How Tight Is Too Tight For My Garand Trigger Group?
October 3, 2014
Having been an armorer for almost five years, I can say that it would be unusual for a CMP armorer to not notice when a rifle requires excessive effort to close the trigger guard. In many cases we find that customers are just unaware of the “normal” range of tightness that can be found with M1 rifles.
A trigger group that fits tightly is good, and should be desired by those of us seeking above average accuracy from our rifle.
Many owners of the famous semi automatic rifle of WW2 and Korea have become familiar with how easy it is to open and close the trigger guard on their rifle. These rifles are generally well broken-in, and have significant compression of the wood as well as wear on the metal parts that perform the task of locking in the trigger group. When the rifles were new they locked up much tighter. Some of the rifles we still have at the CMP that are new or almost new are good examples of how extremely tight they were when originally manufactured.
It is difficult to describe the “normal” or minimum and maximum force that should be required to close a trigger guard. As a minimum you should feel some minor resistance, and the maximum should not exceed a painful hard pounding with the palm of your hand or an equivalent strike with a mallet (I prefer the latter). Tight is good, but there is a point where parts may be damaged or broken in the process of closing the trigger guard.
If you have purchased one of our Garand rifles or one of our new stock sets, and you find the opening and closing of the trigger guard to be too difficult and tight, there is a way you can reduce the tension. If you don’t consider yourself to have some mechanical talent, you may want to leave this to someone more skilled, but you can judge for yourself if you are up to the task.
How to adjust the closing tension of your rifles trigger group
Things you will need:
* 8” double cut bastard file or similar.
* Wide masking tape.
* A 2 7/8” long spacer between .180 and .210 diameter (a piece of 3/16 dowel works)
* A Dremmel tool with a special cutting bit may also be helpful or necessary.
* A dial caliper would also be very helpful.
Click here to download a pdf file.
Hello Armorers Corner,
Thanks for this great article! I would like to offer a suggestion that might make obtaining full, level contact a little easier.
I build flintlock rifles from scratch and one of the challenges is fitting the lock and barrel into the stock. The lock has to fit flat against the barrel and the barrel has to have good contact the length of the stock. Permatex Prussian Blue (available at auto parts stores) is the trick I learned from experts.
In a nutshell you LIGHTLY paint the Prussian Blue onto the trigger assembly where it contacts Areas A and B of the stock. You don’t need to use a lot to get a good transfer. By fitting it into the stock with light pressure the areas that need to be removed are revealed where the Prussian Blue is left behind by contact. This takes the guess work out of where and how much wood you have to remove. Prussian Blue can be removed from the metal and wood using acetone or mineral spirits. Hope this helps!
Help!
I am re-assembling the M1 Garand Expert Grade rifle I just received following applying 3 coats of tung oil. Serial #2595580-SA, It was prepared by armorer 775. The rifle has a stamped trigger guard. IU cannot get the trigger guard back far enough to get it to close. I watched several YouTube videos but cannot find a solution. The rifle is useless if I cannot close the trigger guard. Thanks for your help!
Please reach out to our Customer Service Department at custserve@thecmp.org and they will be able to help assist you.
Thank you,
Christine
The trigger guard works like a spring clamp. The tang on the end that locks it down will not engage it’s recess unless the shooter grasps the end of the trigger guard firmly and pull it back so the tang engages the recess. It it’s to hard to pull stick a 3/8″ or bigger wood dowel (or a round shank screwdriver) and pull to the rear. It’s not supposed to just snap in. That wouldn’t give enough tension to keep the rifle assembled during firing.
.Trigger group hard to unlock and very hard to remove.
The trigger on my M1 Garand has too much drag before it fires. How can that be corrected?
Please contact our Custom Shop at customshop@thecmp.org or call (256) 835-8455, ext. 513, 514 or 540. They will be able to help assist you.
Thank you,
Christine
Thank you, that was the direction I was headed. I feel better now. Thank you again
Bill Magilton