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The other thing is slamfires. The floating firing pin actually taps the primer when the bolt shuts. With everything in GI spec (rifle and ammo), it does not fire. The weight and inertia of the firing pin is not enough to fire a GI spec primer when the bolt shuts.
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I hate to be argumentative about this, but primer sensitivity varies by the lot. GI primers are less sensitive on the average than commercial, but there are GI primers that were sensitive enough to slamfire in Garands/M1a's. The probability is less than commercial, but it happens, and I have slamfire accounts of Garands/M14's with GI ammunition. I have a paper copy of a early 60's test report wherein a Springfield Armory M14 slamfired out of battery with GI ball. It is exceedingly rare, but, sometimes it happens.
One should never assume that any mechanism with a free floating firing pin won't slamfire due to primer insensitivity. Every military mechanism with a free floating firing pin has a posted report of a slamfire. Just Google it. The danger with a Garand type mechanism is that they slamfire in battery, and out of battery, given a sensitive enough primer.
For safe operation of these rifles the shooter must follow certain loading practices and reloading practices. One must never load a round in the chamber and drop the bolt. One must always size the case smaller than the chamber.
This guy used a CCI #34 primer, but put a case in the chamber and dropped the bolt. Given his own description, the brass was either too fat or too long. It is highly likely that if the case was sized smaller than the chamber, all he would have had was an in battery slamfire. As it was, he blew the back of the receiver off.
http://m14forum.com/m14/120119-out-b...ire-today.html
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After 15 years of shooting and reloading for this rifle, I blew it up this morning. Out of battery slam fire. Receiver came apart to the rear of the rear sight. Bolt is destroyed and op rod is tweaked. Near as I can figure, my once fired LC brass should have been run through a small base sizer, I think the loaded round chambered about 90% of the way, bolt and firing pin wanted to keep going and kaboom. Case head separated and turned into a frag grenade, remainder of case remains stuck in the chamber….
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