T2 Garand - Part 1

Status
Not open for further replies.
Wanted to quote this. It is acknowledged by johnone himself that T2 barrels are standard GI barrels that have been shortened and thus should retain their original markings. The rifles in question are completely bare with the exception of the modern CIP proof mark.

"The first type are standard GI .30-06 Garand barrels shortened by .5 inch at the breech end and then re-chambered in 7.62. Those are the T-2
"The second type are purpose made 7.62 barrels marked SIAU 67 or SIAU 68 on the side.Those are the T-1
"I'd be curious to know what type of barrels these German assembled conversions have." The barrels are T-2

"Mine are Springfield Armory made and gauge like new" The Italians used any and all barrels available ta the time. Yes they do look new

John
 
Its not like he is taking a long weekend off. He was on less than an hour ago and could have responded:

johnone
Contributing Dealer
Last Activity 07-30-2016 03:33 PM


The silence is deafening and should tell everyone all they need to know.
 
Nope not even in the same room ;)

Like I said I took a chance and it didn't work out. Ignoring the fact that these rifles are not as advertised (which in and of itself is bad enough and a valid reason to return them) they are in an extremely dangerous condition and should not be fired. As they are right now they are little more than parts guns or wallhangers with zero collectible appeal.

I will let you guys know how the returns process goes; if it is even suggested that I pay for return shipping I will then become quite livid.

Not close enough, eh, klaus enuff? Sorry couldn't resist.
 
My barrel isn't chromed at the gas port area. My cylinder is loose front to back and can rotate slightly too. Not good for any kind of accuracy. The barrel on mine is flush to the receiver. I just pulled mine out again to check on these few things that have been mentioned and mine is going back too.

My rear sight was also just thrown on and not functional when I got it.

My bolt has been ground at the rear too, but it almost seems like maybe it was welded and then ground as there are even holes/pits in the ground areas!!!

It is too bad because this one is gorgeous, but with all this and the wierdness that is going on, I am not keeping it for a $2000 parts gun built with questionable quality.


View attachment 61818

View attachment 61819

Wtf is that?! That is 1000% unacceptable.
Did they mix up the "inferior commercial " guns with the good ones?
 
Given the identified bolt lug welding/grinding concerns, what would it take to make these "T2's" safe and operational? Would a new bolt and some chamber/barrel work to ensure the correct headspace do the trick? What would a competent gunsmith charge for this work?
 
Given the identified bolt lug welding/grinding concerns, what would it take to make these "T2's" safe and operational? Would a new bolt and some chamber/barrel work to ensure the correct headspace do the trick? What would a competent gunsmith charge for this work?

New bolt is $100, barrel would need to be removed likely and refaced, possibly other work to properly index, doubt it would be cheap, oprod may need to be shortened more, and who knows if the barrels are any good to begin with?
With the quality of the rifles I don't think it's worth spending more to correct the mistakes...
 
New bolt is $100, barrel would need to be removed likely and refaced, possibly other work to properly index, doubt it would be cheap, oprod may need to be shortened more, and who knows if the barrels are any good to begin with?
With the quality of the rifles I don't think it's worth spending more to correct the mistakes...

If the chambers are the proper dimension for 7.62 and pass a field/reject gauge, which they might have been before someone started "adjusting" things to proof at .308W SAAMI, then they might just need a new bolt.
They could also need barrel facing work - would need to have one to gauge to know for sure.

In the worst case, it the chambers are too long, you might need a new barrel and a new bolt. Probably not required for most guns, I should think.

I don't see any scenario where the op rods would need shortening.
 
A few additional questions on these barrels;

- is the exterior surface area surrounding the gas port chrome plated?

-how do the gas cylinders fit on the barrel splines - loose or tight?

- how do they shoot?

No Chrome at the gas port.
Gas cylinder fit on mine is not bad.
How does it shoot? You'll have to ask the 'gunsmith' lol - I ain't firing it, especially since it is being returned.

Bad news, you will have to pay to ship it back.

Not a chance will I be paying shipping. If it becomes an issue, I will be engaging VISA for purchase protection.

After seeing this welds I highly doubt that they were even assembled in Germany. No self-respecting German metal worker or gunsmith would let this type of job leave his shop.

Hate to break it to you, but German quality has steadily been going t!ts up since the wall came down. Their policies allowing the flooding in of unskilled workers from E. Germany, Eastern Europe and Turkey and now the overwhelming amount of EU and other foreign workers has really killed a once proud claim to superior craftsmanship.


After the long weekend I'll start the process to send it back, which sucks because in the end I'll be out $100 due to shipping both ways.

Don't accept eating shipping charges.

You won't be out shipping. Read section "D" of their "Ironclad Guarantee".

Exactly right. No customer should be eating shipping on these.
 
From "The U.S. .30 Caliber Gas Operated Service Rifles: A Shop Manual Volumes 1 & 2", by Jerry Kuhnhausen

"...The bolt op rod cam lug and locking lug bearing surfaces must not be pitted, seated, chipped, altered, or otherwise damaged..."

I would say grinding and welding on these surfaces counts as "altered, or otherwise damaged"

"...Replace bolt if pits in the lug bearing surfaces cannot be cleaned up by lapping or light fine bead blasting..."

"...Ideally, lug surfaces should show 90% to 95% bearing - although 80% is acceptable in a general purpose rifle. If the bolt is to be lapped, keep in mind that lapping removes a small amount of material from both the bolt and the receiver lugs and should be done only when existing chamber headspace permits, or when, after lapping, a new barrel is to be installed and headspaced from bolt face location..."

So it looks to me that the bolts were altered to fit the barrels and not the other way around (barrels installed and headspaced from the bolt face). Makes sense if you are slapping together components on already barreled receivers as fast as you can.
 
Last edited:
More from the same:

"...Barrel thread extension length...If thread extension length is longer than specification, the left bolt lug can drag or bind on the barrel breech ring and/or the front of the bolt can drag or bind inside the barrel breech recess..."

This can also explain why the lug faces were ground down and is more proof that the bolts were installed after the barrels were.
 
That's suck, man since It was a really nice looking M1 Garand. I will sure check both of mine tonight, if there aren't any weld, I will keep one.
 
If the chambers are the proper dimension for 7.62 and pass a field/reject gauge, which they might have been before someone started "adjusting" things to proof at .308W SAAMI, then they might just need a new bolt.
They could also need barrel facing work - would need to have one to gauge to know for sure.

In the worst case, it the chambers are too long, you might need a new barrel and a new bolt. Probably not required for most guns, I should think.

I don't see any scenario where the op rods would need shortening.

I was thinking if the barrels were too pooched and had to be turned in more to reface/rechamber, oprod might need to be shortened more?
Any new barrel would need to be "T2'd" as the wood/oprod are all shorter, or replace the wood/oprod and barrel with standard length...lol
There is no cheap or easy fix for these unfortunately. And with absolutely no markings on the barrels at all, no chrome gas port, I would say these barrels are pretty much worthless anyway.
Send em back, warn others not to buy them, about all you can do.
 
I got my matched wood Garand on Thursday. Took it apart and cleaned it top to bottom (didn't really look at the bolt when I cleaned it). All metal was perfect, the rear sight worked properly, wood is almost perfect and the barrel shiny as hell. Took it to the range yesterday, fired and cycled perfectly and the aim was right on. Read some of the posts, so after work today, I decided to take it completely apart and look at what everybody on this post was talking about. My bolt is ground and when I took off the rear hand guard, I was able to undo the barrel by turning it with my hand, as well the port was not chromed. Now I am pissed. There is no way in the world I should be able to undo the barrel with my hand, nor should the bolt be altered in any way.
I own 10 other Garands and feel I know a fair bit about them, but not an expert in any way. I am not sure this rifle is safe to fire now. I was very impressed with the new rifle until I took it apart. Now what do I do? I have bought many items from Marstar and always been treated very well. I don't believe Marstar knowingly set out to sell a questionable product. I will probably get beat up om this post for saying that, but that is my belief. Hopefully, the supplier will respond after the long weekend when he has had a few days to ascertain what happened with these rifles.
 
I think he already knows. Just won't own up to it. He has been on during all of this and only responds by denigrating folks when he does respond.
 
I would return it, after all its covered under the "Ironclad guarantee", i am so glad i did not buy one of these with all the questions raised about them.
 
From what is being reported these barrels are inferior commercial products which do not fit properly. Its totally unacceptable that a barrel can be turned off by hand pressure. If I had a rifle in this condition it would go back as unserviceable and unsafe. Welding/grinding on bolts isn't acceptable. I've installed and headspaced dozens of Garand barrels w/o a problem and would never accept shoddy and dangerous workarounds like this.
 
I I don't believe Marstar knowingly set out to sell a questionable product. I will probably get beat up om this post for saying that, but that is my belief.

Based on the dealer's responses in this thread and the Nazi M44 that johnone probably captured himself from Rudolf Hess, I'm not so sure about that
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom