M14 Forum

Gus Fisher

Folks, there is no way I can cover the legal modifications in a single post, but as time goes by, I'll write a post about one or some modifications. So, stay tuned as this will be an ongoing work in progress.

I think perhaps the best way to start this out is to explain what the rules are for the match and we have to go to CMP for that. Normally I would just link to the rules, but for this thread, I really believe it is important to list the rules because some explanation is necessary and we are going to refer back to them time and again as this thread goes onward:

6.3 As-Issued Military Rifle Rules
The following rules apply to all rifles that are used in CMP-sanctioned CMP Games
Matches for as-issued military rifles (Rule 3.0 and Rule 9.0).
6.3.1 As-Issued Military Rifle Requirements
The following rules apply to all as-issued U. S. and foreign military rifles unless specific exceptions are noted in the rules:
(1) All as-issued military rifles must be rifles that were commonly issued to U. S. Armed Forces or to foreign military personnel.
(2) The rifle must be in as-issued condition, with a standard stock and sights.
(3) The rifle must conform to the weight and dimensional specifications of the standard-issue service rifle. Weights may not be added to the rifle, but issue oilers or cleaning kits may be placed in the stock.
(4) Commercial or replica versions of as-issued military rifles are not permitted.
(5) Rebarreling with a barrel of as-issued dimensions is permitted. A replacement barrel must have the same exact contours and cuts as the original as-issued barrel.
(6) Only government-issue parts or government or commercial parts of the exact same weight and dimensions may be used.
(7) Sights must be of the same types that were on rifles issued to regular military personnel. Special purpose sights designed for sniping or competition are not permitted.
(8) Rifles may be accurized only by the careful assembly of standard parts.
(9) The use of flash suppressors, cheek pads, recoil pads, or stock extensions are prohibited.
6.3.2 As-Issued M1 Garand
The rifle must be a Caliber .30 U. S. M1 Garand rifl e that was issued by the U.S. Armed Forces and be in as-issued condition. A Caliber .30 M1941 Johnson rifle or a U.S. Carbine Caliber .30 M1 may be fired in matches designated
for M1 Garand rifles.
(1) These rifles must be as issued by the U.S. Armed Forces, with standard stock and sights.
(2) Trigger pulls may not be less than 4.5 pounds, except that the M1941Johnson may have a trigger pull of not less than 3.5 pounds.
(3) “NM” rifles, or rifles with NM parts, including NM sights, may not be used in the rifle, except that “NM” operating rods may be used.
(4) The use of shims made of any material is prohibited. The presence of fiberglass, epoxy, glue or any other filler is prohibited. Laminated stocks and stocks made of synthetic materials are prohibited.
(5) As-issued M1 Garands must be chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. No rifles chambered for the 7.62mm NATO (.308) cartridge may be used.

http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions/Rulebook.pdf

There have been some exceptions to these rules allowed in specific cases and I'll cover the ones I know about.

Since I've been involved since 1973 with NRA Service Rifle Competition and armorers/competitors, who both stayed in the rules and others who "played fast and loose with the rules" or downright cheated, the first thing I think I should explain the importance of the "intent" of the rules - because that's where you will see what is legal and why some exceptions have been made.

GENERALLY speaking, the intent is the rifles shot in this match must conform to the standard infantry rifles as they were issued and the way STANDARD Armorers worked and rebuilt them all the way up to and including 5th Echelon Depot Maintenance Repair facilities (G.I. Arsenals or the original Springfield Armory in Mass.). Military NM Armorers were forbidden to do most, if not all NM modifications, to standard infantry rifles. (Some exceptions to what NM armorers were allowed to do in peace time, were made in time of war for special use/purpose rifles. That falls outside both the actual rules and the intent of the rules, though.)

Over the years since the match was first formed, there have been some changes in the rules and some (if not most) of them came from those of us who actually were standard G.I. Armorers and knew other G.I. standard Armorers and what was actually done to standard infantry Garands. This is allowed because it falls inside the intent of the Match rules.

I must state something though for clarity. The CMP is the final arbiter for the rules and any exceptions that are allowed. If there is a question about whether something may be legal or not, it is best to write and ask for a clarification about the specific modification or item. Then they will make a judgment on whether or not it is legal. No one else has the authority to speak for CMP in this matter or change or make exceptions to the rules.

82nd ABN

Gus once again thank you for imparting your vast database on all of us. WHere exactly in VA are you? I want to buy the house next door!

Old Sarge

My American Legion post bought several M1's from the CMP for ceremonies and funerals, etc. One of them came with the upper handguard glued to the ferrule, so that rifle would not be allowed for the M1 Garand match. I wonder how many rifles like this were shipped from the CMP?

I've read some time ago in an article that some guys relieved the wood under the lower handguard so it doesn't touch the barrel, and that was supposed to make the rifle shoot more accurately by basically free- floating the handguard. I've never tried this, but I was wondering if it does improve accuracy and is match legal for the J.C. Garand Match?

JAILDOG

Attended the GSM class at Camp Butner in May, and it was put out to us that the M1 could have no bedding modifications to any part of the stock assembly. No hooded or NM sights, no recoil absorbing weights in stock. A NM oprod could be used as they are nearly the same as USGI. Basicaly if it came out of crate for issue to a regular Joe, its ok for the Garand match. As Gunny stated there are those who will push the envelope and try to get a leg up.

Gus Fisher

Sarge, if you are speaking about the rear or lower handguard, such modification is illegal and to be honest, only makes you think it will improve accuracy. What happens is you make the rear handguard looser by doing that and usually that means there will be less accuracy. Now, we also were taught to file the rear of the rear handguard so there was just a tiny sliver of clearance or light between the front of the receiver and the rear of the rear handguard. That kept the rear handguard from cracking when the barrel whipped around in recoil and forced the distance between the receiver and lower band to get smaller during recoil due to barrel whipping. Think of it like when you bend a flexible dowel and that closes the space between two points you marked before you bent the dowel.

Now, if one is talking about the front handguard (that is right behind the gas cylinder) there is something a little different. Even some of the G.I. replacement front handguards "bound up" on the inside of the FHG. It was part of standard Armorer's procedures to file the inside only so the handguard would freely slide onto the barrel. If the wood inside was not cleared enough to do that, the FHG would often crack when the rifle was fired. So that was a matter of ensuring the FHG would last as long as possible and was considered a "repair."

John Coleman

I had thought at one time that some "repair" bedding in the stock was allowed but not full match bedding. Only enough bedding to fill worn areas in the stock to hold the receiver. Maybe that was only certain matches.

Gus Fisher

Early on, they allowed ONLY the stocks that the government had repaired with their age yellowed, off white fiberglass. Now, even those stocks are illegal from the last I heard.

They don't even allow us to do what the Arsenals did by cutting out wood under the trigger housing, gluing in another piece of wood and then filing and fitting the trigger housing. I "think" they still allow folks to use a stock that was done that way by the U.S. government, but they won't allow anyone else to do such a repair and be legal. However, if you refinish a G.I. stock like that, you may run afoul of the rules because they can't tell if it was originally done by the Arsenals after you refinished the stock. To ensure you are legal, it is best not to use a refinished stock repaired in that manner.

Back when it was harder to find good, solid G.I. replacement stocks (and that is very difficult to impossible today) and there weren't good fitting commercial stocks available, they were a little looser on the rules. However, since they offer replacement wood at very reasonable prices (That is my explanation, not CMP's.) - they have tightened up some on the stocks and handguards.

Gus Fisher

Sarge, I thought about something else on the rear handguard that might be what they meant and is legal.

If the rear handguard jams on the top of the stock, it is legal to file the top of the stock (under the handguard) and the bottom edges of the rear handguard. This was done by G.I. armorers to ensure a tight fitting rear handguard wouldn't pop off during bayonet fighting or combat usage.

So, if that is what they meant, then yes it is legal and it will help accuracy slightly.

Gus Fisher

Great point. I will be going over some of the illegal mods that some folks have used or are still trying to get away with. They can get away with illegal mods for a while and maybe for a long time UNTIL their rifle is inspected and then they are disqualified. Rifles are not usually inspected unless you win the match or come out real high OR if someone spots an illegal modification and challenges your rifle. No one is going to bother challenging a rifle until the person owning it wins, so a person using a rifle with illegal mods can get away with it for quite along time.

Now, who inspects the rifles that winners have used to win or rifles that have been challenged for illegal modifications? The CMP armorers on the CMP van do it at Camp Perry. That way, it will be as fair to everyone as possible.

Eagle 1

I have a nice IHC (arsenal) rebuild which has an issue with a changing POI from 7 o'clock in the 8-ring to the center of the x-ring as it heats up. The sights are set for the warmed up state and it takes 3-4 rounds out of the clip to get there. Once it's warmed up it will keep them in the 10 ring all day long, but if you let it cool, as in between strings in a HP match you start all over again. I thought that this might be caused by pressure changes from the rear handguard as the barrel heats up as has been suggested elsewhere. Is this correct? I'd like to shoot this rifle in JCG matches but not in this state of affairs.

Eagle 1

Gus Fisher

Eagle 1,

I don't think the rear handguard would do that unless it is binding on the top of the stock. If that's true, then you need to sand the top of the stock and the bottom sides of the handguard so there is clearance between them.

Since so many other things can cause this, I'll ask for your patience as I go through the mods.

Eagle 1

Thanks Gus. This has been puzzleing me for a while. I had a similar issue with my first M1 years ago when I (mistakenly) tried to firm up the front handguard by placing a couple of matchsticks between it and the lower band. The result was vertical stringing as it heated up. Since the front band on this one is "loose" I thought it might be something similar but with the rear handguard.

Eagle 1

Gus Fisher

OK folks, after working late into the early morning hours Thursday night through Friday morning and setting up at the gun show, I had to get three hours sleep Friday night. Started work at 2130 Friday night and finished up in just enough time to shave and shower for the gun show on Saturday. I was tired and got swamped with work at the show. After unloading everything back in the shop Sunday night, I didn't just go to sleep Sunday night; it was closer to a coma. Grin. Just starting to feel better, so I thought it was high time to begin the mod posts.

What I'm going to do is start at the front of the rifle and work back, then the stock, then internals, etc. This is so you can follow it in a progressive manner and so hopefully I won't forget something and place it out of order.

So the first thing is the front sight. We are only allowed to use the standard front sight and we are not allowed to thin them down. What a lot of people may not understand is the front sights were cut down to raise the point of impact for a correct 300 yard BZO when mounted on a rifle and only when it was required to do that. Hence, you see used front sights in many different heights.

It is preferable to use the least amount of clicks of elevation as possible when match shooting. The higher the pinion has to go to zero the rifle, the looser the fit is in the Rear Sight Aperture is in the Rear Sight Base. That means the looser fit gives poorer accuracy from shot to shot in a group. So, to keep that down to the minimum possible, the front sight is very important.

The easiest way to measure the height of the front sight blade is take the front sight off and use a pair of precision dial calipers. You measure from the bottom of the front sight to the top rear of the front sight blade. I don’t have the blueprint handy, but I think most new front sights run from .725” to .728” tall.

Most of us initially zero our rifles at 100 yards. The JCGarand Match is shot at 200 yards on the SR target with a 13” black bullseye. Bullet drop between 100 and 200 yards is about 2 1/2 inches to 3 ½ inches on average with .30-06 ball, BUT your rifle and your eyes may require something a little different. If you don’t have the ability to zero and shoot your rifle a lot at 200 yards, here’s what I suggest you do. Get an NRA 50 yard, slow fire pistol target. The black bullseye of the 8 ring on that target is 8 inches. So, if you use a 6 o’clock hold on the black and the rounds hit in the center of that target at 100 yards, the rifle is shooting about 4 inches high. That will put your point of impact at 200 just above your point of aim and you can add two or three clicks of elevation to center your shots at 200 yards, while using a 6 o’clock hold. But no matter how many clicks you personally need, using this technique at 100 yards will get you on paper and close to the bullseye for elevation when you shoot your first shot at 200 yards. Also, I prefer about 4 clicks of elevation at 100 yards when using this technique so you have some elevation adjustment for light conditions at 200 – whether you use a six o’clock hold or a point of aim, point of impact hold.

If you are only using one or two clicks of elevation at 100 yards, or if the aperture is all the way down and the rifle is shooting above you aiming point too high, then the barrel is naturally shooting a bit too high, unless you have a saw cut gas cylinder (more on that later). Chances are you have a FS that has been cut down. Most of the time, a New Old Stock Front sight will be high enough to fix that. If not, there were some taller than normal front sights sold by Orion 7 and DGR. I don’t think they are available, but if you run across one, you can legally use it. A couple years ago, I asked the DCM if these were legal and he made the ruling they were legal even if they were technically not the same “size and weight” of the original part. You could weld up the front sight and reshape it, but just be careful not to thin it down as that would cause it to be illegal.

If you have to use 12 to 18 clicks of elevation at 100 yards to center your shots, your barrel shoots low. The answer for this is to either replace the front sight with a shorter one or carefully file down the top of the front sight blade until you get about 3 to 4 clicks of elevation at 100 yards. Or, you might try using a saw cut gas cylinder.

“Saw Cut” gas cylinders was a modification the Arsenals did ONLY during WWII. The saw cut was made though the front top ring of the gas cylinder. The first style was straight and perpendicular to the length of the cylinder and the last style was at an angle. They tried that mod to tighten up gas cylinders where either the barrels or the cylinder lugs were not quite in spec. When you tighten the front sight screw, it closes the saw cut and tightens the cylinder on the barrel. What that ALSO does is cause the barrel to shoot a bit higher than normal because of the torque applied by the front sight screw. Now, these Saw Cut cylinders were used by some NM competitors in the 60’s to get a low shooting barrel to shoot higher, so they don’t really hurt accuracy. They were also only done by the military, so they are completely legal for JC Garand Matches. Many of us will never need one of them, but if you have one and you noticed the barrel shoots kind of low, now you know why. Or if you have a low shooting rifle and a spare saw cut cylinder to try on that rifle, that could solve the problem.

Gus Fisher

OK, next is gas cylinders and locks.

Basically you are not allowed to do anything to the cylinder like boring out the rear ring, filing the rear of the cylinder so there is room between it and the front handguard or really any other kind of modification. You are also not allowed to use any kind of glue or sealer to help keep it in place. Plain GC on a plain barrel.

Now what you ARE allowed to do to tighten up the gas cylinder is to peen the barrel splines. This is because M1 Armorers in the military actually did that. You don't see that in the Tech Manuals, of course, but since the military budgets were often so low, this is one way they kept rifles working correctly.

As to where to peen the barrel splines, well you can get a real argument started on that by different Armorers. The Marine Corps settled on peening just the bottom edge on both of the bottom splines. That forces the GC up tighter against the barrel. We would also lightly peen both sides of the top spline if the cylinder lugs or barrel splines were real loose. What peening does is keep the gas cylinder and therefore the front sight in the same spot for every round you fire. If the GC is loose, you front sight is in a different position each time you fire and that will cause accuracy to suffer.

If there is one "secret" to keeping the GC tight for prolonged usage, it is by choosing a correctly fitted GC Lock. You also won't find this in the Technical Manuals, but many Armorers learned to choose a lock that hand tightened between 6 and 8 o'clock for standard rifles. That gave the least distance that the gas cylinder could "stress" the barrel threads forward and back. Many rifles were rebuilt this way from the Arsenals. It doesn't require a tool to line up the lock with the cylinder to seat the Lock Screw. NM armorers took this one step further and we hand selected locks that stopped between 5 and 5:30,then used a wrench to tighten the lock down to get the Lock Screw in. What that does is cause some torque on the lock to the angled shoulder of the barrel and holds the cylinder firmly for many, many shots. I'm not an engineer, but engineers have explained this tension holds the cylinder better than just relying on the barrel threads to hold the cylinder. The better the cylinder is held, the longer it will stay tight and accurate.

Now, some folks may wonder if it is legal to choose and hand fit the locks like we did for NM rifles and the answer is an absolute YES. This because this rule allows it: "(8) Rifles may be accurized only by the careful assembly of standard parts."

When I was taught, they told me to ONLY use the high hump GC locks, BUT they couldn't explain why. The knowledge had been lost by the time I came into the NM program. The reason they only used the High Hump locks was that ALL of them were hardened and they didn't come loose as fast. Also, older non hardened WWII locks might have been used so much that they were at their fatigue point and may have cracked after a lot of rounds fired. I've rarely even heard of that actually happening. They would loosen up a little faster than hardened locks, though. What the Armorers who taught me DIDN'T know was the locks supplied for grenade launchers were also hardened. These are also figure 8 locks, but have a square shoulder on them vs the chamfered shoulder of the non hardened locks. Now, if one can't find a properly fitting hardened lock, I would STILL use a correctly fitting non hardened lock for the JCGarand match over a lock that didn't fit correctly. It really is better.

What is not legal when fitting locks is to cut or chamfer a lock to get it to fit like a NM selected lock does. You don't want to do that anyway for two reasons. The first is you would cut right through the hardened surface of a hardened lock. The second is actually more important. If the lock moves back too far, you can partially close the rectangular hole in the Gas Cylinder over part of the gas port hole in the barrel. That would cause some weird vibrations in the cylinder and hurt barrel harmonics as well as cause the cylinder to loosen up faster. That is not something you ever have to worry about on a G.I. or G.I. spec barrel when you choose from different locks that are not cut/chamfered, though.

Gus Fisher

Next is the front handguard. You are not allowed to "glue and screw" the FH to the lower band as we do on NM Garands, nor are you allowed to use any kind of glue OR even a spacer put in between the lower band and FH. One guy got disqualified due to having a leather shim in between these parts. I doubt that would have done anything for accuracy, anyway, but it's against the rules.

You are also not allowed to take the FH liner out of the FH like was done on many NM Garands. You are not allowed to glue in the liner and front ferrule on the FH, nor are you allowed to cut or ream out the front ferrule as was done on some NM Garands. Basically, the only thing you can do is choose a FH with the tightest fit possible to the lower band.

You ARE allowed to clear out the inside of the FH if it sticks on the barrel, but just so it slides freely on the barrel. I don't know why anyone would want to hog out more wood from the inside more than that, but that wouldn't be legal. Sometimes the FH is too long, even G.I. ones were like that. If the cylinder JAMS the front handguard, that's not good because it did and will crack the FH. If that's true, you are allowed to file the back of the FH so it goes a little further back to give you just a bit of clearance between the front ferrule and the rear of the Gas Cylinder. However, you only want to just see light between the parts and don't cut it back beyond how a G.I. handguard would fit.

Next is the lower band. Again, no screws or glue in it or around it. You are also not allowed to knurl or dimple the barrel shoulder to cause a tighter fit as we did on NM rifles.

Next is the rear handguard. Again, no glue on it anywhere. You aren't allowed to put anything between it and the barrel to hold it steady, either. You are allowed to file the back of the rear handguard so it doesn't bind and crack against the receiver. Again, you just want to see light between them. Other than that, you just want to choose a RH that fits as tight to the lower band as possible.

Now, IF the RH binds on the top of the stock, you are allowed to file the bottom sides of the RH and the top of the stock so you have a little clearance between them. This is much more common with commercial wood than G.I. wood, bit it did happen with G.I. wood. The reason you want clearance is so the tight fit won't pop the RH loose during firing on a standard infantry rifle. It will also cause freaky shots, so make sure there is a little clearance between the top of the stock and the bottom of the RH on both sides. You just have to ensure you file sand along the whole length of the bottom sides of the RH or top of the stock so it looks like G.I. wood.