Garand problem

[Leon]

I was shooting my M1 yesterday and was down to my last 7 rounds so I loaded the last space in the clip with empty brass.

I fired the 7 rounds and the rifle chambered the empty brass but I couldn't eject it. The charging handle will move back about 1/4" but no more.

My guess is that it probably just needs a good whack with a wood block but as I generally try to avoid hammering on my firearms I figured I'd see if anyone with more M1 experience had any advice for me.

Next question is does anyone have a better way to load less than 8 rounds from a Garand?

[mauser98k]

1. place rifle butt on floor
2. point muzzle away from face and body
3. depress bolt with bottom of boot

i'm pretty sure they make enbloc clips that hold fewer than 8 rounds. i mean, it's a 5 round limit in Canada and i've seen people with Garands there so they have to exist in some form

[tony1970]

You can cross two rounds in a standard clip and load. Old Highpower trick.

[rojocorsa]

1. place rifle butt on floor
2. point muzzle away from face and body
3. depress bolt with bottom of boot

i'm pretty sure they make enbloc clips that hold fewer than 8 rounds. i mean, it's a 5 round limit in Canada and i've seen people with Garands there so they have to exist in some form

They do.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=759224

You can cross two rounds in a standard clip and load. Old Highpower trick.

Never heard of that. Could you please elaborate on it? It sounds intriguing.

[cmichini]

Crossing the rounds likely created enough tension/friction to keep everybody in line while loading the clip until it engages.

The one pictured above is likely a 2/5. If you load it one way it holds 2 rounds, the other 5. Normally, when shooting my garands I'm single loading them using an SLED (single load enhancement device - or something to that effect). You can buy them or make one yourself with a dremel and an old clip. I think you can find the measurements on the web.

HTH

[rojocorsa]

It's bad just to put the single round in the chamber and then drop the bolt on it, correct? (Like a 1911)

[Orlando]

It's bad just to put the single round in the chamber and then drop the bolt on it, correct? (Like a 1911)

Even though military primers are harder it is possible to have a slam fire by loading this way.

[Leon]

Thanks for the reassurance, mauser98k. Worked like a charm!


The “cross two rounds” trick made me curious and I found this on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--NbefyN0-M&feature=related

I got a good laugh out of this at the beginning:

“Here are my dummy rounds, they are spent cartridges I have crimped the edges, you can see the firing pin has struck the primer; its not live - I’m not an idiot”

Because loading a Garand clip with live ammo would somehow make one an idiot?!?

Starting about 3:00 he shows his technique to load 2 rounds. Is this what you were referring to Tony1970?

I have heard of the 2/5 round clips but I think making a SLED (which I had not heard of) will probably the best bet for me to fire off those last <8 rounds of the day.

Thanks to all for the helpful advice!

[mauser98k]

Thanks for the reassurance, mauser98k. Worked like a charm!

happy to help

[Geodetic]

Because loading a Garand clip with live ammo would somehow make one an idiot?!?

Technically there's always a chance of a slam fire. Military rifles like the M1, M1 Carbine, M14, AR15, M16 and their clones have a free floating firing pin that slams into the primer from the forward inertia from the bolt. A slam fire is very very unlikely with military/hard primers but has been known to happen especially with commercial or reloaded ammo with softer primers.

[ElvenSoul]

Sarco has 3 and 5 rnd clips

[kendog4570]

Put the clip in the gun with two (or one), and while holding the op rod to the rear, thumb the rest in like any other double row magazine. Let the op rod go. All the while pointed in a safe direction, of course!

[Fate]

You can load a 7/8 enbloc. Just maintain pressure on the rounds when you insert the enbloc. Once it's engaged, the rifle won't know the difference between your short loaded one and a full one.

Don't put an empty in there ever again.

[brianinca]

Single loading a Garand is no big deal. I do it on the line at matches all the time, the SLED was invented DECADES after the Garand became the standard for Nat'l Matches.

Pop the round in the mag, slide it forward a bit, hold the oprod handle back with your pinky while you push down the follower with your thumb, ride the oprod forward about half-way and let fly. This slows the bolt down to about the same speed friction would
hold it to while chambering a new round. Et voila!

The REASON your Garand locked up with the fired brass is that it was EXPANDED by firing, that's why you have to full-length resize brass in the reloading process. Like Fate says, "don't do that!"

Regards,
Brian in CA

[rojocorsa]

So one can't just neck-size M-1 brass, huh?

(I don't know. I only know that I could neck size the .303 I shot through my Enfield when I reaload it; I don't know how to reload yet).