M1 Garand builder

Garand parts have been imported from most foreign users by now. There were a lot brought in from places like Norway, Denmark, Greece and Italy. I'd imagine that S. Korea has been sucked dry by now as well.

You will find repro parts being sold by GPC, for one. These include later pattern rear sight pinions and lock-bar rear sight components and clip latches. Newly made, non-USGI replacement barrels, op rod springs and wood are also available.

Be careful not to use Chinese made Norinco rear sight components because these are made from softer steel and, in most cases, won't work with USGI components. The most expensive parts to reproduce would be op rods and gas cylinders and there's quite a demand for rebuilt ones.
 
I’m in the process of building my m1, but the only little snag for me is timing and reaming out the barrel for 30-06. It’s not that hard to do, but tooling and gauges are expensive
 
For a one time project, a person is further ahead to get someone with the necessary set up to do a barrel install.

Jump to op rods and functioning. This week I was range testing a newly assembled rifle and found that the action wouldn't cycle far enough to the rear to feed a round. First check after a loose gas cyl screw was the op rod spring which I found to be .5 inch longer than the specs of 19.75 inches min-20.25 inches max. Everything else looked and worked OK, so I shortened the spring and will verify functioning at the range. I'm pretty anal about checking spring length, but this one got by me.

Another point on op rods. Its worth checking the interior for crud or corrosion which can prevent proper functioning. I've even found a piece of broken spring inside one. Its worth cleaning the interior with a patch and solvent and then oiling lightly. The springs should also be given a bit of lube for smooth functioning.
 
Gas cylinders are an issue. They have to be cleaned in carburetor cleaner and dryed
They also should be almost hammer tight, some are . Springs should also be cleaned and checked for kinks. Some of them are spliced and should be replaced with new one's
 
purple said:
Do you mean refinishing the wood or repairing cracks and gouges in the wood? The rear HG is quite fragile and can be broken around the retaining spring if people aren't careful in installing/ removing the spring or installing/removing the HG from the rifle.
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I m meaning both :) sorry if I wasn't clear enough
 
Refinishing the wood requires removing the old finish, and normally a lot of old embedded oil. I start by scrubbing with mineral spirits and a synthetic pad. If it still looks grotty, I switch to a more aggressive stripper, like Minwax Antique Refinisher or lacquer thinner which will get out more of the oils. Several treatments may be necessary.

When it looks as clean as its going to get, next comes dent removal and gouge filling. Many dents can be raised by repetitive steaming with an iron and wet facecloth. To fill gouges I mix white carpenters glue and sawdust from sanding walnut stocks and then apply to the gouge. This mixture is about the consistency of peanut butter. Leave some excess higher than the surface of the wood because it will shrink when drying. This patch/fill will take a stain. After a couple of days drying this can be sanded flush.

Cracks often occur at the rear of the handgd next to the receiver face due to the handgd fitting tightly against the receiver face. Cracks must be cleaned, then glued. I use acetone or lacquer thinner to de-oil and clean the crack. After its dry, spread it slightly and apply crazy glue allowing it to work into the crack.

After dent removal, gouge filling and crack repair sand the wood flush with 120 grit sandpaper.

Next, stain the wood using an alcohol based stain which will penetrate residual oils in the wood. I use Fiebings leather stain/dye. When the stain is dry, rub the wood with a cloth or tissue, then apply a finish. I use pure tung oil rubbed in and allowed to dry for 15 minutes. After that wipe excess oil off the surface. You want the oil to dry in the wood, not on top of it.

Last step is to check that there is clearance between the rear of the handgd and the face of the receiver which will prevent cracking. Sand the rear of the handgd to establish clearance about the thickness of a business card.

The best investment to facilitate removal/installation of the handgd clip/spring with out damaging the wood is a specially made pliers which I bought from Brownells years ago. The same techniques apply to the front handgd as well. I use a couple of home made tools to seat the liner properly and crimp the metal tabs flush with the handgd ferrule.
 
purple said:
Refinishing the wood requires removing the old finish, and normally a lot of old embedded oil. I start by scrubbing with mineral spirits and a synthetic pad. If it still looks grotty, I switch to a more aggressive stripper, like Minwax Antique Refinisher or lacquer thinner which will get out more of the oils. Several treatments may be necessary.

When it looks as clean as its going to get, next comes dent removal and gouge filling. Many dents can be raised by repetitive steaming with an iron and wet facecloth. To fill gouges I mix white carpenters glue and sawdust from sanding walnut stocks and then apply to the gouge. This mixture is about the consistency of peanut butter. Leave some excess higher than the surface of the wood because it will shrink when drying. This patch/fill will take a stain. After a couple of days drying this can be sanded flush.

Cracks often occur at the rear of the handgd next to the receiver face due to the handgd fitting tightly against the receiver face. Cracks must be cleaned, then glued. I use acetone or lacquer thinner to de-oil and clean the crack. After its dry, spread it slightly and apply crazy glue allowing it to work into the crack.

After dent removal, gouge filling and crack repair sand the wood flush with 120 grit sandpaper.

Next, stain the wood using an alcohol based stain which will penetrate residual oils in the wood. I use Fiebings leather stain/dye. When the stain is dry, rub the wood with a cloth or tissue, then apply a finish. I use pure tung oil rubbed in and allowed to dry for 15 minutes. After that wipe excess oil off the surface. You want the oil to dry in the wood, not on top of it.

Last step is to check that there is clearance between the rear of the handgd and the face of the receiver which will prevent cracking. Sand the rear of the handgd to establish clearance about the thickness of a business card.

The best investment to facilitate removal/installation of the handgd clip/spring with out damaging the wood is a specially made pliers which I bought from Brownells years ago. The same techniques apply to the front handgd as well. I use a couple of home made tools to seat the liner properly and crimp the metal tabs flush with the handgd ferrule.
Click to expand...

thanks but I m not looking to do it myself , I have more than 80 rear handguard and I m looking for a partnership to refinished those handguards. I don't have the time or talent to do it myself
 
waltherppk9130 said:
thanks but I m not looking to do it myself , I have more than 80 rear handguard and I m looking for a partnership to refinished those handguards. I don't have the time or talent to do it myself
Click to expand...

That's a pee-pot full of handguards. Its very hard to repair any where the wood has split off along the bottom edges behind the handguard spring. The wood is very thin and fragile in this area and most breaks are caused by trying to remove the spring w/o the proper tool.
 
I use various degrees of ammonia mixtures to clean oil soaked wood and handguards
Then soak,scrub in hot soapy water Then rinse in hot water
Then put them near your furnace for about a week
When all of this is done, you will know what is for building and what is for burning!
 
I ordered a lot of parts to finish off some garand rifles
Just needed the small stuff
So, I will see how it plays out
 
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