem arose again for 3-4 clips, including no enbloc eject one time, then began working again much better. Today I greased the hell out of it, loaded up some more commercial brass with varget, and will take it out next week and shoot the varget, 4320 and LC and keep fingers crossed.

Incidentally, yesterday it fired a two shot burst which it had never done before, and maybe not coincidentally it was with the first handloads I ran through it. I double checked every primer for depth before loading enblocs. It was either a high primer or a situation where, as some books say can happen, the shooter (not me) "milked" the trigger by holding it back very lightly causing the disconnector not to engage on the second round. This has happened several times in my ak when very lightly pulling the trigger.
 
The burst may actually be doubling from a 'milked' trigger. Done that myself. Incidentally, I believe it completely proper to grease the area of the Op rod that rubs the barrel, some M1 guys I talk to don't do it

Possibly is your problem a bad valve in your gas cylinder lock screw allowing too much pressure blow-by?

Here's some info from TM9-1275 "Ordnance maintenance US Rifles, Cal .30, M1 M1C and M1 D" June, 1947, which I have condensed



42. Short recoil

Short recoil stoppages, often confused with feed stoppages, occur in rifles which are underpowered, [and] therefore do not drive the operating rod completely to the rear. When a rifle is underpowered and subject to short recoil stoppages, it will usually close on an empty chamber or fail to eject the fired case, closing with the spent case in the chamber. This is the type of malfunction which most frequently occurs in the rifle....[snip]

[causes]
a. undersized piston
b. oversized gas cylinder
c. undersized barrel at splined section
d. carbon or foreign matter in gas port of barrel
e. carbon in gas cylinder
f. operating rod binding
g. valve leak in gas cylinder lock screw
h. defective operating rod spring
i. bolt binding
j. foreign matter, burrs, and improper lubrication
k. rusty or ringed chamber


44. failure to feed

Feed failures, as in the case of short recoil stoppages, may cause the weapon to close on an empty chamber. This may be caused by excessive bolt speed, when the bolt moves so rapidly on the forward stroke that the ammunition does not have time to attain the proper feed position. The condition is often caused by unauthorized modification of the weapon, such as increasing gas port diameter. It may also be caused by any of the following reasons:

a. insufficient rearward travel for bolt to pick up next round due to short recoil (see paragraph 42)
b. long ejector
c. worn or improperly formed follower
 
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