i can not field strip my m1 garand.

[Garandaddy7]

I have no clue who the previous owner was, I bought the rifle at a local gun store. anyways, I wanted to field strip my rifle but it turns out to be impossible. looks like the previous owner put something inside the rifle, some kind of wax. I'm not sure what it is. ive watched numerous videos on youtube to see if anyone else has the same issue. no luck, everyone can strip their rifle with ease. the only part I can remove is the trigger guard. I will post pics soon of what this mysterious solid wax material looks like.

[Phil McGrath]

Some kind of wax? if it was some kind of wax it would be easy too remove. Is this waxy substance hard if so that's bedding material. Check out a few youtube vids on removing a bedded stock, it would take to long for me to type it all out.

[Garandaddy7]

I figured maybe it was wax and thru time it hardened. I posted some pics below

[TJT]

If it's bedding material, all is not lost but it will be difficult at best to get it apart. Have you tried GENTLY tapping the receiver out of the stock? OR holding it upside down and gently hitting the front of the barrel on a solid surface to lever it out? Another trick is to hold it upside down and sharply knock on the wrist in an upward direction. Sometimes the quick jolt will loosen it. Keep us in the loop. Collectively we'll figure it out.
Jon

[Garandaddy7]

I tried doing exactly what everyone was doing in the videos I've watched. I heard that ppl shoot competitively never strip their rifle, they only clean the barrel. Maybe the previous owner put that material in the rifle on purpose

[Orlando]

I would bet its glass bedded

[TJT]

If it's bedding material SOMETIMES putting it in the freezer over night will shrink the metal enough that it will break free from the bedding material. The metal will shrink more than the wood or bedding and a sharp jolt to the receiver may break it free. Worst case scenario--you sacrifice the stock and get another'ne.
Jon

[Garandaddy7]

I also noticed on other videos after removing the trigger guard, the wood it slides inside looks thick. On my rifle the wood is thin, looks like they added the material in that part of the stock so the trigger guard would fit. I found out the stock was replaced. There no cartouces anywhere

[TJT]

Garandaddy,
I see you're in Buffalo NY. We have a couple of members here who live in NY but I don't know the NY layout so they may or may not be close enough to physically help you. It might behoove you to ask if a face to face meeting is possible some where. I'd help you but I'm about 30 miles south of L.A. Sorry.
Jon

[RDS]

Can you post photos of the bottom of rifle with the trigger group removed. This will show if rifle is glass bedded.

[Garandaddy7]

I posted 2 pics. I hope they came thru since I used my phone

[Garandaddy7]

[Garandaddy7]

[Phil McGrath]

Yep, its bedded and that's a good thing.

[Garandaddy7]

Is it possible to field strip the rifle?

[Phil McGrath]

Here you go at about the 5:45 mark. Some parts are Ok and there are a few things I don't agree with but all in all its a ok M1 vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnFt0f_cDF8

[TJT]

Competition shooters only field or detail strip their rifles if some thing needs fixing. Every time the rifle is taken apart/ reassembled it wears crucial lock up and bedding points. Excess wear is not your friend. It also takes 2-3 clips of ammo to reseat every thing. Clean the bore, chamber and bolt face regularly. I have 4 M1 rifles. I honestly can't tell you the last time any of them were field stripped. As long as they function properly, leave well enough alone. Like the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Jon

[Phil McGrath]

Competition shooters only field or detail strip their rifles if some thing needs fixing. Every time the rifle is taken apart/ reassembled it wears crucial lock up and bedding points. Excess wear is not your friend. It also takes 2-3 clips of ammo to reseat every thing. Clean the bore, chamber and bolt face regularly. I have 4 M1 rifles. I honestly can't tell you the last time any of them were field stripped. As long as they function properly, leave well enough alone. Like the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Jon

I can see that with a non-bedded rifle but 16-24rds too settle that action in a bedded rifle, I would look at having the bedding skimmed over.


My .02

[TJT]

I can see that with a non-bedded rifle but 16-24rds too settle that action in a bedded rifle, I would look at having the bedding skimmed over.


My .02

There's still movement. If there was no movement it would be literally impossible to separate the action from the stock. One of my M1's IS bedded. It takes 1-2 clips for it to settle down after a field strip. There is nothing wrong with the bedding so don't go there.
Jon

[Phil McGrath]

There's still movement. If there was no movement it would be literally impossible to separate the action from the stock. One of my M1's IS bedded. It takes 1-2 clips for it to settle down after a field strip. There is nothing wrong with the bedding so don't go there.
Jon

Ahhh, I guess we disagree then. Any bedded rifle should have ZERO movement in the stock fore/aft, port and starboard. In the case of the M1 and M1a the back of the receiver legs get rounded over a little bit so they don't scrape the bedding installing or removing the action. Every bedded rifle I've owned (M1A) has settled back in, in less than what would be a en-block fired out of the M1 and the M1a has much less receiver leg support area than what the M1 does.

In the case of my own 7.62mm M1 Navy MKII NM clone, I haven't even bedded it the Overton replacement stock hasn't even loosened up.... But when it does, you bet I will sling the mud. Here is a picture of my test zero after removing the stock and shooting my last 5rds just too gauge the shift in zero and test the rear sight tracking. I aimed along the edge of the black even with the sight blade on the target for a clean discernable impact area. POI was about 1in above POA the shift was minimal still with in the width of the front sight blade, elevation shift was all me, must have been my breathing. This test was fired prone with sling @ 100yds I then called it a day. The one outlier was a round fired by my Uncle pay it no attention it was from a 300WM.

With this rifle its all post-war SA nothing crazy or exotic (well maybe some special attention on the rear sight assembly) its all just careful assembly/fitting in the right areas.