M14 Forum

Visigoth9

So I had my recently acquired (SA-52 Rebuild Program) Garand re-barreled the other week...

I got a 4-52 SA barrel still packed w/cosmoline and wrapped in cheese cloth to replace the bent one on the rifle

Spent considerable time getting the cosmoline off and out of the barrel...a chore I hated since being a kid

when my Dad would hand me his latest surplus Ye Olde Shooter rifle ordered from the inside back page of the American Rifleman

I used Tony at Orion for the Indexing and Short Chamber finishing while I waited

Took some of my first-quality hand loads to the range and got a nice shotgun pattern grouping :-/

Granted the action needed to settle back into the stock but by Round 25 I figured it found its natural home

Does the barrel need to "shoot-in"?

If so at what round-count could I expect to see some closing up of the groups?

I got better groups with the bent barrel albeit with the sights nailed hard left at the rear and hard right at the front to get on paper

This is a brand spanking new GI barrel and I have never before had such a thing on any Garand I have owned

so I am trying to get my expectations in line with reality

Thanks

SOCOM42

What are the group sizes? Is there any stringing?

By the by, gasoline would have cleaned the tube in 5 min.

82nd ABN

Should break in around 1000 rounds or so. If by then it's not broken in all you need to do is leave it at bench #1 at calverton and I'll pick it up. I'll do my best to finish the job. I'll drag my Garand out this weekend, take a few shots with it and let me know what you think of the GI barrel. Regardless how that barrel shoots it's not going anywhere so you better start dialing in those loads. I am disappointed you used the evil one to screw that barrel on. Is that the same barrel you had last time we were at the range?

TCAF

I've been of the understanding that 40% of Garand accuracy can be attributed to the way the receiver fits in the stock. If the receiver moves around in the stock, you'll never get the accuracy you seek. The M1 is a finicky animal and there are multiple reasons why you're not seeing decent accuracy. Start with the receiver fit in the stock. Gus has an excellent article on Garand accuracy here for the John C. Garand matches that touches on a lot of the issues one can run into with the M1.

John C. Garand Match legal modifications

gulliver62

Have you done any other accurizing to the gun?
Sounds like the only difference was a new barrel so I am assuming that everything about the action is the same (TG lockup, peened sights, stock interference on op-rod and fit to receiver). You can ensure the gas system fits well with the new barrel.

I have a couple of NOS barrels as spares but not shot one. I have several Garands that have MW<1 and TE<3 that I am pretty sure were never shot. I will say that they all shoot a bit differently. I only spend the time to develop a load for the one's I am going to compete with.

Start with some cracked HXP as a benchmark on the group and let us know what you are getting.

Orlando

I dont get Shotgun groups but I dont find those NOS barrels to be all that great a barrel. I have had two built on them.
You should be able to hold a 3-4 inch group with good surplus, better with handloads
Just exactly do you consider a Shotgun group??

Visigoth9

Socom42....There is at least a 12 inch spread and no stringing or anything remotely resembling a pathology

random scatter...yup gasoline would have done the trick

but it was 3 a.m. and I was in the house....and my wife is still fuming about the old 1966 Norton I frame-up restored/reassembled on the family room coffee table this past winter

82nd...yes the very same one...sorry I used your "evil one"... he was close, he let me wait to oversee barreling and chambering and he did a good job and at a fair price I might add (not to salt your wounds here)

I should probably get some "cheap(er)" blammo to wear the bore in

if I am looking at a 1K round count to get the thing humming

Visigoth9

The only change was the barrel...all else was as previous

no accurizing..... tight sights fore and aft

was using hand-weighed 150 gr. SMK match rounds on 3rd cycle Winchester brass and cci #34 primers and IMR 4895 individually scale-weighed charges so the ammo consistency is not an issue beyond maybe not being the right formula for the rifle

My biggest fear was touched on by Orlando...that these tubes aren't up to the same par as the older war era tubes

oh well I guess time will tell...thanks guys

Orlando

I would look at stock fit. Is it a commercial or USGI stock?
Does the trigger gaurd lock up tight, get hard resistance 1/2 before closing?
Do the tilt test
Look for rubbing of the Op Rod on the stock ferrule and inside the stock

Orlando

Even though I dont think they are the greatest barrels they will shoot much better than what you are getting.
Take a look at my write up on stock fit in this thread about 10 posts down
m1 accuracy problem

Hows the of the barrel crown look?
Are you shooting from a rest with the forearm setting on the bag?? If so move the rest back. The handguard is open underneath and the Op Rod will rub on the bag causing inconsistant groups

Visigoth9

Stock is an unmarked GI replacement of some variety, the lock-up is fair, not as tight like we all like it ......but it worked well enough for the old round-about barrel to group (albeit where it wanted to)

I have an as-new op rod coming from Claude at RA Parts today I hope.... as I was not happy with the tab and piston condition on the existing one...

so when I install that I will do all the contact-point checks

I shot on the bags for best possible accuracy rifle on the bags just ahead of the floor plate...the crown is pristine new

82nd and I are planning a Saturday shoot since Irene should be hitting on Sunday so we'll see how it goes then..

arcticdog

You may have seen this in the M1 Accuracy thread TCAF referenced.

Check the gas cylinder fit. Shouldn't have any movement; if it does, carefully peen the lower splines. I tap the barrel splines edges very lightly with a punch, start the gas cylinder and then thread the gas cylinder lock so it pushes the gas cylinder on as it tightened. I index the lock to about 6 o'clock after the gas cylinder hole is centered under the barrel's gas port.

Ammo is a big variable, too. Good luck.

AndyB.

I installed an NOS M1D barrel 6 months ago. When I took the caps off the barrel, you could see cutter marks all through the barrel. The first 60 rounds were incredibly inaccurate, to the point I set it aside and started working on other projects. After around 80 rounds, the groups started to shrink considerably. It could be related to any number of factors, but I think it was mostly the barrel being polished out by firing.

gulliver62

It may not give you what you are looking for but 12" at 100yd is BAD.

You should be able to get down to at least 3-4" with the accurizing techniques above and probably better.

82nd ABN

If we go this weekend I will bring mine and you can swap out stocks to see if that helps.