M1 garand bolt release
- Thread starter Chazp89
- Start date
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Bolt does not automatically release when clip is inserted?
Bullet guide accelerator bearing point is not long enough (bearing point) to make up for aggregate wear in lower action parts.
Accelerator damaged or not installed in op rod catch.
Follower arm bent twisted deformed.
Follower arm pivot hole oversized or mislocated.
Follower arm pivot oversized.
Insufficient radius at op rod engagement corners.
Insufficient radius at op rod engagement hooks.
Bolt auto release before clip has latched. (Release timing early)
Bullet guide accelerator bearing point to long.
Follower arm bent or pivot hole mislocated.
Wear or alteration at op rod catch engagement edges or wear alteration at hooks.
Clip latch worn, altered, damaged ( late clip latch problem)
Clip latch spring weak, broken or wrong spring (late clip latch
problem)
Bullet guide accelerator bearing point is not long enough (bearing point) to make up for aggregate wear in lower action parts.
Accelerator damaged or not installed in op rod catch.
Follower arm bent twisted deformed.
Follower arm pivot hole oversized or mislocated.
Follower arm pivot oversized.
Insufficient radius at op rod engagement corners.
Insufficient radius at op rod engagement hooks.
Bolt auto release before clip has latched. (Release timing early)
Bullet guide accelerator bearing point to long.
Follower arm bent or pivot hole mislocated.
Wear or alteration at op rod catch engagement edges or wear alteration at hooks.
Clip latch worn, altered, damaged ( late clip latch problem)
Clip latch spring weak, broken or wrong spring (late clip latch
problem)
toolness1
Ultimate Member
Mine does this too and it drives me nuts. While I am good at tinkering, I am clueless about the Garand so I need to do some research because it drives me nuts. As soon as you hear the "click" of the clip being fully seated, that bolt slams shut on mine. It's supposed to wait until you release downward pressure on the clip.
I've never had to "help" mine forward like a lot of people do, I'm too busy holding the thing back so it doesn't kill my thumb! (Yes, I know how to load it with my hand in the way, I'm just being dramatic)
I've seen the above troubleshooting guide and will check into those suggestions. I've also seen someone say it could be my new CMP stock being too tight in certain areas, does that sound possible to anyone? I can't find where I read that, but I know I did somewhere.
I've never had to "help" mine forward like a lot of people do, I'm too busy holding the thing back so it doesn't kill my thumb! (Yes, I know how to load it with my hand in the way, I'm just being dramatic)
I've seen the above troubleshooting guide and will check into those suggestions. I've also seen someone say it could be my new CMP stock being too tight in certain areas, does that sound possible to anyone? I can't find where I read that, but I know I did somewhere.
sgt23preston
USMC LLA. NRA Life Member
In the USMC we called that an M1 THUMB...
Insert clip, hold clip in place with your thumb,
The "QUICKLY" pull your thumb up & out before the Bolt smashes your thumb...
Insert clip, hold clip in place with your thumb,
The "QUICKLY" pull your thumb up & out before the Bolt smashes your thumb...
Adjust bearing point slightly on the nose of the bullet guide with a fine stone so auto bolt release does not occur early.
It could be possible that someone along the line swaged the nose of the bullet guide to compensate for other out of spec or worn parts or may have just squashed it a little to far, sort of of an over-correction for worn clip latch hooks on the depressor arm.
Wear on the follower arm at the accelerator radius and stirrup pin surfaces or in the pin hole itself delays auto bolt timing.
My text indicates that nose on the bullet guide should be .183" -.004 high and .060" -.005" thick before it starts to diminish in height. In other words, it must be center to the pin hole in the guide.
The working parts are hard to see in there because they are in the stock, stripping the rifle and removing the op-rod spring with the action inverted you can see a little better the relationship of the moving parts and how they interact together. Pretty cool stuff.
I’ll have to pop mine apart and check
Op rod catch Hook wear can cause early bolt release. Burrs can cause it to fail to engage at all.
That clip latch depressor arm should not be egged out but more flat than anything.
The follower arm gets checked with a a straight edge and the pivot hole should be .162 dia.
Horizontal bends causes follower to drag or bind and vertical bend changes both bolt release and clip latch timing.
Wear at the stirrup accelerator pickup and pivot hole surfaces adds to rod fork (stirrup seat) and rod cam surface wear to cause both auto bolt release and clip latch timing problems.
I guess this can explain why every rifle rifle has different characteristics, they have been hashed over, used and swapped around for a long time now.
Some are more interested in period specific parts when putting something together and will substitute a drawing number for a well functioning part which is cool but I'm more interested in something that works as well as it possibly can.
The other thing is just getting parts together to make something work is hard and expensive enough so sometimes you have to run with you have until the right score can be had.
M1's are interesting to me and I like to work on rifles. This info is not all self learned, I have although verified my worn out non matching junk from the text it was taken from just to keep mine running well until I stumble into better stuff.
Hope it helps.
That clip latch depressor arm should not be egged out but more flat than anything.
The follower arm gets checked with a a straight edge and the pivot hole should be .162 dia.
Horizontal bends causes follower to drag or bind and vertical bend changes both bolt release and clip latch timing.
Wear at the stirrup accelerator pickup and pivot hole surfaces adds to rod fork (stirrup seat) and rod cam surface wear to cause both auto bolt release and clip latch timing problems.
I guess this can explain why every rifle rifle has different characteristics, they have been hashed over, used and swapped around for a long time now.
Some are more interested in period specific parts when putting something together and will substitute a drawing number for a well functioning part which is cool but I'm more interested in something that works as well as it possibly can.
The other thing is just getting parts together to make something work is hard and expensive enough so sometimes you have to run with you have until the right score can be had.
M1's are interesting to me and I like to work on rifles. This info is not all self learned, I have although verified my worn out non matching junk from the text it was taken from just to keep mine running well until I stumble into better stuff.
Hope it helps.
I do as well but like stuff that clicks along nice too. I won't turn much down though and certainly do not have anything against corrected rifles. Guys enjoy them just as well. I just went through the last one I got last week and enjoyed the hell out of it.
2A Maryland
Active Member
Several years ago, I attended the CMP's 3 day Advanced Maintenance Class. What you describe is probably normal but hard to evaluate without actually working with the piece. If the timing is proper, when a loaded en bloc is inserted properly, the bolt will shift forward to contact the head of the top cartridge. You then simply bump the handle of the op rod and the bolt will continue forward into battery.
HOWEVER (and there is always a "however"), if the timing is not correct and/or the en bloc is inserted incorrectly (not placing the knife edge of your hand against the handle of the op rod), the bolt may begin the lockup cycle with enough energy to present you with the aforementioned "M1 thumb." General one "M1 thumb" is sufficient to provide an adequate lesson on what not to do.
Did you check the headspace? If not, have it checked before you shoot the rifle.
HOWEVER (and there is always a "however"), if the timing is not correct and/or the en bloc is inserted incorrectly (not placing the knife edge of your hand against the handle of the op rod), the bolt may begin the lockup cycle with enough energy to present you with the aforementioned "M1 thumb." General one "M1 thumb" is sufficient to provide an adequate lesson on what not to do.
Did you check the headspace? If not, have it checked before you shoot the rifle.
What has not also been discussed here is the en-bloc clips. I'll leave that to the end user to evaluate for themselves but some work better than others due to exterior finish,elasticity etc. not to mention how well they are made or by who actually made them.
I headspaced the rifle when I installed the new criterion barrel.
A re check of the rifle with multiple clips showed that the early bolt release occurs with a certain couple clips. I pulled it apart and did some measurements and everything re checked in spec so the problem clips have been deemed display only and life will continue as normal
I appreciate all the input guys! Glad I can finally say this old war horse is back in fighting shape!
A re check of the rifle with multiple clips showed that the early bolt release occurs with a certain couple clips. I pulled it apart and did some measurements and everything re checked in spec so the problem clips have been deemed display only and life will continue as normal
I appreciate all the input guys! Glad I can finally say this old war horse is back in fighting shape!
Glad it was the clips. I find old clips with the lips worn smooth-ish let the bolt go home easier than newly Parkerized or un-worn clips. That's just one thing, but simply the friction of rougher or smoother clips seems to make a difference that can appear to be all sorts of more problematic stuff.
Kind of like bad magazines and feeding problems.
Kind of like bad magazines and feeding problems.
