Zombie M1 Garand, back from the dead

[Jmposey]

I just picked up this M1 Garand from the CMP store a few weeks ago.

And it was only $400!

The catch?

It’s been welded up and turned into a demilled drill rifle - and it was a total train wreck.

Here’s the issues:

-Barrel has a steel plug welded into the chamber.
-Barrel is welded to the receiver.
-Op Rod channel is welded up.
-Gas cylinder has been welded to the barrel nut.
-Buttplate is missing,
-Stock has huge chunks broken out near the butt area.
-Rust on all metal parts, only about 50% finish remaining.

But here’s the good news:

The weld into the receiver didn’t go very deep.
It’s a rare-ish pre War serial number.

And I have LOTS of spare parts.

 

[Jmposey]

The barrel is trash. Here’s the weld that goes all the way through to the steel rod in the chamber:

 

[alleycat]

Subscribed.....I've often wondered if these could be safely brought back into service

 

[Jmposey]

Here’s a close up video showing the damage in detail.

I’ve already re-milled the Op rod channel (you’ll notice a shiny spot on the receiver) and removed the sight assemblies and trigger group.

 

[Jmposey]

This is the underside of the receiver, showing where it’s been welded to the barrel.

I was lucky to find one that didn’t have a big weld on it. I’ve seen some that are much worse.

The gas cylinder has been welded to the barrel nut. This is the only way to separate them. Cut into the barrel nut, NOT the gas cylinder. Barrel nuts are cheap, gas cylinders are expensive. (And cutting into the gas cylinder may damage the Op rod, which is very expensive.)

The gas plug is also trash at this point, but those are cheap too.

 

[10thmountain]

Cool. Should be a great shooter when done!

 

[Joshua223]

Subscribed.....I've often wondered if these could be safely brought back into service

Not by me, that is for dang sure
Hope he can fix it.

 

[10thmountain]

I have done one. Just had a small tack weld. Shot very well.

 

[10thmountain]

Did this one get resurrected?

 

[Jmposey]

Did this one get resurrected?

Yes. In a few days I’m gonna post the rest of the pictures. I still haven’t shot it yet. And when the weather gets a little warmer I’m gonna post a video to see if it actually shoots.