Stuck Case in Garand

S

savage36

Inactive
My Garand started holding on to my cases and I am convinced that it is due to corosion in the chamber. The problem started shortly after I started using Korea surplus ammo that I have since discovered is corrosive. Prior to that I used modern factory and Greek Surplus with the occasional clip of LC 39 and 42 vintage stuff. Rounds will chamber without a problem and unfired rounds come out without a problem. Fired cases stay stuck in the chamber and the extractor just rips past the head and trys to chamber the next round. Once tapped out, a fired case will not chamber all the way. Fired rounds from my 03 also will not chamber into the Garand, (surplus as well as reloaded LC) so the loading or the brass problem seems to be ruled out. With a magnifying glass I can see some very small pitting in the chamber but nothing major.
Short of handing this problem over to a gunsmith for a reaming, is there a way to really grind down and remove the corosion in the chamber-maybe use an acid based cleaning product and steel wool? I've read some helpful posts here with good advise and wondered if anyone has had the same problem. Thanks, Bob
 
Use Sweets and the original chamber brush which you can get from CMP. Otherwise get it to a gunsmith or you take the chance of ruining your:) rifle.
 
Here is the problem you may be facing.The corrosion might seem like high spots,as standing rust,but as it is removed,it leaves pits,low spots.As your brass expands into those pits,it is locked in the chamber.

If these pits are only .003 deep,you will have to take .006 out of the dia of the chamber.It is unlikely you can remove enough steel to clean the pits away,and still have a good chamber.

Kreiger makes a line of barrels called Criterion" and they make one special for a Garand.
I hope you know the corrosion also attacks your gas cylinder and op rod end.
 
HBC......you do know the end of the op rod and gas cly are stainless right? I know stainless will rust but not to the extent of the barrel steel.

I would get a chamber brush, clean the camber real well and see what you have. I would not mix Sweets with a brass chamber brush....any normal bore cleaner will do.
 
If the ammo you mention uses lacquered (green) cases, it's not a prob with your chamber, but the cases - I had a similar problem with another rifle and ammo but it was a lacquered case. The solution is to lubricate the case necks, WD works. However beware, if you use a corrosive ammo you risk your bore unless your rifle uses hardchromed bore and chamber.
 
Thanks very much, the chamber does seem to be gripping the expanded case with the corosion and or pitting. It's almost too small to see but obviously enough to hold the case. Since this has happened I've clean every part on this rifle with everything from boiling hot soapy water to every gun solvent on the shelf so it's now clean as a whistle. I'll use a rust/corosion remover and steel wool on the chamber then, as was suggested on another thread, to polish the chamber with Flintz. Will post the results. How the hell did GI's keep this from happening during long periods of combat during WW11!
 
keep in mind that in wartime, a rifle would likely be used up within a year, due to rough weather, heavy use, damage from nearby explosions, etc., so your situation most likely would never have been encountered. You have entered a brave new world, in essence.
 
Locate a lenght of...

motorboat steering cable, steel cable core with plastic cover, about 8" lg, make up a brass round stock, one end tapped for cleaning brushes and the nylon loop patch holder. The opposite end drill to size to take the wire cabling, then either epoxy or heavily crimp together.
Chuck in a drill and feed into chamber and clean the chamber at low speed with solvent. may need to repeat with loop holder threaded with a small strip of scotch-brite in it.
 
keep in mind that in wartime, a rifle would likely be used up within a year
Click to expand...

I'm not saying this is wrong, I'm just asking if you have evidence of this, or if you have proof of this.

I have an M1 rifle that I'm sure was not reissued after it's rebuild in 1946 and was stored until I bought it. It was initially made in 1944

My Dad has one that was rebuilt in 1947, and was originally built in 1943. I'm positive it was reissued after the war and that it was in use for a long time before he bought it

In each case I can't think of how a rifle kept as a training arm would only need a new barrel (as was in the case with both our rifles) if it didn't see some sort of abuse, which in turn I cannot see as a result of just training, where inspections are common. In my opinion, both of the rifles I use as examples were issued for active service

The M1 rifle for example was built to be abused. There were some units, such as the 506th PIR that seemed to always be on the line. Some units saw combat only occasionally, and some never saw comba,t however the rifles they used were not constantly in combat no matter the unit,, even so.... how can it be that a rifle gets used up within a year in wartime when it was designed to be used and abused in the first place? Even units that have a lot of ink devoted to them now had soldiers who complained that they got gigged repeatedly by rifles with a pit on the receiver which to me means they had the same rifle or carbine for a comparatively long time...I'm just wondering how to quantify your statement

In my opinion, gauging an M1 rifle for suitability for use today would best be started by gauging it as it would be if it was still a rifle used in active service...if it fails that criteria, then to my mind, it needs work to be considered ready for use
 
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Plastic covered cable-good idea! I used 2 sections of a cleaning rod chucked to a drill, attached and pushed through a .30 cal brass bore brush. With the brush in the reciever I spun steel wool around the brush then pushed/pulled this into the chamber that had been carefully swabbed with rust/blue removal solvent. Ran the drill at low speed, cleaned with hot water and soap, then a normal cleaning finished up with a little light coat of gun oil in the chamber.
The fired cases that would not load into the chamber now load and extract, so it seems to have worked to this point. The next trip to the range will tell but my feeling is that I will need to have the chamber reamed out.
This M1 is an International Harvester and the barrel is marked with several "P"s and ordinance stamps, and what looks like a 1956 date. Bolt is HRA and trigger and op rod are stamped SA. So barreled receiver looks original (?) and the other parts traded in for upgrades.
 
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