Village Praxis: Drive the Right Rifle: The M1 Garand by Bill Buppert

 

 

“Turkey is taking advantage of the war in order to thoroughly liquidate (grundlich aufzaumen) its internal foes, i.e., the indigenous Christians, without being thereby disturbed by foreign intervention. What on earth do you want? The question is settled. There are no more Armenians.”
-Talaat Pasha
“. . . the Armenian massacre was the greatest crime of the war, and the failure to act against Turkey is to condone it . . . the failure to deal radically with the Turkish horror means that all talk of guaranteeing the future peace of the world is mischievous nonsense.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

Publisher’s Note: The selection of the next Deep State puppet is weeks away. The Mango Emperor will win the electoral vote (my sole prediction) and depending on the extend of the perennial voter fraud that is a feature and not a bug in CPUSA machinations, the Human Mollusk may win the popular vote as Pantsuit Negan did in 2016. Who knows? That leaves essentially 94 shopping days for you to get loaded and locked for spicy times. While the materiel is important, your handling and effective employment of these tools is far more important. Invest the time.

Finishing Operation Nemesis about the expatriate Armenian effort to assassinate the Ottoman violence brokers responsible for the genocide of the Armenian nation in the second decade of the twentieth century. Lots of reminders on the efficacy of baselining tradecraft, keeping your mouth shut and operating across national borders. The exception being Soghomon Tehlirian who purposefully remained with the dead body of Talaat Pasha to get tried in a German Court to provide a planet-wide documented discovery portfolio of the Turkish slaughter of the innocents. Burning Tigris by Peter Balakian is a more grisly and detailed reflection on the genocide actual that seems to be an inspiration to later efforts by the Germans and Japanese in the War to Save Josef Stalin.

I’d like to offer two websites that publish smart reviews and commentary and more often than I (how hard is that?); Charles at Worthy House and Michael Scheuer at Non-Intervention. I had the pleasure of taking an “submersion course” in Islamic terrorism at which Michael was the sagacious and gracious mentor. Both of these learned gentleman take the deep dive and leave the reader informed and provoked in questioning the idiot reality the MSM tries to impose on us.e

Worthy House

Non-Intervention 

I am continuing my study of the Greek, Irish and Spanish civil wars in anticipation of seeing history rhyme and forecasting what the cold civil war transitions to hotness will look like here in the next ten years. I will try to pen some essays on that very thing in the next few months.

2020 is not only the first year in human history that no one will die exclusively of old age but the Red Menace 2.0 is on the march. With the CPUSA paramilitaries achieving full deep state cover for their RevCom activities in the overt manifestations of BLM and Antifa, an idea has done actual physical harm in a corporeal form.

Just an idea.

“In Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, “Peter Henderson” is the name of a KGB mole that infiltrated the United States government.” Peter Henderson appears to be the nom de plume for Comrade Joe Biden’s email with his son, Hunter.

My favorite Grand video.

Get to the range, your rifle won’t drive itself. Train like your life depends on it. Send it. -BB

 

“The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles.”
Jeff Cooper, Art of the Rifle

The Garand is my third line long arm after my MSRs and sweetened bolt guns. I love my Garand. The storied rifle is nearly a hundred years old but still a testament to great technology and craftsmanship. If only they got the caliber right (.260 Pederson) but weapons acquisition in the US has always been encumbered by general officers fighting the last war. The lack of a detachable magazine seals the weapon from the elements. Along the same lines, the Tikka civilian variant of the new C19 for the Canadian Rangers provides another alternative. And yes, I want a Robar stock but that can wait [is Robar still in business?].

She’s built for comfort, not for speed…

And yes, I love the BM59 [all hail Domenico Salsa and Vittorio Valle who managed a three year engineering design effort as opposed to the awful M14 twelve year program] but like the FG42, ahead of their time but now behind their time and bloody expensive.

I will be attending a professional course with my youngest son with a very cool and uber-competent OG operator in April 2021 and may run some of the course with my M1 Garand to get the lead out.  [h/t to Mark S, our local historian/armorer on retainer at Planet Zerogov]

Maintenance and troubleshooting:

Use grease!  Modern wheel bearing grease is great, specified is 130-A lithium. Grease the op-rod, the locking lugs, and the op-rod track.  A little dab on the back edge of the bolt is recommended. It’s an open action, so keep it clear!  Junk can get in there and cause a stoppage, good news is, it’s easy to clear.

To quote Tom Hanks in Private Ryan: “Keep the sand out of your actions, and I’ll see you on the beach”

For short stroking/failure to extract:

Check the gas cylinder lock screw and crank it down

Check the extractor, replace if worn or broken

Replace extractor spring

Bolt close on an empty chamber/failure to load:

Check/replace op-rod spring

Check for bent or worn follower arm

Fail to fire:

Check/replace firing pin

Check headspace

Clip ejects early:

Replace clip latch and clip latch spring

Other Bits:

Modern optics fall into three basic options, but the standard irons are some of the best ever made:

Pistol type red-dot replacing the rear sight assembly

Scout (pistol type) scope on a rail replacing the wooden handguard [replace with a  picatinny rail from Ultimak or Fulton Armory]. Before 1990, Jeff Cooper was right in putting a conventional scope with sufficient eye relief there but now the red dot revolution has made that an anachronism.

Armorer drill and tap receiver for an offset scope mount. This was the solution for the sniper versions M-1C and M-1D, but also requires a cheek pad to offset cheek weld for sight alignment. Technology has made this method obsolescent.

Modern carry options:

The M1 is a bit heavy (11lbs) and long for single point sling set ups, so best to stay with a two point rapid adjust like a Magpul, Vickers, Blue Force or Spectre.  The issue web sling is also serviceable, but limited.

Accessories:

Butt stock cleaning kit, the oiler, pull through, and combo tool is the most useful. The other options is the cleaning rod sections and integral combo tool, but it’s really second choice

Bayonet: The 10 inch models (M1) all date to WWII, the 6 (M5) inch is the most practical, and has much less effect on POI since it doesn’t use a barrel ring

Ammo belt, don’t bother, it’s a recycle of a turn of the last century cartridge belt, and limits hanging other useful bits on it. Throw your en blocs in a dump pouch or modify a slick MOLLE rig with attached 40mm grenades pouches and voila, Garand chest rig for plink-a-pinko.

En Bloc clips, try and stay with the original manufacturers, easiest is to buy milsurp ammo already in bandoliers

Ammo:

Use only ammo designed for the M-1, using modern hunting ammo WILL bend your op rod eventually. Older ammunition can be corrosive, YMMV.

There are a couple of gas cylinder lock screws that say they reduce pressure, but Gun Jesus tested them and found that to be mostly false. Exception is the components with a tap and screw that you have to adjust to each brand of ammo.

30.06 is readily available right now because of the lower ownership density of the M1 and the tendency of Fudd-owners to spurn large basic loads.

30 thoughts on “Village Praxis: Drive the Right Rifle: The M1 Garand by Bill Buppert”

  1. Love my Garands too – I have five.

    Two wartime Winchesters and a wartime Springfield. When I was lad, my Dad, my Grandfather and I shot CMP courses regularly. The Garands came from CMP – as did some M1 Carbines, 03 Springfields, 17 Enfields and a couple 1911s. I inherited them all.

    I lucked into two 50s Internationals that had been converted to 7.62 NATO – one Air Force and one Navy. This was the alternative to the new M14.

    They all get shot regularly. I have several cases of Black Tip in reserve along with spares to keep the running.

    Solid recommendations on maintenance and operation.

    Carrying enblocs in grenade pouches works just fine. There are also purpose built MOLLE pouches available from Olongapo Outfitters but, they’re spendy!

    I remember the lead up to us going into Haiti in ’93. TV showed footage of the Macoutes carrying M1s. We had a young newbie with us who scoffed at their “old and busted” weapons. I gently pointed out to him that and half way competent shooter with one of those “old and busted” rifles could ruin his day at 800+ yards. He got red and sheepish but, he gained a new petspective and some respect for the M1!

    Nous Def!
    -Chief D

    1. Chief D,

      Save that Black Tip for puncturing engine blocks of unwanted guests. That stuff is awesome!

      I got my Garand in early 80’s from CMP for $185.

      My Dad loved that rifle for killing Japs on Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester.

      Great tips on maintenance and troubleshooting, Bill!

      Semper Fi,
      Brick

      1. Love my Korea CMP Garand shes a ginger and shoots everytime. All matching numbers except for the bolt. Wonderful rifle.

  2. I should also add that I’m evaluating a couple of product improvements on one of my 7.62 rifles.

    I swapped out the wood for a fiberglass stock and added an Ultimak rail.

    She wears an EoTech that I had spare.

    Seems like a winner this far!

    Nous Def!

    -Chief D

  3. Might be able to still find the Grenadier LBV in the TA-50 loadout.

    Each grenade pouch (14) will comfortably carry a clip secured by a snap, with 4 flare (or tool) pouches, with the pistol belt free for the rest of your gear, or not.

    Dou your PT and carry more rounds more comfortably than the floppy, unsecured Vietnam-era Blooper vest.

  4. SGT. Bradley graham

    I remember the good old days of nice $500 DCM Garands and cheap surplus 30.06. One is always in my POV when out and about and breaks down quickly and neatly into a sterile bag when in a non-permissive environment. You’d be hard pressed to find anything better in 2020 for the individual rifleman.

    BTW, Robar is no longer in business.

  5. Foot in the Forest

    Prized weapon in the safe. Caliber .30 M-1 Garand. I have 2 but #1 came out of Springfield 3rd week of December 1941. My brother in law has been thru the armorers course for them and is a certified Garand nut. He has checked over both for me and supplied spare parts. I load my own ammo and have lots for spicy times. The modern sporting rifle is great for up close but when you need to really reach out and touch some one 30-06 does it very well.

  6. I started shooting the M1 in DCM matches in 1984. I am one of the last dinosaurs who still shows up to matches with a Garand. Love the 3006 round. When the spaghetti hits the fan, the M1, along with the 10 bayonet is my go to rifle. Stay safe my friends, we live in interesting times. And keep your powder dry!

  7. Garand Gear sells a gas plug that has an expanded chamber for use with modern ammo. It is advertised to alleviate the bent op rod problem.

  8. Centurion_Cornelius

    What you say is all true, Bill. Got me two of John C’s Masterpieces–one a DCM gun and the other a surplus, bought from a dealer. Both are Springfields. Cut my teeth on ’em at the Camp Perry Matches each year. Plus, policed up all the NM brass you could carry after the “cease fire” order to re-load back home each Winter. Primers were .01, the pill was .05, and good powder was like $5/lb.

    Was wise enough to lay in plenty of the GI ball ammo with the 147gr pill when it was going for (yes it was) .08–.010 a round, which included the clips, cardboards, and bando all tossed into a GI .30 cal ammo can. Some of the Korean variety I got is corrosive, but, hey–you clean up accordingly.

    I still prefer the cloth bando holding the eight en-bloc clips; bought them for a dime each at the fun shows back in the day. Mil-surp Vendors had tables sky-high full of them and you just grabbed a bunch and guessed at how many you took. A five spot got you a lifetime supply to share with others.

    These ancient headlights of mine have trouble using the irons these days for quick shots, but I’m working on getting the micro red-dot on the rear sight of my DCM Garand.

    Like it’s been said–the .30/06 round can’t be beat for stopping power–AMEN! If my memory serves, the M1 ball at 1,000 yards still has about 531 ft/lbs of energy. The .357 magnum has 539 ft/lbs at the muzzle!

  9. Fine rifle. Simple and reliable.

    I have heard some complain about the scout-mounted scopes getting ocular (rear) lens splashed with grease and debris being so close to extraction and the bolt / op rod cam. Thoughts?

  10. Funny anecdote- In the mid 1980s, having read Cooper talking about the advantages of the forward mounted low power optic, AKA the Scout Scope, I noodled around and mounted a Leupold Scout Scope on my recently rebarreled M1, a neglected Blue Sky reimport. Being rather pleased with making this adaptation to improve the shooter’s ability to see better and hit better with the M1, I sent the Colonel a short letter, with pictures, showing him my installation. I was surprised to get a very stiff reply telling me in no uncertain terms that the Scout Rifle concept was for a light handy rifle, that the M1 was neither and that he was tired of people bastardizing the Scout Rifle. I was more than a little taken aback. After some reflection, rather than argue with him, I dropped the matter, as well as my plan to attend Gunsite, to which I had been credentialed courtesy of my local CongressCritter.

    Others likely did it before me, and it has taken a number of years but ‘scouting’ the M1 is now a fairly common modification, significantly improving one’s ability to acquire and hit targets. If you are running a scout scope on the M1, QR Leupold rings allow scope and rings to be removed from the rifle in short order, and make the GI peep usable again. I may try a dot sight, or see what I can get in a variable power long eye relief scope; Burris makes one 2x to 7x, and I have been impressed with their quality and value of late. Maybe have some mildots installed in my 2 1/2 power Leupold for longer ranges? My only regret is that I did not order tritium sights for the M1; have not seen anyone make these for at least 10 years now. Of course, at this point, even if I had gotten them 10 or 15 years back they’d be pretty dim by now.

    The M1 may be a bit slower than the M14 or BM-59 for the first 20 rounds, but for sustained fire, the enbloc clip is quicker than the box mag to reload, and over a minute’s time the M1 has tested to be as fast or faster than the M14. It handles the heavier .30 caliber match bullets better than the M14 does, too, giving you slightly more retained velocity, a bit better trajectory and less windage than the .308, and allowing the shooter to get farther out with less drop and windage. 1000 yards? With a 7 power optic zeroed at 300 or 400 yards, I could certainly get to 700 or 800, and might be able to hit a man-sized target at a thousand yards. The nice thing about 30 caliber ball or especially .30 AP is that it penetrates things like big trees very effectively and turns what is cover from the 5.56 into concealment.

    With regard to all who seek the Light,

    Historian

    1. Historian,

      Indeed, Cooper could be quite the rude curmudgeon. His design of the scout scoped rifle was a clever interregnum that was quickly disposed of with the increasing effectiveness of red dots and now LPVOs.

      Per the M14, what a wretched rifle and we missed a bullet quite literally by getting the Stoner adopted in the “fixed” trials in the 1950s. I had a National Match M14 when I was on a US Navy Pacific regional rifle team and hated it. We had to go through an average of three rifles to get settled in a consistent 600m shooter with irons.

      Read “The Gun” by Chivers for a great and disturbing history of the US weapons fiasco in the 1950s.

      M14 critique: https://looserounds.com/2015/01/30/the-m14-not-much-for-fighting-a-case-against-the-m14-legend/

      The M1 is quicker to reload by two men trained on their respective weapons in speed between the M14 and the M1. I would daresay a Lee Enfield practitioner may be faster than the M14 if he is feathering the trigger with his middle finger and cycling the bolt with his index. As with all weapons, build and maintenance determines efficacy in combat too but the Garand is simply “handy” despite its weight. Red dot or LPVO goes awry? Take it off and you have the finest set of irons devised by man.

      Bill

    2. Cooper could be a real dickhead when challenged. A tiny bit dogmatic.

      Give him credit where it’s due, but…

      1. Boat Guy:
        Yup. I was surprised at his reaction, but after thinking about it, I figured there was no point in continuing the argument, and I had better things to do with my time. So I threw his nastygram in the trash and moved on. His loss, not mine! I’m of the “If it looks stupid, but it works, it ain’t stupid!” school of thinking, and the forward mounted sight on the M1 works.

        Everybody that has tried it, loves it, especially those with fading eyesight. Shooting it offhand takes upper body strength, but from a rest or prone, even petite females can make first round hits at 300 yards. The M1 is well arranged for a shooter, and as Bill noted above, the sights are first rate, one of a few things the Army did right with the M14. Caliber could have been better on both, but thanks to MacArthur we got stuck with the .30 caliber.

        Opinions vary on the M14, and mine have evolved over time, but I really liked shooting the M1 and still do. Plenty of folks out there who don’t, but so much the better for me! Time and technology march on, and there are better precision semi rifles out there, but certainly within the rifleman’s quarter mile there is much to be said for the M1.

        With regard to all who seek the Light,
        Historian

  11. I got my tritium front sights from Smith. Dunno if they still have them.
    The T-37 flash hider makes a distinctive sound but works well. The M5 bayonet is a nice accessory in conjunction with it.
    Olongapo made stock pouches, again dunno if they’re still available. The MOLLE frag pouches are also good for clips.

    https://olongapooutfitters.com/equipment-and-gear/garand-grab-and-go/

    Had some issues with the Greek HXP ammo from CMP; some of the clips are too tight against the cases causing misfeeds at round #7, so that stuff is relegated for training only. Good practice for clearing malfunctions

  12. What kind of ammunition should be shot in a 7.62 NATO factory chambered Garand? I have a Springfield Armory Garand from the late 1980’s – early 90’s. I’ve wondered if standard Winchester 7.62 NATO would do any long term damage to it.

    Also looked into Shuff’s Mini G, that sounds like a pretty sweet downsized rifle.

    1. Almost any .308 is fine. Unlike the .30-06, the .308 can’t really generate enough gas to hurt the gun. The Navy opened up the gas ports on their 7.62 Garands pretty big to ensure that they would function. Standard 147-150 grain NATO ball is just fine for a 7.62 M1.

  13. Basic load for an M-1 Garand. Until 1944 . One 10 pocket belt plus 2 bandoleers (160 rounds) plus two hand grenades and extra team ammo in an M-1 ammunition bag (handy things). After 1944 The basic issue was 5 bandoleers of 48 rounds per man (240 rounds) Plus TWO M-1 bags carrying as much as they could-Mostly ammo for the BAR. This was the basic load until after Korea. Then (mid-late 1950’s) the Army went back to 160 rounds per man until the Garand was phased out of service in the early to mid 1960’s. I have been training with an M-1 since the 80’s,and 220+ rounds of 30.06 is HEAVY!! But IMO WELL worth the trouble as ONE 150 grain ball ,163 grain AP or 173 grain match round ,is the meaning of “One shot, One kill”. And you need not be a sniper or DM to do it. A six ‘O clock hold, sight alignment, trigger pulled steady until the recoil taps you. My M-1945 pack, E-tool, and “three days food and sox” works just as well now as it ever did. I do carry a model 652 Smith and Wesson .357 as a sidearm, 2 canteens, a KA-BAR, a big first aid kit and little else in Spring/Summer/Fall. I prefer OG-107 in summer, and OG-507 (wool) in winter. I have a full “wet cold’ uniform. In fact, I can lay out a full TA-50 and I keep it up to date.

  14. So the photo is an old Robar demo rifle.

    Bill, what does yours actually look like?

    Something dolled-up for Shot Show promo didn’t seem like what you were trying to describe, right from the LER Scope which as you’ve noted has given way to new Red-Dot technologies.

    So what does the Bill’s Gun actual feature for optics?

    For those interested in Robar’s coatings the only licensee I’ve found is: https://wrightarmory.com/np3-metal-finishing/

    If you are looking for something higher performance and thinner, check out: https://black-t.com/

    Have had both finishes done. If you are into raw performance Black-T/Green-T is the ticket.

    Viewing actual NP-3 and Black-T/Green-T coated rifles from 25, 50 and 100m, the light-sink effect of especially the Green-T of the Black-T/Green-T finish appeared to “erase” the rifle’s appearance the most effectively.

    The M1 Garand is a sweet rifle. Whether it is your personal darling on your gun rack, at the range or less commonly in field carry, it always shows its class.

    1. Rastapopoulos,

      Respectfully, I don’t put photos of my weapons online except in our secure family chat rooms. Mine is pretty standard except for a Fulton Armory picatinny rail froward and a red dot. Mine is a rack grade working rifle.

      Bill

  15. Have a couple aroumd here, along with a few bm59s, and 62s, prefer them over the m-14. We have an old guy here in town who has literall a warehouse full ofwwii I weapons and parts. He’s an old fart, have to make appointments now, his system is compromised, he’s scared to death of China bug. Picked up fifty more Mblucs. Some rust, I’ll throw them in the case tumbler, clean em up.

    I need to find a source for 3006, M1 specific ammo.

    A partner said he’s got me covered, haven’t heard a peep, not one to,count on others to take care of my needs. Like two thousand, anybody got a reliable source. Know I it’s late in the game, begger scant be choosers.

    Bill, last six times on your site, it’s become clear to me someones counting key strokes. Only happening on your site.

    Dirk

    1. Bill, last six times on your site, it’s become clear to me someones counting key strokes. Only happening on your site.

      I have the dubious fortune of being used as an example by the Fatherland agencies of being a non-violent dissenter with my modest scribbling here.

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