m1 garand not cycling

ROBPECKFORD

ROBPECKFORD

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hey there... I picked up a breda. 308 m1 garand in a trade and it's only really working In single action. this is my first time shooting it today. if I pull the operating rod manually it works but it won't function semi automatically. I'm not sure if this is a gas issue? I have it torn apart on my bench now for a good clean and grease and will revisit after a few opinions form you guys. also to make things more interesting for me... a copper washed steel case decided to stick inside the chamber!! I tired barnual, norinco and Winchester ammo today all same problem.
 
Some possible causes are;

1. gas cyl screw not tight
2. face of gas cyl screw cracked/leaking gas
3. valve of gas cyl screw not fully closed
4. gas port in barrel fouled/blocked
5. gas cyl installed too far to rear and blocking flow of gas from gas port
6. op rod spring too long
7. op rod spring too short or broken
8. op rod piston excessively worn
9. gas cyl worn /too large/cracked
10. dirty/fouled/pitted chamber

What is the length of the op rod spring? It should be 19.75 to 20.25 inches. Is the barrel a commercial .308 barrel - Criterion or Citadel?

The chamber needs to be clean of powder residue. It should be cleaned with a brush and solvent and checked for pitting which may cause a fired case to adhere in the chamber. The Garand combo tool has a brush for cleaning the chamber, but a commercial bottle type brush of the correct diameter will do the job. The brush handle should be bent to an "L" shape and worked back and forth and rotated in the chamber to clean it. The chamber is then wiped clean with a double patch on the end of the cleaning rod.

I'd check the gas cyl screw, op rod spring, gas port and chamber first.
 
I had a rebarrelled one back in the eighties. It has the same sized hole as the .30/'06 barrels, but the .308 specs called for a slightly larger hole.
I bought some drill bits from Brownells and with a piece of 1/4 inch dowel in the barrel, I opened up the gas port one size and it ran like a top ever after.
 
Did the previous owner successfully shoot it?

Any idea who assembled it?

Does the operating rod move at all when the rifle is fired?

If the copper washed steel isn't extracting cleanly, don't use it.
 
I shot approximately 25 rounds.. only two failure to ejects.. even the Match grade Winchester wouldbt re chamber the round... I had to use the operating rod manually to fire the gun... im gonna try a few things tommorow and see what happens.. only thing is I can't shoot it for any other month.... fml! anyone know of any good garand smith's in the gta?
 
I have a criterion 308 barrel on it... I couldn't get the gas tube off form the barrel... I tried tapping it lightly with a plastic Malloy and it would not budge...
 
ROBPECKFORD said:
I have a criterion 308 barrel on it... I couldn't get the gas tube off form the barrel... I tried tapping it lightly with a plastic Malloy and it would not budge...
Click to expand...

The gas port dimensions should be fine with a Criterion barrel. The op rod spring length of 19.75-20.25 inches will be OK with this barrel.

To remove the gas cylinder after removing the gas cylinder screw and gas cylinder lock: put a hardwood block against the rear face of the bayonet lug and tap it forward. To re-install, use the hardwood block against the front of the bayo lug and tap it to the rear. A tight fitting gas cylinder is good.
 
You should also check the op rod for free movement by performing the tilt test.

To do this strip the rifle to barreled action with the bolt, gas cyl, handguards and op rod left in place. Remove the op rod spring and the internals.

Hold the rifle in a horizontal position and elevate the muzzle to a 60 deg angle. The bolt and op rod should move fully to the rear by their own weight. Next, tilt the muzzle downwards at a 60 deg angle. The bolt and op rod should move fully forward by their own weight.

If the op rod binds, further investigation and correction is needed.
 
ok... so it passed the tilt test. the gun didn't have much grease on it so I greased it well as per brownells how to video. measured the gas piston and its in spec. measured the spring.. it's somewhere between 19.75 - 20.5 or so I can't exactly remember the exact measurement but tis closer to say 19 7/8" let's say. gas port was free of debris I passed a piece of mechanics wire through it. I could not remove the gas tube at all its on there. gas plug is tight.

I'm hoping it just needed a good greasing. unfortunately I won't be able to test fire it for three more weeks at least.

updates... pics and video to follow. thabks guys
 
A properly lubed Garand always works best and will eject fired brass in a 12 to 3 o'clock pattern. I had one out to the range yesterday shooting handloads with IMR 4064 and IMR 4895 and it did just that.
 
This really smells like a gas problem HA! :)

Is it at all possible:

- it's not actually .308 but .30-06?
- you have an op rod for a BM59/tanker or other variant?
- you have an adjustable gas plug and don't know it?

Can you tell if the op rod is moving at all?

Gas is escaping ~somewhere~ you need to get that gas tube off and test it (plug up the port and BLOW)
If everything else is in spec as you say, that tube is suspect, if someone shwacked it on there hard enough that you are unable to remove it, it's possible they damaged/cracked it as well.....

I had my M1 in single shot a few weeks ago due to underpowered ammo, it is NO FUN AT ALL. I feel for ya!


- good luck!
- sean
 
I'm going to the range next week and I'm gonna see what it does. it needed lube for sure. it has anew criterion barrel stamped. 308,on it. what it was doing was once in, battery a round chambered.. I would press the trigger it would fire eject and not chamber the next round and it would not be in battery . but if I pulled the bolt back it would chamber a round and fire
 
ROBPECKFORD said:
I'm going to the range next week and I'm gonna see what it does. it needed lube for sure. it has anew criterion barrel stamped. 308,on it. what it was doing was once in, battery a round chambered.. I would press the trigger it would fire eject and not chamber the next round and it would not be in battery . but if I pulled the bolt back it would chamber a round and fire
Click to expand...

Out of battery - really? how far back does the bolt go after firing & extracting/ejecting, all the way or does it only partially clear the enbloc? (you have several enblocs to try - right?)

Can you just bump the charging handle after a failure to chamber or do you have to pull it back? (and with how much force, do you have to reef on it?) I've had several (almost all I think) M1s where you had to bump the charging handle when you first loaded it, but never after the first round.

I don't think you ~can~ install parts incorrectly in the M1 receiver and still have it work at all - but something could be bent or out of spec. (??)

What range you go to - you are in the GTA? I'm out at Orono.

-sean
 
range report.... I had the gun out today after a few checks to the gas system and a good grease job, the gun still fails. currently, it fires, ejects chambers another round, but it won't fire.... no click of the firing pin.... I am going to try an new bolt from the guy I got it off, and my uncle has a garand I'm going to take his trigger group out next week and try it yet again. I have a video if anyone wants to send me an email and they can see it.
 
update, I threw a new bolt in the gun, no luck still doesn't reset the trigger, I borrowed a super match match trigger group, threw it in, runs like a top. after closer inspection the sear is broken. new sear on the way!
 
ROBPECKFORD said:
update, I threw a new bolt in the gun, no luck still doesn't reset the trigger, I borrowed a super match match trigger group, threw it in, runs like a top. after closer inspection the sear is broken. new sear on the way!
Click to expand...

Excellent, I'm glad you finally figured it out. I think it had a lot of us stumped.
 
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