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M1 Garand op-rod question.

sarge_3ad
Kid brings in a fancy dancy M1 Garand. It's a D-day tribute rifle. He bent the op-rod while shooting it. Can these be straightened with a steel rod and some heat? Anyone try this before? Thanks!, Sarge

PS I'm going to install a adjustable gas plug in it so this won't happen again.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • cbyerly
    Unless you have an arsenal jig, don't even try to "straighten "it. They have very critical bends originally. They were NEVER straight.
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  • nmyers
    Cbyerly is correct. Adjusting the "bend" is best left to a service trained armorer. I suspect that it would be worth the expense, as it is unlikely you can get a replacement op rod that matches the finish of the "special edition" rifle.

    Neal
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  • firstharmonic
    Here's the web page for someone who can refurbish that op-rod - http://www.columbusmachine.com/oprod.htm .
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  • mark christian
    It has to be sent to someone who knows EXACTLY what he is doing and has the arsenal gauges to check it. If you want to give it a try I can give you this as a guide, but don't expect miracles!
    [img][/img]M1oprod.jpg

    I have mentioned in this forum many times that it is extremely unwise to fire any .30-06 ammunition that is not M2 Ball or a commercial duplication of the US M2 Ball round.
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  • sarge_3ad
    Thanks everyone for the comments. Mark I remember your comments have taken heed to what you say. There is just too many out there that don't know this until it's too late. Believe I will ship it out for the experts to recondition.
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  • Laredo Lefty
    One of my garands had an out of spec op rod years ago. It would pop out of the receiver channel while shooting. Rather than try to correct it, I just bought a new one. A much easier solution, for me anyway.
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  • v35
    Please include M-1 Ball as it was the authorized combat load.
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  • Riomouse911
    Ya, I was going to say the same thing; tell the shooter to not use standard '06 hunting loads in his Garand...unless you want him as a repeat customer.
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  • givette
    quote:Originally posted by v35
    Please include M-1 Ball as it was the authorized combat load.

    M1 Ball/M2 Ball

    Can anyone cite the differences? I'm interested in pressure time-to-peak values. Thanks, Joe

    EDIT
    Below is what Wikipedia says about the differences. Essentially (if the article is accurate), the main reason for switching from M1 Ball to M2 ball is due to the fact that the M1 Ball went too far!! Decide for yourselves. Best, Joe

    "Experience gained in World War I indicated that other nations' machine guns far outclassed American ones in maximum effective range. Additionally, before the widespread employment of light mortars and artillery, long-range machine gun 'barrage' or indirect fires were considered important in U.S. infantry tactics.[4] For these reasons, in 1926, the Ordnance Corps developed the .30 M1 Ball cartridge using a 174-grain (11.3 g) bullet with a 9 degree boat tail, traveling at a reduced muzzle velocity of 2,640 ft/s (800 m/s). This bullet offered significantly greater range from machine guns and rifles alike due to its increased ballistic coefficient. Additionally, a gilding metal jacket was developed that all but eliminated the metal fouling that plagued the earlier cartridge. Wartime surplus totaled over 2 billion rounds of ammunition. Army regulations called for training use of the oldest ammunition first. As a result, the older .30-06 ammunition was expended for training; stocks of M1 ammunition were allowed to slowly grow until all of the older ammo had been fired. By 1936 it was discovered that the maximum range of the new M1 ammunition and its 174-grain (11.3 g), boat-tailed bullets were beyond the safety limitations of many ranges. An emergency order was made to manufacture quantities of ammunition that matched the ballistics of the older cartridge (M1906 Ball-Joe) as soon as possible. A new cartridge was developed in 1938 that was essentially a duplicate of the old M1906 round, but with a gilding metal jacket and a different lead alloy, resulting in a bullet that weighed 152 grains (9.8 g) instead of 150. This cartridge, the Cartridge .30 M2 Ball, used a flat-based bullet fired at a higher muzzle velocity (2,805 ft/s) than either of its predecessors"
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  • Don McManus
    quote:Originally posted by Riomouse911
    Ya, I was going to say the same thing; tell the shooter to not use standard '06 hunting loads in his Garand...unless you want him as a repeat customer.


    CMP is selling new production 30-06 for Garand use, and I've recently seen an offering from Bitterroot Valley Ammunition Company making the same claim. Nothing on BVAC's website makes a mention of it, however.
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