M1 Garand Question

[george223]

I bought my Garand about 40 years ago and have had this question since. When you load a full 8 round clip and push it all the way in until it locks in place, is the bolt supposed to automatically close? Mine doesn't. When I push the clip in, the bolt stays put fully open. I then give the bolt handle a light tap with the heel of my right palm, the bolt then closes and the rifle operates as expected. Is this normal? If not, this would be a problem that I would not care to fix because I like the way it works now. Having my thumb smashed between the bolt face and the breech would not be desirable. When I do load the clip, I push it in with my right thumb keeping my hand in front of the bolt handle in case it decides to slam forward, but it never has. My Garand in a Korean import. The receiver and barrel were manufactured by H&R in 1954. The bolt and most other parts were manufactured by Springfield Armory.

[jarhead714]

Normal. Think what would happen to your thumb if it didn’t. Might still happen.😉

[beerman]

How does it shoot? I really need to shoot the cobwebs out of mine.(12/41 S.A)

[P5Ret]

The bolt is supposed to automatically release when a full clip is inserted into the rifle. Plenty of videos describing how to properly load the Garand while retaining the bolt to avoid getting "Garand thumb". As long as you are happy with the way it's working, no need to investigate why it isn't doing what it is designed to do.

[IronsightsRifleman]

Normal for the op rod gets caught up - there's a catch point on the barrel. Give it a slight bump upwards (i.e. counter-clockwise rotation) and it will free itself and go home. But most people just force it forward and that works too.
As you've found it very hard to have the bolt close on your thumb when you're loading a full clip. Easy to do it when the magazine is empty and you're trying to release the bolt.

[Duck Killer]

You have be a moron to get Garand thumb. As you push in the enbloc your hand should run against the charging handle. If the bolt doesn’t close give it a slap. Who is stupid enough to put your finger in something that slams shut without holding it open.

[george223]

Thanks for replies. As I said, not really concerned. I like it the way it is. Was just curious. Sounds like the bolt closes automatically on some Garands and stays open on others. And no, I never had the pleasure of getting 'Garand Thumb'. But since they came up with the term, I'm guessing some people have. That's gotta hurt.

[george223]

How does it shoot? I really need to shoot the cobwebs out of mine.(12/41 S.A)

As far as functionality goes, it works great. Never missed a beat. Accuracy? The barrel is a little worn but there is enough rifling in it to get the bullet to spin. I'm not very good with iron sights on a rifle at distance. I'm good at shooting dirt.

[george223]

One more question I've been curious about since I've owned my Garand. How does your brass look after firing it? The base of my brass has a gouge across it. Is this normal? I have changed the extractor and ejector with the same results. I'm guessing it is due to the stiff ejector spring. The bolt face looks fine. Any thoughts? I would take a picture of my brass but I'm out of town and won't be back for awhile.

[Pofoo]

I've watched videos from WW2 and Korea, and I've seen GI's load like yours does.

[beerman]

One more question I've been curious about since I've owned my Garand. How does your brass look after firing it? The base of my brass has a gouge across it. Is this normal? I have changed the extractor and ejector with the same results. I'm guessing it is due to the stiff ejector spring. The bolt face looks fine. Any thoughts? I would take a picture of my brass but I'm out of town and won't be back for awhile.

Look for a chamber burr. Could be a spring issue, but I doubt it.

[george223]

Look for a chamber burr. Could be a spring issue, but I doubt it.

No, not the chamber. The gouge is across the bottom of the case. This is hard to explain without a picture so I think I will bring this question up again in a couple of months when I get back home.

[socal m1 shooter]

If the oprod catch is worn, like the front one in the pic below, then you have a much higher probability of Garand thumb.