Revitalizing a M1 Rifle

[jeep45238]

I know that this website has a fair amount of restrictions on how many images can be embedded per post, and for this reason I'm just going to link to my project log. Some may be pretty interested in this, others not so much.

It follow the steps that I did to bring a worn out M1 back up to specs (still not 100% finished yet).

Ohioans For Concealed Carry Discussion Forums • View topic - Revitalizing an M1 rifle - up-to-date walk through. (http://ohioccwforums.org/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=44012)

[Popeye]

Good luck with the rifle and the restoration of the wood. I was thinking of doing the same, but I decided to go with new wood from Boyds and keep the original wood for when I retire the weapon. I use mine to do military funerals mostly shooting blanks in the rifle vollies at Washington Crossing National Cemetary in PA. I do occasionally shoot live rounds through it though. Nothing sends a Vet on his final journey like 3 vollies from M1 Garands.

[Bawanna]

Good luck with the rifle and the restoration of the wood. I was thinking of doing the same, but I decided to go with new wood from Boyds and keep the original wood for when I retire the weapon. I use mine to do military funerals mostly shooting blanks in the rifle vollies at Washington Crossing National Cemetary in PA. I do occasionally shoot live rounds through it though. Nothing sends a Vet on his final journey like 3 vollies from M1 Garands.

Good man Popeye. My hats off to you for being there for them. Any man that don't choke up during them vollies needs some serious help.
I too got a Boyds stock and finished it myself, actually I went the laminate but mostly I wanted to save the near perfect 1942 original wood and not take a chance dinging it up.

[jeep45238]

It's coming along nicely - should be done in a few days after the stock sealing is done.

If you look at what (currently) is the last post, you'll see a pretty dang gone handy way to clean out a seriously fouled barrel, be that powder or copper fouling, that you just can't seem to get cleaned out. Fill it up, hook it up, walk away for 45 minutes or so, and it's done with the serious work. Just run patches until it's clean and it'll be completely cleaned out.

[Popeye]

Thanks Bawanna 45cal. but no thanks is nessesary. I'm just a big believer that Vets do not forget Vets (USN 66/69) and everyone of them should be sent to there final resting place with the honor and dignity they so rightfully deserve, and that takes and M1 Garand.
I chose to keep mine as original looking as possible because of funerals even though the wood is new.(walnut) I put five coats of tung oil,followed by five coats of clear minwax finishing wax on it. It gives it that satin shine and still shows the beauty of the wood and does not make it look like anything more that it is supposed to look like. It also protects it from the snow and rain. The M1 might be a battle rifle but it's nice to put it back into sevice of the country for peaceful purposes. It has been used on many friends relatives funerals from WW2,Korea,Viet Nam, Iraq,and Afganistan.
I've really come to appreciate the M1 Garand as being more than just another rifle. They really are something special.

Jeep, keep up the good work it will be well worth it in the end.

[jeep45238]

Day Nine:

After the stain dried, I rubbed in 2 coats of a matte finish polyurethane with a light sanding of 220 grit between coats. I did the final assembly of the rifle, and function tested after a proper lubrication of rifle grease on the M1.

Until I get a chance to fire the rifle, this restoration/accurization is at a stand still. Most would call it complete, but let's be honest. No rifle is complete until it's been shot.

So, here he is with his little sister.

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s127/jeep45238/Range%20Time/HRA%20M1%20GARAND/DSCN1273.jpg

[Popeye]

Looks good.

[Popeye]

I don't know if your aware of this, but you can find out the Approx. date your M1 was made and when it served.

M1 Garand Serial Numbers (http://www.fulton-armory.com/tea/m1serial.htm)

[medezyner]

Yup, it sure is coming along great. A true labor of love for sure. When I took possession of my M1 I did a detail strip of it. I was a bit nervous with the trigger assembly, but there was plenty of guidance out on the web. http://www.civilianmarksmanship.com/striphtml/detailtriggergroup.html (http://www.civilianmarksmanship.com/striphtml/detailtriggergroup.html) Took it to the range years ago and was blown away with how accurate and soft shooting it was. I guess you could expect that from a gas action semi weighing in at 10 pounds! I picked up a grenade launcher years ago and just got around to taking the cosmoline off it last week! Haven’t shot it for a while, so it’s probably time to load up a dozen clips and have at it. I’ve got pix of “My Baby” in my forum albums. Make sure you tell us how your range time went.

[jeep45238]

Well, my buddy Corey and myself got to the closest ODNR range after shooting an IDPA classifier in the morning. Due to the drive time, we had less than an hour of shooting, and we forgot magnified anything to attempt to use as a spotting scope.

Long story short, I shot corrosive British surplus machine gun ammo just to get the receiver settled down in the stock, and shot an AR I recently built as a function test. Literally the moment I loaded an enbloc clip of M2 rifle ammo, the RSO called "CEASE FIRE, RANGE IS CLOSED." Go figure.

The surplus ammo that I was shooting was pretty underpowered, but the group that I was getting at 100 yards with that ammo, and my first bedding job, and just trying to get the receiver settled into the receiver, was SMALLER than the group I first got at 25 yards with the same ammo.

So, this means that I've basically cut my groups by MORE than 75%. I'm happy with that for a start, I can't wait to get it to the range and shoot for groups.

[jeep45238]

I took this baby to the range again, and with machine gun ammo was getting 3MOA slung up in prone. I think we've got a winner!

[wyntrout]

Great posts, Mike. That is definitely YOUR baby... not a job for the faint at heart or impatient procrastinators... as I am. :D
Wynn

[jlottmc]

Well done indeed. Treasure that weapon. That is another on my I will have one in the not terribly distant future. Nice work on the project.