Really Stupid Garand Question?

[Char-Gar]

When you load a clip into the Garand rifle, does it make a difference is the top round is on the right or left?

[bradh]

No difference whatsoever!!!!

[Uncle Grinch]

I have always heard, if you are right handed, the top round goes on the right, It's supposed to be easier to load that way. Left hander's is just the opposite.

Don't kniow if this is factual or not. It's just how I have always done it.

[Rock]

I have prepared my enbloc clips both ways for testing purposes. From my experience I can not see that it makes any difference in my M1 rifles.

[Multigunner]

Earliest production Garand receivers sometimes had a relief cut just inside the bolt way that extended a fraction of an inch too far. A simple manufacturing defect.
Rifles with those receivers were picky about which side the top round of the clip was on. I think they jammed on the seventh round rather than the first round.
The vast majority of receivers were not affected, but enough were that the problem cropped up now and then.

If you ever run across one of those receivers check the serial numbers, it might have collector value.

[Char-Gar]

Well I have not shot my Garand in a few year and the last (and first) time I shot it, it jammed on the last round on a regular basis. I replaced the big long spring and will take it with me tomorrow and see.

[Multigunner]

Well I have not shot my Garand in a few year and the last (and first) time I shot it, it jammed on the last round on a regular basis. I replaced the big long spring and will take it with me tomorrow and see.

Just did some checking. The missing material of the defective receivers is at the front guide rib of the magazine box on the lefthand side. Many of these receivers were repaired by welding and recutting the guide rib.
Unaltered receivers with the seventh round jam problem do have a bit of extra collector value.

Near as I can tell only the seventh round is affected, and only if the top round of the clip is on the right. As spring pressure is reduced when all but the last two rounds remain the seventh round, if on the left, can shift to the left a bit more as its stripped from the clip and cause a jam.

[Crash_Corrigan]

The guy I bought my Garand from had the top round on the right.
I never asked him about that and when I got my spam can from CMP all the clips were loaded with the top round on the right.

It worked.

I ain't changing it.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Now I am messing with paper patched rounds for this M-1 and they are as nice to shoot as a .22LR. Cheap and accurate and brass piles up in front of the shooting bench as nice as you please. No chasing brass and I can keep my eye on it and I do not have to worry about the local slimeball brass scroungers. The apparently believe that once your gun ejects the round it is up for grabs and they want it.

If they were using it for their own reloading I would gladly give them some but they are just taking them to the recycler and exchanging the brass for money.

I treat them like the thieves that they are.

One day I am shooting my Mauser 8 MM and a gent shows up in a van with a pair of Garands. He sets up two rifle rests on two shooting tables and lines up his clips full of new commercial '06 ammo. Then his three Asian guests arrive and he sets out a large steel reactive target at 200 yds and lets these guys have at it.

He alternated between the two guns so they do not overheat and the brass is flying all over the place. These four go through over 400 rounds in about an hour and when they are done the neat little tourist Asians are sweating laughing and having a great old time.

His business was to troll the strip hotels and invite Asians who never have a chance to shoot a gun to the range and they pay him well. When he was done he asked me if I wanted the brass. DID I WANT THE BRASS? YOU BETCHA!

He even left me most of the clips along with the boxes that ammo came in. He soaked these tourists big time and they loved it. Since then he was found to be in violation of the club rules and his membership was pulled. I guess he now drags them out into the desert.

[frkelly74]

Yankee Ingenuity! How could I make that work here ?

[miestro_jerry]

John Garand was a Canadian. He developed the M1 Garand while working at the Springfield Armory.

It doesn't matter which side, I never saw any problems, but never saw an early production model.

Just watch your thumb.

Jerry

[NickSS]

Every GI packaged garand clip I ever saw had the first round on the bottom left and the top round on the right. I load all my clips that way and have never had a problem. In fact the only problem I ever had with an M1 was a weak clip latch spring would occationally toss the last one or two shells out of the gun unfired. I replaced the spring and have not had any problems since.

[Char-Gar]

Fired the rifle yesterday and everything worked just fine. I guess that new spring did the trick.

[sqlbullet]

Right handed shooters push the clip in with their right thumb. If you put the top round on the left, you are pushing down against the edge of the clip, and run the risk of cutting your thumb. The gun doesn't care, but your right thumb will thank you for loading right on the top.

[JeffinNZ]

It ain't that stupid Chargar. I didn't know the answer either.

[462]

Hatcher's "Book of the Garand" covers this problem, which was fixed well before the onset of WW II.. Multigunner correctly stated the cause and cure.

I have a '43 dated Springfield that, every once in a while, will experience a 7th round jam. An old Marine, with many years of Garand time, including competition, thought it might be the IMI clips that I was using.

Any other ideas?

[Multigunner]

Hatcher's "Book of the Garand" covers this problem, which was fixed well before the onset of WW II.. Multigunner correctly stated the cause and cure.

I have a '43 dated Springfield that, every once in a while, will experience a 7th round jam. An old Marine, with many years of Garand time, including competition, thought it might be the IMI clips that I was using.

Any other ideas?

Could be a combination of factors.
The Garands with the low guide rib only jammed on the seventh round due to the reduced spring pressure on the follower as the top rounds had already been fed.
Could be that some variation in dimensions or materials of some clips could induce a similar jam that only showed up when spring pressure was lowered on the seventh round.
The follower would apply pressure to the underside of the remaining rounds, which in turn applied upwards push to the clip, but only on the side the top round was in direct contact with, tilting it if theres too much side play.

[shotman]

well I had to go check I have a full can of 1952 ball took one bandiler and checked all 10 clips 7 load right and 3 loaded left I guess if the 7th jambs it saves the "ping" its the return spring make sure its not kinked where the rod goes in if its change ends

[missionary5155]

Good morning
No such beast as a stupid Garand Question.. "The rifle is a complicated piece of military hardware BUT one that functions admirably when the answer is properly applied." At least that is similar to the speach I heard numerous times going through bootcamp when the DI was not using his old campaign hat to answer other questions he noted he had already answered 3 different times pretaining to the newer black rifle I detested and would have rather bought to trade for the previous battle rifle our Army so erroniously scraped.
So I imagine the quoted phrase had been used for many years to talk about the Garand also..
Least you are smart enough to ask before your tongue gets used for a valuable visual leason because you were doing something way beyond stupid with your memorized serial number best friend. I think that was when the troop used steel wool to "Clean" with emthusiasm all the exterior of his best friend and ended up with a mirror polished bare metal barrel....