The M1 Garand Build Thread
- Thread starter Don Kael
- Start date
When it comes to bolts and barrels, get a professional to assembly them to the receiver! There is going to be problem's in the future because buyer's will be suspect over who assembled the gun and wheather it will have to be re-assembled.
There is more to it that screwing the barrel into a receiver. The barrel and bolt have to head space.
There is more to it that screwing the barrel into a receiver. The barrel and bolt have to head space.
According to Hatcher, the chamber specs on the Garand are unusually tight at only .002 between min and max.
Since the barrel will have to be finish reamed, I'd want someone with experience to tackle this. Grizz
Go/minimum dimension on the .30-06 chamber is 1.940. No-go/max dimension is 1.946. Field/reject dimension is 1.950. The 1.940/go/minimum dimension must always be established and verified before firing the rifle. The 1.946 no-go/max dimension is the tolerance to be used when fitting a new barrel as this allows for progressive wear on the bolt lugs and lug seats as the rifle is used. The 1.950 field/reject dimension is used for rifles in service and is just that. If a rifle "fails" a headspace check on the field/reject gauge the barrel must be replaced, unless a longer bolt can be located which will bring the headspace below 1.950 as determined by the field/reject gauge.
The Clymer pull thru finishing reamer will cut a 1.940 chamber, altho this can be adjusted to a greater length by using a custom dimension thrust bushing against the bolt face while cutting. I've used the Clymer finisher to cut quite a few chambers in new Garand and M1903 barrels and find that it does a very good job.
The maker provides detailed instructions on reamer use, incl the importance of using a good cutting oil, not crowding/forcing the reamer while cutting, the importance of not reversing the reamer in the chamber, the need to protect the reamer cutting edges when not in use, and cleaning cuttings from the reamer during the process of finish reaming. Clymer states that their reamer should cut 100 chambers before needing to be returned for re-sharpening.
The Clymer pull thru reamer set up from Brownells is currently priced at $216. If you aren't careful with it you run the risk of dicking up both the reamer and that $300-$400 new barrel. I would not loan my reamer to someone else.
Barrel installation is always a concern as too much torque can damage the receiver. A barrel that sits too far off index when hand tight needs the shoulder to be adjusted on a lathe. Conversely, a barrel that is too loose at the starting position requires that it be roll swaged to displace some metal to the rear. You can avoid these measures by selectively trying various barrel/receiver combinations, but that assumes that you have a number of receivers and barrels on hand to play with. If you are using just one barrel with a particular receiver it is a bit of a crap-shoot on proper fit. I've read a few DYI accounts about how people claim to have adjusted a loose barrel shoulder by peening the circumference with a hammer or by trimming back the barrel shoulder with a file, but I would not want to own a barrel that had been dicked with like this. Just imagine the dimensional inconsistencies.
When you consider the outlay for a new barrel and a finishing reamer it is preferable to have someone who has the proper tooling, knowledge and experience do this for you.
The Clymer pull thru finishing reamer will cut a 1.940 chamber, altho this can be adjusted to a greater length by using a custom dimension thrust bushing against the bolt face while cutting. I've used the Clymer finisher to cut quite a few chambers in new Garand and M1903 barrels and find that it does a very good job.
The maker provides detailed instructions on reamer use, incl the importance of using a good cutting oil, not crowding/forcing the reamer while cutting, the importance of not reversing the reamer in the chamber, the need to protect the reamer cutting edges when not in use, and cleaning cuttings from the reamer during the process of finish reaming. Clymer states that their reamer should cut 100 chambers before needing to be returned for re-sharpening.
The Clymer pull thru reamer set up from Brownells is currently priced at $216. If you aren't careful with it you run the risk of dicking up both the reamer and that $300-$400 new barrel. I would not loan my reamer to someone else.
Barrel installation is always a concern as too much torque can damage the receiver. A barrel that sits too far off index when hand tight needs the shoulder to be adjusted on a lathe. Conversely, a barrel that is too loose at the starting position requires that it be roll swaged to displace some metal to the rear. You can avoid these measures by selectively trying various barrel/receiver combinations, but that assumes that you have a number of receivers and barrels on hand to play with. If you are using just one barrel with a particular receiver it is a bit of a crap-shoot on proper fit. I've read a few DYI accounts about how people claim to have adjusted a loose barrel shoulder by peening the circumference with a hammer or by trimming back the barrel shoulder with a file, but I would not want to own a barrel that had been dicked with like this. Just imagine the dimensional inconsistencies.
When you consider the outlay for a new barrel and a finishing reamer it is preferable to have someone who has the proper tooling, knowledge and experience do this for you.
One other consideration is to be certain as to the caliber of the barrel. Some of the new barrel's are not marked. We put a gun together and 3006 didn't add up and we checked it and found that it was a 308 barrel sent as a 3006! Good thing that we had all of the 308 guages and parts.
Well, you could have just kept reaming the .308 barrel until it was a .30-06 barrel
.505 instead of. 005.
Grizz
And that is why that a qualified smith installs a barrel and checks headspace is recommended......plz learn this people.....it will save fingers etc
That's just a hand tightened barrel?
Hit the 45-day point yesterday and filed an EBay/(FRAUD ALERT) resolution request about not receiving my bolt from Constantine (ordered/paid for on 22 Nov). He sent me a tracking number in mid-Dec that just told me that a package was mailed in Greece; nothing else since from him, CP or CBSA, etc. When I reminded him that nothing showed up, he just said he'd look into it. Blows.
Sucks for him too. Most likely not his fault.
He sent me a second one and I received it. First one is still stuck since two months. Might make a few call this week to find the reason why.
Was just asking if I would be better to put the barrel on the lathe to remove 1-2thousands of an inch. To get it somewhere around 15degree before it index.
I have the proper tools to tackle this and will not lose any fingers. If paying a gunsmith is your thing... fine, but I enjoy building my rifles myself.
Yes, hand tight.
A 15 degree offset from an initial hand tight starting position is what both the US Army tech manual and the Kuhnhausen Shop manual recommend. The barrel and receiver threads should be de-greased and squeaky clean before starting. I always clean the receiver threads with a Dremel brush to remove any accumulated grit which might cause interference. I use Brownells barrel paste on the barrel threads and face and I think that it eases the process. Good luck.
Bit of a difference between "squeaky clean" and Brownell's barrel paste isn't there ?
Grizz
Bit of a difference between "squeaky clean" and Brownell's barrel paste isn't there ?
Grizz
Yup. First clean the metal of all grit/crud/grease, then apply the barrel paste to the barrel threads and shoulder. All of this is laid out in well illustrated detail in the Kuhnhausen Shop Manual for the M1 Garand and M14 rifles. This has been my guiding light for Garand work for the past 15 years. Anyone who plans to do more than to strip and clean a Garand should have a copy of this. The book is currently available from Brownells for $44.95 and it beats the crap out of shopping around the internet for advice, some of which is good, some of which is bad.
FYI just got my barrel in from Constantine today, payment cleared Dec 17. It's off with the receiver, bolt and front sight assembly for barrel installation and headspacing. Jason from Gunco is doing the install for me, he was a little shocked that it was a NOS barrel full of cosmo. Hopefully by this weekend, my build will be complete!
Also FYI, the barrel was very well packed for travel.
Also FYI, the barrel was very well packed for travel.
