Bent bullet

[Joesarno]

hi, looking for some ideas. I went threw three enblocs, same ammo, then on the 4th the pic below happens, a bent bullet, any ideas? I did subsequent;y go thru 32 more rounds, some of the same and some different ammo, only one stove pipe. Rifle or ammo?

[Orlando]

you using a adjustable gas screw with that 180gr commercial ammo? If not you might want to consider it

[Joesarno]

Adjustable gas screw? It’s the one that came on the rifle

[jak]

What Orlando means is that you are using commercial ammo not designed for a garand. That ammo is too hot and you will need to buy an adjustable gas screw if you want to you the same commercial brand of ammo.

http://www.garandgear.com/ported-gas-plug.html
http://www.schustermfg.com/m1-garand...able-gas-plug/

[lapriester]

Keep using that ammo without an adjustable plug and you'll have more problems than stovepiping. I'm pretty sure the ported plug jak linked will not be enough to use the ammo pictured either. That ammo is hot and heavy. Notveven close to M1 appropriate.

[Smokey]

The problem with a lot of commercial hunting ammo is the pressure at the gas port. The commercial stuff uses a slower-burning propellant to get higher velocity. That means pressure is higher at the gas port than the rifle is designed for. The result can be a bent operating rod, plus added stress on the action since pressure will be higher when it unlocks. Some commercial 180gr loads get 2700 fps. My 180gr handloads are closer to 2550 fps.

[Joesarno]

I will change ammo, the gun shop I got it from said it was good garand, evidently they don’t know what they are talking about!

[Joesarno]

Besides it saying garand ammo on the box, is there a recommended brand?

[Orlando]

I will change ammo, the gun shop I got it from said it was good garand, evidently they don’t know what they are talking about!

No they do not.
As well as running the proper ammo, if you haven't ever done so its not a bad idea to replace the op rod spring. I do this with every garand I buy. Order one from Orion 7 or Garand Gear, stay away from extra power op rod springs. Also not a bad idea to make sure rifle is properly "greased" at all grease points
Just my opinion

[Joesarno]

Well, this is what i have in the enblocs now. I have boxed up the other. Can the other be safely used in a 1903 or 1917 with out mods? If not anyone want to buy three boxes of 30-06 LOL 10 bucks each.

[TJT]

Use it in your 03 and 1917 and don't look back. They don't operate on the gas.
Jon

[Joesarno]

Oh. Ok cool, I should have known that. Lol. Bolt action...

[Smokey]

I believe this was covered before, but proper lubrication is critical with the Garand. Grease everywhere as per the instructions below:
http://www.garandgear.com/m1-garand-grease
Inadequate greasing usually causes most of the malfunctions I've seen, assuming proper ammunition.

[lapriester]

Well, this is what i have in the enblocs now. I have boxed up the other. Can the other be safely used in a 1903 or 1917 with out mods? If not anyone want to buy three boxes of 30-06 LOL 10 bucks each.

Good choice.

[couldbfishin]

It is a coincidence that this subject is coming up. I am in the process of going through 500 loose rounds of Greek HXP ammo that I bought years ago on another website. The brass was corroded and I thought at the time I would salvage the bullets. But recently I decided to try and clean them to see if I could salvage them. As another hobby I used Deoxit contact cleaner to clean switches and pots on vintage audio equipment. I sprayed it on the corroded HXP, let it sit over night, and now most of the corrosion wipes off with a terry cloth rag.

But that is not the point of this response. While going through the first 100 rounds today, I have found two HXP rounds that had bent bullets. They look like original loads marked from the 60's and 70's. If they have not been fired, how did they get bent?

While on the subject of not using commercial loads without the adjustable gas port. I have been shooting Greek HXP bought from CMP since buying both guns a few years back. Now I don't see it listed on CMP anymore, so I plan to take a reloading class tomorrow and start reloading the HXP brass I have been saving. First because I have read on this site not to use retail loads in the Garand, and second because I don't want to pay $1.00-$1.25 per round.

Joesarno, that is another option for you.

My next step tonight will be to search this site for the recommended reload specs and parts for the M2 ball ammo to be shot from the Garand. One that is identical to the military rounds.

After reading this thread I will also consider changing out the spring, since both of my rifles are original from the late 40's and early 50's. Thanks for that advice.