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Old October 1, 2010, 09:18 AM   #1
bassfishindoc
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Garand Competion Rifle

Hey everybody, I just got my CMP Garand and am looking to start participating in some Garand competitions. I am curious about some things that can be done to my rifle to help me increase my accuracy. What can be done to the rifle and still keep it legal? Also, I was looking at National Match Armory and there Garand Match overhaul they do to rifles. Does anybody have experience with this company and is it worth the $1995 pricetag?
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Old October 1, 2010, 09:37 AM   #2
Jim Watson
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There are not many modifications you can make for the CMP John C. Garand Match. Read at:
http://www.odcmp.com/services/compet...rand_match.htm
with a link to the complete rules.

I think you could have a lot of fun before you got to the point of spending $2000+ on a prepped rifle.
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Old October 1, 2010, 10:06 AM   #3
Howard31
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M1 Tune up

Assuming that your barrel is good and the stock fits snuggly all the accuracy in an M1 is from the lower band forward.Remove the lower band and stipple or knurl the bearing surface. Hammer lower band back on favoring the left side. During recoil the op rod bows to the right and if you favor the right the rod will hit the lower band . Make a new lower band pin from an old drill bit. Cut w/ Dremel and loc-tite in.
Rear hand guard make sure it does not wedge in,it should have about 1/16 gap between the wood and the front face of the reciever.If it touches when it expands it will push the muzzle down.
Front hand guard,remove the spacer,you don't need it.Take your dremel and relieve the front ferrule so it does not contact the brl.
Gas clyinder- Dremel the rear ring so it does not touch the brl. I ruined an expensive expandable reamer on a cylinder,they are stainless and a dremel does work best. The gas cyl should fit tight on the splines,if it does not-lightly peen the rear portion of the splines. Start the cyl on the brl,you should use a hammer and a wood block,just get it started enough so you can get 3-4 turns on the lock ring.
Put the bolt in the rifle and attach op-rod. With the bolt all the way forward measure from the front face of the locking ring to the forward face of the op-rod.Using a large crescent wrench with tape on the jaws to prevent chewing up the lock ring crank down the lock ring until the distance from the op-rod face to the front edge of the r

Last edited by Howard31; October 1, 2010 at 11:04 AM.
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Old October 1, 2010, 10:57 AM   #4
Howard31
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continued

The battiries in my cordless key board died,not a single AA in the house and it's raining cats and dogs.
Turn the locking ring down until it reads .080.that's minimum,continue until the ring is in the 6 0 clock position.Insert gas plug and you can hold the 10 ring on a Sr 1 at a 100..
A trigger job is helpful but best left to someone who has done it before.
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Old October 1, 2010, 08:50 PM   #5
kraigwy
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Garand Match = AS ISSUED.

Many place inspect the rifles.

CAREFUL,

Quote:
The rifl e must be a Caliber .30 U. S. M1 Garand rifl e that was issued by the
U.S. Armed Forces and be in as-issued condition. A Caliber .30 M1941 Johnson
rifl e or a U.S. Carbine Caliber .30 M1 may be fi red in matches designated
for M1 Garand rifl es.
(1) These rifl es must be as issued by the U.S. Armed Forces, with standard
stock and sights.
(2) Trigger pulls may not be less than 4.5 pounds, except that the M1941
Johnson may have a trigger pull of not less than 3.5 pounds.
(3) “NM” rifl es, or rifl es with NM parts, including NM sights, may not be used
in the rifl e, except that NM operating rods may be used.
(4) The use of shims made of any material is prohibited. The presence of
fi berglass, epoxy, glue or any other fi ller is prohibited. Laminated stocks
and stocks made of synthetic materials are prohibited.
(5) As-issued M1 Garands must be chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. No
rifl es chambered for the 7.62mm NATO (.308) cartridge may be used.
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Old October 1, 2010, 09:16 PM   #6
Howard31
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Grand Match Rifles

Tightning up the front end does not disqualify a rifle from the Garand Matches.When they were new they (the rifles)were tight.All the suggestions I made were from a 1947 Ord manual and armorers have been doing this for years to get Garands to shoot better. I have shot a few Garand matches at Perry and there have been other M1's that I tuned and were used at Perry and none have been called out or disqualified.
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Old October 1, 2010, 09:40 PM   #7
4V50 Gary
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About 90% of your accuracy will be in the barrel (with match grade handloaded ammunition). Then there are other things like improved sights, glass bedding, isolating the stock ferrule to promote consistent harmonics. These are minor compared to the importance of starting with a good barrel.
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Old October 1, 2010, 11:06 PM   #8
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The as issued Garand as provided by the CMP is more then capable of shooting good scores at 200 yards, the distance the Garand Match is fired. The 10-X ring is approx 2 MOA.

Ammo is furnished by most CMP GSM Garand Matches if they are sanctioned matches ran by a GSM-MI. This ammo will be the M-2 ball ammo (149-150 grns). With a match barrel you don't gain a lot by using this ammo.

If your rifle has a bad barrel then a new "non match" barrel may be installed.

The first thing you want to do is take your rifle out and see if it shoots, you may not have a problem at all.

The ideal of the CMP Vintage Rifle games, or "Spirit of the Games" keep this shooting program from developing into a "high priced" game High Power Rifle has become. Its about "MARKSMANSHIP" now how much money you can pump into a rifle.

Marksmanship not gimmicks.

Instead of trying to circumvent the spirit of "as issued" I recommend you attend a CMP Vintage Rifle Clinic, taught by GSM Master Instructors. They are low cost, or no cost at all. You will come away with a better understanding of marksmanship with the Garand (or other vintage military rifle.)
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Old October 5, 2010, 01:37 AM   #9
458winshooter
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CMP games

+1 to what Kraigwy said.
The CMP match I was in 2 weeks ago was not who could shoot the best,so much as it was for everybody to have a good time.I am 42 years old and one of the youngest there.Its mostly for comeradery more than anything.You see some ribbing going on and some "got ya this time" antics but it is for fun.
The only advice I can give you is get a good sling that you can use in the prone positions to help steady your aim.Can't use it in the standing slow fire part.I shot a 229 1-X without a sling in the miltary bolt class and that was better than some who had them.I got an original issue sling for my Mauser K98k last week and just practicing at home can see a huge difference in how steady I am.
Several of the best shooters have 100/100 scores in both the slow and rapid fire prone segments.Its the standing segment that everyone falls off on so practice on that.
Be sure that you have 3 or 4 clips with you also.Don't get discuragged if you are not the best right off some of these old fellas can really shoot.I had one of them tell me "hell son I can barely see the target anymore" at the rifle clinic in August.He then shot something like a 100 6-X in the slow fire prone position.Everyone there at both the clinic and the meet were very helpful and willing to give good advice,no learn it yourself mentalities at all.
I for one was looking for something to do that I would not be put down because I didn't know what I was doing and this fits the bill.I have always been more comfortable around older folks and these people are good old fashioned down to earth people that are just out to have a good time.
If you are looking to get into serious competion this will at least get your feet wet and give you some idea of how a match is conducted.Be safe and have fun!Russ
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Old October 5, 2010, 02:52 PM   #10
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kraigwy and 458winshooter have the spirit of the Garand Match nicely summed up. Fun with a piece from the history books.
The M1 does have some unique traits including changing POI in mid string. Or moving when the barrel heats up. There are some things that can be done to the M1 to improve accuracy,as Howard31 posted, without turning it into an expensive match gun. These are still within the spirit of the match and can encourage the shooter to become more proficient with the fundamentals of marksmanship. Shooting is fun. Shooting accurately is more fun.

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Old October 6, 2010, 08:28 AM   #11
bassfishindoc
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Thanks for all the great advice, I can't wait to get out there and try my hand at competing! Thanks again!!
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