M1 Garand Clip: Loading Basics and Troubleshooting Tips

1

1ABNDT

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
28   0   0
https ://gundigest.com/military-firearms/m1-garand-clip


Nothing can cause the new Garand shooter more headaches than an intractable M1 Garand clip. Here’s how to load it and troubleshoot it.

Basics of the M1 Garand Clip
The M1 Garand clip is stamped steel. It holds 8 rounds of .30-06 Springfield (or .308 Win. for M1s so chambered). 5-round clips available, but the standard 8-rounder can be loaded with fewer rounds. The 5-rounder isn't necessary.

The clip is … not a magazine, for it does not completely enclose the cartridges. In fact, the Garand has a magazine, it’s integral to the receiver and receives the clip.

The last round fired ejects the clip. That creates that signature M1 Garand stripper clip sound characterized by a “ping” that alerts you it’s time to reload.

When you shove the clip down into the M1’s magazine, and then release pressure, the bolt grabs a cartridge and slams it into battery.
Myth: One claim is that you can load 8+1 into the Garand. You can’t do it.

Myth: The “ping” sound was not something that alerted enemy troops that a soldier’s rifle was empty. A Military Channel documentary spawned this cliché. It’s almost laughable to think the ping sound could be heard at distance among the thunderous roar of a firefight—or that a soldier would pop his head up and provide an easy target when his rifle ran dry.

Loading Garand Clips
There is a correct way to load the clip so that you don’t slam the bolt down on your thumb and earn the coveted “M1 Garand Thumb” Award.

Just make sure you use the side of your hand to keep the bolt retained while inserting the clip.

Here’s an excellent video on loading:

[youtube]5GdTKm4eBAs[/youtube]

Troubleshooting
Seat all the rounds fully. If they're not, you'll have a dickens of a time inserting the clip.

From GarandGear.com:

“As a general rule you want the top round to be on the side of the clip with the indexed bump (Shown below). This positions the top round such that when right-handed shooters press the clip in the round is closer to the right hand. The clip can be loaded either way without issue.”

Additional causes of M1 Garand clip malfunction:

Excessive Parkerizing on the clip that causes binding (remove with abrasive paper)
Operating rod locked back fully (don’t touch!)
Op-rod correctly assembled
Inspect the slideway and follower for any burrs, and remove
Look for interference from the bullet guide
If clips don’t eject after last round you may have a weak or broken clip ejector
More tips and photos at GarandGear.com
 
Thanks for the nice post,I have one correction though,
It is not necessary to hold back the charging handle with the palm of your hand,you push in the loaded clip until you feel it latch,as long as you keep downward pressure on the clip the bolt will not release,than you take your thumb off the clip and the bolt will release and charge the top round pushing your thumb out of the way,no room for your thumb to get smashed since the top cartridge is in the way.
And since the cartridges fit very tight in the clip most of the time you have to give the charging handle a bump to get it moving and charge the first round.
The way to get M1 thumb if you push down on the follower when the action is open and you don't hold the charging handle.
Been shooting my M1 like this for 20 odd years and the thumb is still OK
 
Ty M1G, not an expert on these rifles thought it was a very interesting article so I decided I would post it. I appreciate your knowledge, insight, and additional information in making it better. Thumbs are important. :).
 
Why on my 308 Garand the first round fires but the second round has to manually put into battery by the bolt . But after the second round it works like it should. Could this be a gas problem as i have had the op rod spring played with?
 
1ABNDT said:
Ty M1G, not an expert on these rifles thought it was a very interesting article so I decided I would post it. I appreciate your knowledge, insight, and additional information in making it better. Thumbs are important. :).
Click to expand...

The reason soldiers used to get M1 thumb was that during inspection,after the rifle was handed back to him he was to hold it with the left hand and close the action with the right hand and there came the trick from to push the charging handle back with the palm of the hand and pushing down on the follower.
That way the bolt unlocks and comes flying forward,and if you didn't get your hand out of the way real quick you were in for a painful experience.
 
golddust said:
Why on my 308 Garand the first round fires but the second round has to manually put into battery by the bolt . But after the second round it works like it should. Could this be a gas problem as i have had the op rod spring played with?
Click to expand...

if the last 6 rounds fire flawlessly and the only issue is on round number 2 then maybe try another enbloc? Sounds to me like the round is stuck to tight in the enbloc or something. I am no expert but thats what id be looking at if it works well after round 2
 
golddust said:
Why on my 308 Garand the first round fires but the second round has to manually put into battery by the bolt . But after the second round it works like it should. Could this be a gas problem as i have had the op rod spring played with?
Click to expand...

http://usriflecal30m1.com/Diagram.aspx

Is it consistently the second round on 8 rounds in the magazine? What if you only load say four or five in the enbloc?
I would look at the magazine guts to ensure all of the bits are working right, installed correctly, no burrs exist, etc., and making sure the operating rod isn't too badly bent out of shape to function properly. You could do some manual test functioning with dummy rounds to help diagnose the issues it's having.

The enblocs are made of hardened spring steel. they are very tough and there isn't much to go wrong with them, so that is probably the last thing I'd look at.
 
Never tried to load less then 8. The en-blocks work fine in my 30-06. Thought the guy working on it would have checked the op rod. Thanks for the info,,I'll have play with it more.
 
With the Thumb Saver I can load the clip like a regular magazine.

Perhaps the cartridges are not fully back against the back of the clip.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom