M1 garand failure to extract

I usually suggest Kuhnhausen's book, but Service Rifle is some dense reading.

Scrub the chamber, and look carefully at the rims of stuck cases. If rims are ok, then extractor engagement is insufficient or weak; replace spring or extractor. If the rims are torn off, the extractor's fine and the chamber's rough/fouled, or something else.

A functioning M1 will either extract the case, or tear the rim off trying, so that's a good starting point.

My vote is extractor spring. Not hard to replace. You can disassemble the bolt with a large flathead screwdriver. Watch some videos or you’ll launch the ejector and spring across the room.

also make sure you’re using Garand approved ammo.

Oh, and make sure your gas cylinder plug is tight.

The case looks pretty nasty... what ammo is that? Old corroded ammo can get weird as the powder deteriorates.

CartridgeCollector said:

Here are photos of the worst case

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My Garand beats rims nearly like than that when functioning normally. I think you have a weak extractor spring, or a damaged extractor.

Get a picture of the extractor if you can. Using dummy cases and manually manipulating the bolt, does the problem present itself?

CartridgeCollector said:

If I manually manipulate the bolt, the case extracts just fine.

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Then probably the extractor spring as others have said. Usually worth replacing anyway as it is a cheap expendable item. If you do, I would replace any other springs while you are at it to save potential labor time--keep the other apparently good ones as backups. You can test springs for compression and expansion but usually not worth it as new ones are cheap fixes to many firearm problems. I would also carefully inspect each part of the bolt though (replace wear parts as necessary) and clean it thoroughly if you detail strip it to replace springs.

CartridgeCollector said:

Here are photos of the worst caseView attachment 893284 View attachment 893285
So extractor spring? Thanks for your replies.

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Looks to me like the extractor is pulling the rim off. Are these reloads? Range pickups, cases fired in a different rifle can still be over sized for a Garand chamber after sizing in a standard sizing die. And, can still be too large after using a small based die. Real serious action shooters have learned to spend $1898 for a roll sizer, for pistol ammunition



because standard sizing dies would not reduce the case heads enough for reliable feed and extraction. That site also sells 308 roll sizers.Nothing you have, on your sizing press, has the capablity to swage a case head to the levels as one of these industrial level equipment can do. And that could be your problem.

If your sized round does not drop into one of these gages, you have a case and sizing die issue.

May as well get an extractor. They’re going to charge you shipping so you might as well use it.

CartridgeCollector said:

Its surplus m25 tracer.

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Let me recommend you pull the bullets on some of those and examine the interior of the cases





Your 30-06 tracer has to be much older than this corroded 1988 vintage LC ammunition. And based on its age, I think you are experiencing over pressure problems due to old gunpowder. Pressures spike on old gunpowder.

One way to test is to pull the bullets on a bunch of this ammunition, say 24 rounds, and load the cases with 46 to 47 grains of IMR4895/H4895 or AA2495. These are all basically the same powder at Garand pressures. If you do not encounter ripped rims, then the problem is old ammunition. Do this before you knock the back of the receiver heel off.

This chart



shows how accelerated aging raised combustion pressures significantly. The gunpowder was kept at temperature for something like 20 weeks. Heat exponentially accelerates the aging of gunpowder. I have no idea the age of the stuff you have, none of the advertisements on the web show a case head with a date. But I know that Garand appropriate ammunition stopped being made once those rounds were out of inventory. The last Garand 30-06 National Match was made in 1968.

CartridgeCollector said:

So I went to the range today and shot 50 tracers from a different lot and didn't have the problem once. Maybe those rounds were overpressure. But if they were wouldn't I of had a hard time pulling them out by hand? They just slid right out the chamber.

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Different lot means different powder, aged differently.

Lets say the pressure is shifted such that the pressure curve is high during unlock. Then the case is sticking to the chamber because the residual pressure is too high. Pull the bullet out of 24 rounds from the bad lot, put in new gunpowder, nothing more than 47 grains with a 150, or 165 grain bullet, and see if the new powder fixes the problem. If it does, you have a powder problem.

CartridgeCollector said:

So I went to the range today and shot 50 tracers from a different lot and didn't have the problem once. Maybe those rounds were overpressure. But if they were wouldn't I of had a hard time pulling them out by hand? They just slid right out the chamber.

Click to expand...

If the powder has degraded it can do funny things. Pressure may be too high during unlocking but it might subside.

1KPerDay said:

If the powder has degraded it can do funny things. Pressure may be too high during unlocking but it might subside.

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+1. Pressure will drop rapidly once the case head blows.