M1 Garand H&T Question

C

Cyclic240B

New member
I've owned a nm 1942 M1 Garand for a couple years now and never fired it. It was my Father In-Laws, but left to me when he passed away, along with 5000+ rounds for it. The weapon is beautiful, and worth some $$ in its current totally original nm configuration. But I have a problem. I feel it would be a shame to designate it as a non-firing safe queen, so I would like to fire the weapon. Or, even if I did decide to keep it a safe queen, I would still like to know that it will go bang if I had to pull the trigger.

What I mean, and taking into account I know little about them, is that I read in the Garand Manual about Headspace & Timing. Being I know all about H&T irt a M2 BHMG, I am a little paranoid now. I have no clue procedurely how it relates to the Garand, but knowing the problems with wrong H&T on an M2 and I'm hesitant to fire the weapon untill I know for sure.

Like I said before, the weapon is spotless and seems to function perfectly. I've disassembled the weapon once to inspect and oil the parts, but nothing drastic like removing the barrel from the receiver. So can somebody explain to me if and when H&T comes into play regarding the M1?

Any incite would be greatly appreciated.... :)
 
Without buying a set of headspace gauges & not having anyone to take it to, you can do this: Take the bolt out, remove the extractor & reassemble the gun. Chamber a *NEW* round and see how much play is in the bolt. There should be some, but not much (nothing that you'd need more then a thin feeler gauge to measure). If the bolt is too tight or too lose, it could bend, break or damage something if shot.

Give your post a day or two, I'm sure someone will give a much more detailed response- there are a lotta M1 junkies around here :)
 
You rarely have any head space or timing issues with a M1 in good shape.

There are major differences between the H&T on an M2 Browning, and the M1.
For one thing, on the M2 both are adjustable.

On the M1 they aren't, and either their right or the rifle needs repair.

Any decent gunsmith can quickly check the heard space.
Timing is simply the sequence at which the bolt closes after a loaded clip is inserted.

For an M1 to have a timing problem is rare, and is almost always a sure sign of a rifle that needs repair.

Here's some links to sites with online M1 rifle USGI manuals which pretty well explain how to disassemble the M1 and check it out.

http://www.biggerhammer.net/manuals/
(NOTE: the user name and password to be used at the top of the page).

http://web.archive.org/web/20030705071825/http://www.jouster.com/lanestips/

http://web.archive.org/web/20030705071825/http://www.jouster.com/lanestips/
(This one even has a video on disassembly).

http://www.fulton-armory.com/
(Good general info)

One thing you may not fully "catch": The M1 rifle REQUIRES grease as a lube....NOT OIL.

Bottom line: Unless heavily used and abused, the M1 seldom has problems with head space, and even less with an actual timing problem.

Have a gunsmith check the head space, and shoot your M1 without worry, it's tough.
 
FWIW, I doubt you'll find a gunsmith that doesn't have and '06 headspace gage. He'll need to strip the bolt (remove extractor and ejector spring).

Timing on an M1 is probably not something the local smith will have a gage for. On an M1, it doesn't really matter. On the M1, timing isn't a big deal. When the clip is latched in place and pressure is removed, the bolt should close (most M1's need a bump on the oprod to get them up and running though). The clip should eject only after the last round is fired. That's really it.

Honestly, I'd just shoot it.

Ty
 
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