M1 Garand won't chamber first round

divil · December 3, 2022, 03:32 PM

I just picked up this M1 that was sitting in a safe for a long time. It was as dry as a bone and the first time I shot it, it would not chamber the first round from a clip. The bolt comes forward to contact the first round, and then stops. If I give it a good shove, it'll push the round far enough to get the tip of the bullet into the chamber so that it's hard to remove. But it will not chamber it.

If I take the first round out, it'll chamber the next one with no issues and generally cycle just fine.

I took it apart, cleaned it thoroughly and greased it with superlube grease. Now it feels very slick and smooth, but it's still exactly the same with that first round. No way will it chamber.

The clips came to me with the rifle, 10 of them. Every one I've tried is the same. I don't know the origin of them. They're black, parkerized (I think) and have a fairly rough surface. The rounds are pretty tight in there when loaded.

I made sure that the top round was on the right every time

Any suggestions? Could it be the clips? Or do I need a new op rod spring?

mehavey · December 3, 2022, 03:53 PM

Google < op rod spring amazon >

jcj54 · December 3, 2022, 06:09 PM

Are usually smooth surfaced. Rough parkerized clips are likely aftermarket and are known for poor feeding.
Look for genuine GI clips and try them.

divil · December 3, 2022, 07:40 PM

Thanks. I had a quick look through the ones I have and sure enough there was one that looked smoother. I hadn't tried that one because it was loaded with ammo that I wanted to read up on first (stamped LC 66).

But on closer inspection, that clip is marked BR-W 6 and the others are all marked DAQ. According to this[1] the BR-W 6 one is a US made clip by Borg Warner, and the others were made in Dominion Arsenal Quebec Quebec.

I'll try that one next time and see if it makes any difference.

[1] https://ammogarand.com/m1gaclco.html

Nodak1858 · December 3, 2022, 08:20 PM

USGI clips seem to work better for most rifles. Like mehavey posted a new op-rod spring would be the first thing I'd try. Usually a bump to get the first round to strip off of the enbloc is normal, but if you bump it and it's not fully chambering the first round then there's an issue. Stay away for extra power springs, just need GI spec, ammogarand.com has spring sets that are decent and good priced.
I would normally go to Orion 7 for springs but their site seems not to let me in.

veprdude · December 4, 2022, 12:46 AM

There once was a specific way to load the clips (top round on right IIRC) but that should have been addressed on most rifles by now.

New parkerized clips can be hard to insert fully. Maybe the clips aren't seating all the way down. I'd put a bit of grease on the sides of a problematic clip and see if it seats further. Once the "grit" wears down they should go in easier.

You wouldn't happen to have another M1 handy?

divil · December 4, 2022, 09:29 AM

Yeah they're hard to insert all the way, but even when I do that the first round still won't chamber. I'll try the grease trick anyway. I don't have access to another rifle to test with.

**4V50 Gary** · December 4, 2022, 09:41 AM

Be sure to put grease on the helix and tract.

Nathan · December 4, 2022, 11:30 AM

So, you push the clip dow and bolt hangs on the first round?

Try spreading the clips until it feeds. Worked for me.

divil · December 4, 2022, 03:20 PM

Quote:

So, you push the clip dow and bolt hangs on the first round?

Try spreading the clips until it feeds. Worked for me.

Yes exactly.

I tested the one that had a smoother feel to it today. It was noticeably easier to push the rounds out by hand, but in the rifle it was exactly the same as the others.

I also had a couple of shots where the action cycled enough to cock but didn't chamber a round. No idea if that was related or not.

DubC-Hicks · December 4, 2022, 05:33 PM

I noticed that commercial spec cases have a tighter and different profile extractor groove, whereas surplus cases have a wider extractor groove.

My Garand does something similar to what you describe yours to be doing when I use commercial brass. Commercial brass doesn't fit as well in the clips due to the tighter extractor groove and is more finicky when inserting into the rifle and when feeding from a full clip.

Road_Clam · December 4, 2022, 08:56 PM

My CMP M1 Special has always needed a fwd "bump" on the op rod handle to send the first round into battery. I actually like this scenario as it lessens the risk of the famous "Garand thumb"

veprdude · December 4, 2022, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Road_Clam

My CMP M1 Special has always needed a fwd "bump" on the op rod handle to send the first round into battery. I actually like this scenario as it lessens the risk of the famous "Garand thumb"

I think that's how they're supposed to work. Garand thumb comes from the op rod not being seated far enough back and/or worn parts.

divil · December 5, 2022, 08:40 AM

Found the problem! It's the stock fit.

I tried the tilt test with the action out of the stock and it worked fine. Then I put it back in the stock and it failed - the bolt/op rod would not slide easily. So it occurred to me that I could test loading the rifle out of the stock.

I got a couple of snap cap training rounds and then pulled the bullets from 6 more of the Korean M2 that came with the rifle, which I'll probably never shoot anyway. With these empty cases and my 2 snap caps I loaded one of the rough clips into the action and it snapped right in there first time. It didn't even need a push. I tried it a few times and it's working flawlessly. So that's it.

Now I just need to figure out where to relieve the stock. I wonder if this could have affected accuracy too...time will tell!

tango1niner · December 5, 2022, 04:47 PM

Good catch !

divil · December 6, 2022, 01:24 PM

So this turned out to be a strange one. After a lot of troubleshooting I discovered that the issue is the follower arm getting stock in the stock. I think that's the name of the part (it's the banana shaped part that connects with the fork of the follower rod).

It was leaving an indentation on the stock just at the corner of the opening. I don't know how to describe that part of the stock exactly - it's the front of the main hole on the bottom. Or to put it another way, it's the rearmost part of the channel. So just where the channel ends at the cut away section for the trigger stuff, this metal part was pressing on that corner.

With no rounds in the rifle, it worked fine. Or, with the action removed from the stock, it also worked fine with a full clip. But with both a full clip and the action installed in the rifle, it would jam every time. In fact the first round didn't even matter. I could load 7 into the clip and try to send the bolt home over the top round. It would get about 1.5" and then grind to a halt.

Looking from undereath with the trigger stuff removed, I noticed that as the bolt rides over the top round and pushes it down, the clip was rotated forward (clockwise if you're looking at the right side of the receiver). With the stock in place, the metal piece I mentioned was pressing against the wood and preventing the clip from being rotated enough for the bolt to clear.

It's working now that I've relieved that area, but it looks ugly. I haven't been able to find any pics of other stocks like this. I'm wondering if it's just that mine is much thicker there. So I don't see a slot in most others because the entire thing is just thinner there.

Any ideas?

December 3, 2022, 03:32 PM	#1
divil Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2009 Posts: 501	M1 Garand won't chamber first round I just picked up this M1 that was sitting in a safe for a long time. It was as dry as a bone and the first time I shot it, it would not chamber the first round from a clip. The bolt comes forward to contact the first round, and then stops. If I give it a good shove, it'll push the round far enough to get the tip of the bullet into the chamber so that it's hard to remove. But it will not chamber it. If I take the first round out, it'll chamber the next one with no issues and generally cycle just fine. I took it apart, cleaned it thoroughly and greased it with superlube grease. Now it feels very slick and smooth, but it's still exactly the same with that first round. No way will it chamber. The clips came to me with the rifle, 10 of them. Every one I've tried is the same. I don't know the origin of them. They're black, parkerized (I think) and have a fairly rough surface. The rounds are pretty tight in there when loaded. I made sure that the top round was on the right every time Any suggestions? Could it be the clips? Or do I need a new op rod spring?

December 3, 2022, 06:09 PM	#3
jcj54 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2011 Posts: 175	US GI clips Are usually smooth surfaced. Rough parkerized clips are likely aftermarket and are known for poor feeding. Look for genuine GI clips and try them.

December 3, 2022, 08:20 PM	#5
Nodak1858 Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2009 Location: N. Dakota Posts: 423	USGI clips seem to work better for most rifles. Like mehavey posted a new op-rod spring would be the first thing I'd try. Usually a bump to get the first round to strip off of the enbloc is normal, but if you bump it and it's not fully chambering the first round then there's an issue. Stay away for extra power springs, just need GI spec, ammogarand.com has spring sets that are decent and good priced. I would normally go to Orion 7 for springs but their site seems not to let me in. __________________ We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

December 4, 2022, 09:41 AM	#8
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,647	Be sure to put grease on the helix and tract. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

December 4, 2022, 05:33 PM	#11
DubC-Hicks Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2009 Location: Backwoods, Northern MI Posts: 1,020	I noticed that commercial spec cases have a tighter and different profile extractor groove, whereas surplus cases have a wider extractor groove. My Garand does something similar to what you describe yours to be doing when I use commercial brass. Commercial brass doesn't fit as well in the clips due to the tighter extractor groove and is more finicky when inserting into the rifle and when feeding from a full clip. __________________ ”Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.” ~Unknown

December 3, 2022, 03:53 PM	#2
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,603	Google < op rod spring amazon >

December 3, 2022, 07:40 PM	#4
divil Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2009 Posts: 501	Thanks. I had a quick look through the ones I have and sure enough there was one that looked smoother. I hadn't tried that one because it was loaded with ammo that I wanted to read up on first (stamped LC 66). But on closer inspection, that clip is marked BR-W 6 and the others are all marked DAQ. According to this[1] the BR-W 6 one is a US made clip by Borg Warner, and the others were made in Dominion Arsenal Quebec Quebec. I'll try that one next time and see if it makes any difference. [1] https://ammogarand.com/m1gaclco.html

December 4, 2022, 12:46 AM	#6
veprdude Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2019 Location: Texas Posts: 338	There once was a specific way to load the clips (top round on right IIRC) but that should have been addressed on most rifles by now. New parkerized clips can be hard to insert fully. Maybe the clips aren't seating all the way down. I'd put a bit of grease on the sides of a problematic clip and see if it seats further. Once the "grit" wears down they should go in easier. You wouldn't happen to have another M1 handy?

December 4, 2022, 09:29 AM	#7
divil Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2009 Posts: 501	Yeah they're hard to insert all the way, but even when I do that the first round still won't chamber. I'll try the grease trick anyway. I don't have access to another rifle to test with.

December 4, 2022, 11:30 AM	#9
Nathan Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Posts: 5,943	So, you push the clip dow and bolt hangs on the first round? Try spreading the clips until it feeds. Worked for me.

December 4, 2022, 08:56 PM	#12
Road_Clam Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2013 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 1,681	My CMP M1 Special has always needed a fwd "bump" on the op rod handle to send the first round into battery. I actually like this scenario as it lessens the risk of the famous "Garand thumb" __________________ "To be old an wise you must have been young and stupid"

December 5, 2022, 08:40 AM	#14
divil Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2009 Posts: 501	Found the problem! It's the stock fit. I tried the tilt test with the action out of the stock and it worked fine. Then I put it back in the stock and it failed - the bolt/op rod would not slide easily. So it occurred to me that I could test loading the rifle out of the stock. I got a couple of snap cap training rounds and then pulled the bullets from 6 more of the Korean M2 that came with the rifle, which I'll probably never shoot anyway. With these empty cases and my 2 snap caps I loaded one of the rough clips into the action and it snapped right in there first time. It didn't even need a push. I tried it a few times and it's working flawlessly. So that's it. Now I just need to figure out where to relieve the stock. I wonder if this could have affected accuracy too...time will tell!

December 5, 2022, 04:47 PM	#15
tango1niner Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2009 Location: NY Posts: 311	Good catch !

December 6, 2022, 01:24 PM	#16
divil Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2009 Posts: 501	So this turned out to be a strange one. After a lot of troubleshooting I discovered that the issue is the follower arm getting stock in the stock. I think that's the name of the part (it's the banana shaped part that connects with the fork of the follower rod). It was leaving an indentation on the stock just at the corner of the opening. I don't know how to describe that part of the stock exactly - it's the front of the main hole on the bottom. Or to put it another way, it's the rearmost part of the channel. So just where the channel ends at the cut away section for the trigger stuff, this metal part was pressing on that corner. With no rounds in the rifle, it worked fine. Or, with the action removed from the stock, it also worked fine with a full clip. But with both a full clip and the action installed in the rifle, it would jam every time. In fact the first round didn't even matter. I could load 7 into the clip and try to send the bolt home over the top round. It would get about 1.5" and then grind to a halt. Looking from undereath with the trigger stuff removed, I noticed that as the bolt rides over the top round and pushes it down, the clip was rotated forward (clockwise if you're looking at the right side of the receiver). With the stock in place, the metal piece I mentioned was pressing against the wood and preventing the clip from being rotated enough for the bolt to clear. It's working now that I've relieved that area, but it looks ugly. I haven't been able to find any pics of other stocks like this. I'm wondering if it's just that mine is much thicker there. So I don't see a slot in most others because the entire thing is just thinner there. Any ideas?

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