My CMP Select Garand Arrived Today (w/ pics)

[powaybob]

My CMP Select Grade Garand was delivered by Fed Ex this morning and fortunately for me it was my wife's day off so she could sign for it.

The 5 pictures attached are the plain brown box, the first look at the rifle, the receiver, the trigger group covered with a thin film of grease, and a picture of the grip with a "P" mark on the stock.

The metal is in excellent shape. The bore seems bright and shiny with no pitting. The wood is a bit more dinged up than I expected, but it is still in sound condition. I do not think I need to replace it.

A couple of questions on cleaning. Is it OK to just clean the grease off the field stripped assemblies? I am a bit intimidated at the idea of complete disassembly right now. I have read that mineral spirits work just fine on the grease- consensus?

What about cleaning up the stock? Soap and water? Mineral spirits?
Is there anyway to reduce the dings and gouges simply?

I am sure my questions have been answered a thousand times before., so forgive me.

I have plenty of time to clean the rifle since I do not have any ammunition yet. My CMP order has not yet arrived.

What a beautiful beast of a weapon!

[mls343]

Congrats, powaybob! Welcome to the addiction!

Regarding cosmoline, your hair dryer is your best friend. Your next closest friends are brake cleaner, rags, and q-tips.

As for disassembly, it's not that bad. The manual that comes with it is pretty good and there are tons of stuff on the internet that shows you how. Piece of cake really.

Regarding the wood, hair dryer and rags. Once all the cosmoline is off, you can take out some of the dings using a wet wash cloth and your Wifes iron (yes, she will appreciate it as well as the hair dryer...).

Check out any posts post from the milsurp collector as he is all over it. Some of the best advice I've seen yet.

Congratulations again, and looking froward to your next purchase!

[4 Brigada]

I dont know I used some of my drool when I got mine Now seriously here are some links that will help when the time comes to disassemble.

http://www.surplusrifle.com/garand/index.asp

http://www.civilianmarksmanship.com/

And of course you have the knowledge pool of the Calgunners to draw from. Knowledge pool , not gene poll.

[0321jarhead]

Far Eff'n out man! You will, if not already love her like a mail order bride. Right on Bro!!

[Milsurp Collector]

As mls343 said, heat from a hair dryer easily liquefies cosmoline, then it can be wiped off with paper towels. It isn't necessary to remove every last molecule as it was applied as a preservative to prevent corrosion of the metal and rot in the wood, so it's a good thing. Whatever small amount remains will liquefy and drip off the first time you start shooting the rifle and it heats up.

Dents, dings, and scratches (but not chips or gouges) in the wood can be steamed out with a washcloth and steam iron. Wet the dent, apply a soaking-wet folded-in-two washcloth over the dent, then apply a steam iron set on the highest setting to the washcloth over the dent until it stops steaming. Check the results, re-wet the dent and cloth, and repeat as needed.

If you do a lot of steaming you will want to re-oil the wood. Everyone has their favorite, but in my opinion it is hard to beat the original products used by the military: 100% pure tung oil and raw linseed (flax seed) oil.

I use 100% pure tung oil as a "base coat" and raw linseed oil for upkeep. This duplicates what was done in the military: tung oil was used at Springfield Armory, raw linseed oil was used by the troops for maintenance.

Please be aware that "tung oil finish" like Minwax or Formby's, which is widely available at hardware stores, is not the same thing as 100% pure tung oil. The "tung oil" in the name is for marketing purposes and the products actually have little tung oil in them.

Boiled linseed oil (BLO) is also widely available in hardware stores, but I have found it doesn't give a nice red patina as it ages the way raw linseed oil does. It is available as "flaxseed oil" - a dietary supplement - in the health food stores, Walmart, Walgreens, etc. and also online. Make sure you buy the liquid and not the softgels.

Sources of 100% pure tung oil

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=6524&filter=tung%20oil

http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/ProductPage.aspx?prodid=430

http://www.amazon.com/Rockler-Tung-Oil-Quart/dp/B001DSZXAK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1267976933&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Wood-Cutting-Boards-Sushi-Plates/dp/B001KS75C2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1267976933&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Behlen-H3987-Tung-Oil-pt/dp/B0000DD61W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1267976933&sr=8-4

http://www.amazon.com/100-Pure-Tung-Oil-90008/dp/B000GYEGQE/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1267976933&sr=8-14

http://www.amazon.com/100-Pure-Tung-Oil-90004/dp/B000GYCCZG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1267976933&sr=8-5

http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Blend-TUNG-OIL-32oz/dp/B001E0BLJE/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1267976933&sr=8-7

Sources of raw linseed oil.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/catalog/Herbals/Organic-Flax-Oil/ID=prod393843&navCount=5&navAction=push-product

http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Flax-Seed-24-Ounces/dp/B0013OUOQW

http://www.meijer.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=133962&cmpid=goobase&CAWELAID=362650507

[mls343]

See, I told ya!

[Navyguy0023]

Awesome information!! My credit card just got hit for my Service Grade SA Garand, so it should be here soon.

[Eat Dirt]

Very Nice Poway Bob

I like the way you had the pics of the Big Moment
Showing us delivered box to complete Rifle


I just sent away yesterday for 2 Mossberg M 44 / .22

[GMG]

Congrats on the new purchase, you'll love it!

[cryoguy]

One day I will have one!!! Congrats on the new gun!

[Milsurp Collector]

After you remove the cosmoline you'll have to lube the critical wear points. The M1 Rifle is lubed with grease, not oil.

http://www.nicolausassociates.com/PDF/M1GarandRifleGreasePoints.pdf

You can use the mil-spec grease http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=6...__SPEC__GREASE but many guys use moly wheel bearing grease from the auto parts store.

If you want to shoot commercial .30-06 ammo you can use an adjustable gas plug. There are two makes available

Schuster http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Brow...260***12508***
McCann http://www.mccannindustries.com/scope/parts.html

They can also be used with M2 ball ammo to reduce recoil and battering of the moving parts.

[powaybob]

Thanks Milsurp Collector!

I will heed your advice as I prepare this for use.

[aGunForEachHand]

Nice Garand. Congrats. Letting the parts and stock sit out in the sun for a few hours will melt a lot of the cosmo out of the stock and parts. Beyond that, brake cleaner works well on the metal parts, and I would just use heat on the stock to remove dings and extract cosmo.

[butch952]

Nice Rifle! Congrats

[Eat Dirt]

Thanks Milsurp Collector!

I will heed your advice

+ 1 on that . Thanks from another Garand owner