I cussed out John Garand today, bigtime.

[SA1911a1]

I have decided to shoot that new IH Garand, but after reading all of the dire warnings, I wanted to field strip the piece to make sure it had the proper lubrication in the proper spots. First time, but no problem for an old gunner like yours truely. I grabbed my faithful J.B. Wood Firearm assembly/disassembly book and went to work on the dining room table. Taking it down was no trouble, even with the terrible photos. Reassembly was a different story. I got it back together and was feeling pretty smug, but I had failed to capture the cartridge lifter. I took it back down, somehow managing to jam the op rod, causing a lot of grief. Got it back together and the damn bolt wouldn't go all the way back.

I opened it back up and studied what was going on and determined that the piece that locks the bolt open wasn't moving enough to allow the bolt to go all the way back. I fiddle farted with it for about an hour before I found out that that part needed to be lifted "before" connecting the Op rod. By the time I was done, I had cussed my old friend J.B. Wood and John Garand, their parents, granparents and children, for dirty-rotteen nogood bastages. I was sure that Mr. Garand, addressing the design team told them, "Boys, we are going to design a magazine assembly that is so damn complicated that it will make monkeys out men for the next 100 years." J.B.'s contribution was publishing photos that were damn near meaningless...

I finally figured it out, now I understand how the parts relate to each other, got it back together and apparently functioning as intended. Next time it will be a piece of cake. I will find out for sure tomorrow when I take it to the range. If you all do not hear from me again, you will know that I was a failure and the f***er blew up on me... Just scatter my ashes in a damn how wallow...

I am going to try to find a way to forgive J.B. and John, but it make take some time; in the meantime, I am taking back half of what I called them.

[Junk Yard Dog]

I just asked a WW2 vet about how the M1 field stripped before I even owned one. First time I did it felt like I had been doing it for years. Who suggested the IHC M1 was prone to blowing up? Fucking nonsense, I shot mine along with the H&R, Springfield, and Winchester for decades with no problems. Remember to keep to USGI spec M2 ball ammo unless you change the gas piston screw out for one that is adjustable. These rifles were only intended to fire the US round, when using hotter commercial loads you must be able to adjust the pressure to the new load or you will batter the rifle to death. I am assuming you checked the headspace and muzzle erosion and the rifle is in spec? If you didn't at least check the headspace and the rifle blows up, well fuck, you will have only yourself to blame. Brownells, and Midway both have no-go .30-06 gauges as does eBay and they are not that expensive.

[ffuries]

I feel your pain Steve.....

The Egyptian Rolling Block I got a year or so ago, broke it down, cleaned it, inspected it, and reassembled it and could not get the gun to cock or fire. Turns out I had over tighten the main spring screw, thus causing it to stick up too high, catching on the hammer and block. Thus preventing the hammer and block from going into position and bending the main spring. Took me a few hours to figure out what I screwed up. Now I take pictures of every piece before I remove it or take it a part.

Dad always did say this about "The boy could tear up a steel ball bearing with a marshmallow hammer." and "Give the boy something with 2 parts and he'll put it together wrong and have 10 parts left over when done."