M1 Garand bolt question.

ken3983 · June 6, 2005, 06:17 PM

I have a Garand I got from CMP and had a question.I want to replace both springs in the bolt and I heard there is a way to do it without removing the bolt altogether with a M3A1 combo tool.Anyone heard of this?The oprod spring is a no-brainer.Thanks.

Ken

James K · June 6, 2005, 09:13 PM

I have not used that tool, but I have used the handle of the M10 cleaning rod. After making sure the rifle is not loaded, remove the stock and the op rod. With the barrelled action in a vise, insert the screwdriver end of the M10 handle into the chamber and then close the bolt on the other end, making sure the little tab is under the extractor.

Then press the bolt in hard and use one of the sections of the rod to turn the handle (counterclockwise looking from the rear) so the tab raises the extractor. Remove the extractor, using a cover of some kind to keep the extractor spring and plunger from flying away and being lost. Then ease up on the bolt and let the ejector and ejector spring come out. Reassemble in reverse order, installing the extractor plunger and spring first, then pushing the extractor down.

Frankly, I recommend a bolt tool if you can find one. There were none issued to armorers (as there was for the carbine), but I think CMP has had some made up for sale.

Jim

**Unclenick** · June 6, 2005, 09:49 PM

Ken,

Many an unfortunate marksman has had the Garand extractor disassemble itself in the middle of a timed fire string. The bolt is so easy to remove, I confess the idea of intentionally detaching the extractor and ejector in situ in time of leisure never occurred to me. In a match or a fire fight it is necessary to be able to replace a broken extractor fast, but I would discourage you from trying this as your first experience with removing these parts. I believe the attempt is too likely to lead to some new variant of "M-1 thumb" (the thumb upon which the bolt has slammed home when depressing the top round of the clip to get the first round to feed).

The reason I say this is that in order to perform the task, you will have to hold the bolt open enough to get the tool in, but not so far back that any part of the extractor profile is obscured by the back of the receiver. This means it can't be locked open. You will have to hold the operating rod in tension constantly by hooking the handle with the thumb of one hand, while manipulating the tool with the other. This is a good recipe for launching the tool or one of the parts you are trying to remove.

Besides, if you already have the op rod off to replace its spring, the bolt removal is trivial. It's reassembly of the magazine follower's linkage to the op rod spring that usually throws new Garand owners for a loop. With the op rod off, you just rotate the outside bolt lug up (the lug the op-rod captures just ahead of the handle) and push the bolt back and tilt it up and lift it out. Reverse the process to put it back.

Whether with the bolt in place or removed, to use the tool, you just push the front into the bolt face and rotate clockwise until its little nub blade is under the bottom edge of the extractor. Keep rotating to push the extractor up past its detent. The extractor stem fits through a slot in the ejector and is what keeps the ejector in, so once the tool has pushed the extractor just past the detent and the ejector, slowly pull the tool back so the ejector doesn't fly away. Put the tool down and use your fingers to pull it out the rest of the way, then to lift the extractor out, then to pull the extractor detent plunger and spring out. This approach keeps both the detent and its spring and the ejector and its spring from demonstrating uncontrolled ballistic trajectories. Once you have practiced this on a bolt that is out of the gun, you will have enough feel for doing it in place.

Since the DCM checks the condition of these guns when they de-mothball them, I wouldn't replace the ejector and extractor detent springs unless you know they are bad. Instead, keep the tool, a spare ejector and spring, a spare extractor and extractor detent plunger and plunger spring coated in rust inhibiting oil in a Ziplock® bag along with your spare firing pin. They then live in your shooting stool or range box. That way, if the day comes that your timed fire string is interrupted by spontaneous extractor disassembly, you are ready to claim an alibi string and fix the bolt and go on with the match.

Nick

June 6, 2005, 06:17 PM	#1
ken3983 Junior Member Join Date: December 23, 2004 Posts: 5	M1 Garand bolt question. I have a Garand I got from CMP and had a question.I want to replace both springs in the bolt and I heard there is a way to do it without removing the bolt altogether with a M3A1 combo tool.Anyone heard of this?The oprod spring is a no-brainer.Thanks. Ken

June 6, 2005, 09:13 PM	#2
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	I have not used that tool, but I have used the handle of the M10 cleaning rod. After making sure the rifle is not loaded, remove the stock and the op rod. With the barrelled action in a vise, insert the screwdriver end of the M10 handle into the chamber and then close the bolt on the other end, making sure the little tab is under the extractor. Then press the bolt in hard and use one of the sections of the rod to turn the handle (counterclockwise looking from the rear) so the tab raises the extractor. Remove the extractor, using a cover of some kind to keep the extractor spring and plunger from flying away and being lost. Then ease up on the bolt and let the ejector and ejector spring come out. Reassemble in reverse order, installing the extractor plunger and spring first, then pushing the extractor down. Frankly, I recommend a bolt tool if you can find one. There were none issued to armorers (as there was for the carbine), but I think CMP has had some made up for sale. Jim

June 6, 2005, 09:49 PM	#3
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,060	Ken, Many an unfortunate marksman has had the Garand extractor disassemble itself in the middle of a timed fire string. The bolt is so easy to remove, I confess the idea of intentionally detaching the extractor and ejector in situ in time of leisure never occurred to me. In a match or a fire fight it is necessary to be able to replace a broken extractor fast, but I would discourage you from trying this as your first experience with removing these parts. I believe the attempt is too likely to lead to some new variant of "M-1 thumb" (the thumb upon which the bolt has slammed home when depressing the top round of the clip to get the first round to feed). The reason I say this is that in order to perform the task, you will have to hold the bolt open enough to get the tool in, but not so far back that any part of the extractor profile is obscured by the back of the receiver. This means it can't be locked open. You will have to hold the operating rod in tension constantly by hooking the handle with the thumb of one hand, while manipulating the tool with the other. This is a good recipe for launching the tool or one of the parts you are trying to remove. Besides, if you already have the op rod off to replace its spring, the bolt removal is trivial. It's reassembly of the magazine follower's linkage to the op rod spring that usually throws new Garand owners for a loop. With the op rod off, you just rotate the outside bolt lug up (the lug the op-rod captures just ahead of the handle) and push the bolt back and tilt it up and lift it out. Reverse the process to put it back. Whether with the bolt in place or removed, to use the tool, you just push the front into the bolt face and rotate clockwise until its little nub blade is under the bottom edge of the extractor. Keep rotating to push the extractor up past its detent. The extractor stem fits through a slot in the ejector and is what keeps the ejector in, so once the tool has pushed the extractor just past the detent and the ejector, slowly pull the tool back so the ejector doesn't fly away. Put the tool down and use your fingers to pull it out the rest of the way, then to lift the extractor out, then to pull the extractor detent plunger and spring out. This approach keeps both the detent and its spring and the ejector and its spring from demonstrating uncontrolled ballistic trajectories. Once you have practiced this on a bolt that is out of the gun, you will have enough feel for doing it in place. Since the DCM checks the condition of these guns when they de-mothball them, I wouldn't replace the ejector and extractor detent springs unless you know they are bad. Instead, keep the tool, a spare ejector and spring, a spare extractor and extractor detent plunger and plunger spring coated in rust inhibiting oil in a Ziplock® bag along with your spare firing pin. They then live in your shooting stool or range box. That way, if the day comes that your timed fire string is interrupted by spontaneous extractor disassembly, you are ready to claim an alibi string and fix the bolt and go on with the match. Nick