A game- what's wrong with this picture?

[Chris_B]

I wonder if this will be any fun

Tell me what the firearm pictured here is doing wrong. Feel free to add your own pics and play too

 

[AK103K]

The bolt isnt locked back.

 

[Chris_B]

Technically yes, correct. But what's wrong with what it's doing? (it was hard to get the rifle to do it, too, thank goodness)

 

[AK103K]

Im not sure I understand what you mean. If youre referring to getting the bolt to do what you have it doing, I can do the same on my M1 with little trouble.

Do you have the op rod out of its track?

 

[chris in va]

You got it to stay back on the follower, nothing unusual about that. One major cause of 'Garand thumb'.

BTW looks like you need to get some oil in there, looks a little dry.

 

[mehavey]

You're right. It is hard to get the bolt to hang back on the follower bevel alone.
(I just finished trying for a coupla minutes.)

In fact there must be something very seriously wrong with your Garand.
Send it to me and I'll if I can fix it over the next several years.


.

 

[Chris_B]

You got it to stay back on the follower, nothing unusual about that. One major cause of 'Garand thumb'.

THAT'S the answer!

I had mentioned that it was happily hard to do because, well, the rifle doesn't want to do it and the sight of my own blood makes me sad

 

[Chris_B]

You're right. It is hard to get the bolt to hang back on the follower bevel alone.
(I just finished trying for a coupla minutes.)

In fact there must be something very seriously wrong with your Garand.
Send it to me and I'll if I can fix it over the next several years.

My Pop had one in the '60s that turned out to be a re-weld. He could lock the bolt back, slap the butt, and the bolt would slam home. He returned the rifle and got his 60 bucks back. 60 bucks. Expensive! Imagine that thing being ready to bite at any time? Ouch

 

[Chris_B]

Im not sure I understand what you mean. If youre referring to getting the bolt to do what you have it doing, I can do the same on my M1 with little trouble.

Do you have the op rod out of its track?

You were going technical operation all the way and you're right, except for the oprod and track bit; that's all right as rain.

If I had instead said "why does this make me afraid"? I bet you would have gotten it first try

 

[Uncle Buck]

Never heard the term Garand Thumb before.

When we used these rifles for Honor Guard, sometimes the bolt would snap forward while loading and catch a finger or thumb. Is this what you mean?

 

[Mike Irwin]

"Never heard the term Garand Thumb before."

Garand thumb, or M 1 thumb, was having the bolt slam shut on your thumb while you were pushing a clip into the action.

My neighbor, who used one in Korea, told me the way he was taught to prevent it was to put the clip on the follower, push down with your thumb, and make damned sure that the flat of your hand was up against bolt handle.

Once the clip locked into place you'd get your thumb out of the way and let the action close.

 

[Gehrhard]

Standard training was to keep the back of your palm on the receiver as the pivot point with the knife edge of your hand (pinky) restraining the bolt handle and ROTATING your cartridges in and your thumb out after the enblock tripped the release. A rolling action. Roll in, roll out. Garand Thumb (a very common old term) was and is the reason to do this.

Also...

Training on all semi-autos is to pull on the bolt handle and when in its rearward-most position to just RELEASE IT. Do not push it closed -- do not follow it home. And when pulling the handle you do so palm up (using your pinkie) or with your thumb over the top and using the last joint on the handle so that if the action cycles the handle will fly past your hand and not catch the web of your hand and break your wrist.

 

[Chris_B]

I'm the only one with a tricky picky?

 

[AK103K]

I can take a pic of the "L" shaped scar on the palm of my right hand where the op rod tore it open when my M1 slam fired and went grenade.