Need help with CMP Garand question - sights/weird patch color

B

Bartholomew Roberts

Moderator
OK, I am cleaning my CMP Garand which I finally got around to shooting. I'm very happy with the rifle as it is a tack driver - even though it looks a little weathered.

I have two questions:

1)How do I need to loosen the rear sight screws to move the index to the 200 mark? The book explains this but doesn't do so in a way that makes sense to me. I have the newer style sights that can only be adjusted when the sight is bottomed out.

2) Cleaning the gun after shooting I was surprised to see that the Hoppes No. 9 I was using was getting a tiny spot of blue-green. Since the Hoppes normally doesn't do anything to copper, I figured the gun needed some copper solvent so I ran clean patches through the barrel to get the remainder of the No. 9 and I broke out the Shooter's Choice (not the heavy duty copper solvent, but the regular solvent with some copper removal ability).

After letting a patch soaked with Shooter's Choice set in the barrel for about ten minutes, I ran a clean patch through and it came out red. No patches before or after this came out red. What the heck is in my barrel that is turning patches red?
 
#1. Okay, let's see if I can explain this without confusing both of us.

1. Zero the gun at your selected range (200 yards). Don't pay any attention to the index numbers yet; just get it zeroed.

2. Run the sight all the way down (knob counterclockwise), and as you do, count the number of clicks from your zeroed setting to the bottom (say it's "X" clicks). This part's important.

3. With the sight all the way down, break the screw loose.

4. Keep turning the knob down (still counterclockwise). The knob will turn, but the aperture won't move. Turn it until the "2" mark on the knob (200 yards) lines up with the index mark on the receiver.

5. Now, from there, turn the knob "X" clicks down. If your 200 yard zero was, say, 6 clicks from the bottom, turn the knob 6 clicks down from the point where the "2" mark was lined up.

6. Hold the knob and tighten the screw finger tight.

7. Turn the knob "X" clicks up. The "2" mark should now line up with the index mark when the sight is "X" clicks up from the bottom (which is your 200-yard zero setting). If it's off a click or two, repeat steps 3 thru 6.

8. If it lines up OK, run the sight all the way up (clockwise) and tighten the screw.

9. Turn the sight back down to the "2" mark, and you're done.
 
#2. A red patch typically indicates rust. Small amounts of rust were probably there to begin with, it absorbed trace amounts of Hoppes, then when you hit it with the Shooter's Choice it created a strong oxidizing chemical reaction.

Be cautious when switching between cleaning agents - they usually don't coexist very well. The same thing happend to me years ago with I was clean an old Mauser barrel and switched from Hoppes to Sweets. Now when I change I always run 5 or 6 patches alternating between dry and MEK soaked.

At this point I'd recommend you clean with J-B Bore Paste to get all the crud out, J-B is great and since it isn't chemically based you can use it with any other cleaner and not have to worry about creating a mini Chernobyl in your barrel. Your CMP Garand is a tack driver and that's what really matters. -- Kernel
 
Thanks to both of you for the help. I've got the index set up nicely now and the barrel is nice and clean.

The Garand is a H&R post-war M1 with a mix of Springfield Armory parts. If I have this refinished with ARS classic patina Metacol III finish am I ruining any collectible value or committing a grave sin against a historical Garand?

I had originally planned to just keep this as an occasional shooter and leave it as is for whatever minor historical value it might have. However, it was such a pleasure to shoot and so easy to shoot very well that now I'm thinking about new wood and refinishing to make sure it lasts.
 
If you are set on refinishing the rifle UI think you would be better off sticking to a parkerized finish.
 
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