Florida Shooters Network

I was looking for a M1 garand and ended up with a saginaw M1 carbine insted lol
While looking it over i noticed the bolt has some front to rear play when in battery.. not a lot just alittle wiggle from back to front if pushed on or shaken.
is that normal ? it does lock up..just alittle movment when the bolt is forward.
also any good sources on magazines ?
and anything to check before taking it to the range ?

My beat up NPM has a tiny tiny amount of front/rear play in the bolt. MAybe a 32nd or 64th of an inch. May not be a bad idea to check headspace with go/no go and perhaps a field gauge. CDNN has cheap mags for them.

wakkoss wrote:My beat up NPM has a tiny tiny amount of front/rear play in the bolt. MAybe a 32nd or 64th of an inch. May not be a bad idea to check headspace with go/no go and perhaps a field gauge. CDNN has cheap mags for them.

hmm, maybe there is something off..it does wiggle a bit..its not exactly a huge amount but its not a tiny amount either.
if the headspace is off how is that fixed and is it pricy ? any gunsmiths that work on m1 carbines i could send it off to ?

dan1802 wrote:

wakkoss wrote:My beat up NPM has a tiny tiny amount of front/rear play in the bolt. MAybe a 32nd or 64th of an inch. May not be a bad idea to check headspace with go/no go and perhaps a field gauge. CDNN has cheap mags for them.

hmm, maybe there is something off..it does wiggle a bit..its not exactly a huge amount but its not a tiny amount either.
if the headspace is off how is that fixed and is it pricy ? any gunsmiths that work on m1 carbines i could send it off to ?

Is that WITH a cartridge in the chamber, or without?
You may have a tad of play with an empty chamber that you don't have with a round in there (IIRC--I think I have seen that before).
Course checking the headspace is always a good thing!

Good thought, Dickie, didn't dawn on me to check either. I only checked mine without a round in it. I've fired mine a few times now, including today, and it works fine...spent casings look good. Obviously that's not a substitute for proper headspace checking, but it's a start.

I dont have mine in front of me so I cant see if there is any wiggle but if it seems excessive it could be a Bad Thing. Like Wakkos said check the headspace. If its not in spec I think a new bolt may bring it back but im no carbine expert for sure. A good source for USGI 15 round mags is the CMP. If your not a member just check out their forums as there is usually always people selling some on there for what they paid ($15). Heck there are also guys on their with a crapload of carbines that may be able to answer your question a little better as well.
I love my Saginaw, fun little gun shoot!!

It wiggles with a empty chamber..got the rifle today so i havnt gotten any ammo for it yet.

The Korean 15rd and 30rd mags are a very good deal and $7.97 for the 15rd and $9.97 for the 30rd at Cheaper Than Dirt. CDNN has them also for a little bit more. I bought 6 of the 15rd ones and they all work flawlessly in my Inland. Numrich's has original GI mags for $21.

I just had it out again. when the bolt is cycled and the hammer is back [trigger not pulled] the bolt will wiggle from front to back slightly..once the trigger is pulled the bolt wont move at all. this is all with an empty chamber

Of course not...you have the pressure of the hammer against it.

wakkoss wrote:Of course not...you have the pressure of the hammer against it.

lol I would guess so

I'll be ordering headspace gauges soon.. if the headspace is off whats the best way to go about fixing it ? just buy and trade new bolts untill i find one that headspaces correctly ? or would i be better off shipping it to a gunsmith ?

any have any m1 carbine bolts laying around ?

You aren't too far away from Dow Arms in Dade City [ 1-352-567-9800 ] They are probably the best place you could take it to have it checked out before you start buying guages and stuff. BTW both my Inland and Plainfield are a little loose when closed without a round in the chamber and shoot fine. YMMV.... jim

jmikeb653 wrote:You aren't too far away from Dow Arms in Dade City [ 1-352-567-9800 ] They are probably the best place you could take it to have it checked out before you start buying guages and stuff. BTW both my Inland and Plainfield are a little loose when closed without a round in the chamber and shoot fine. YMMV.... jim

Thanks for the info, i'll probly give them a call.
not sure id save any money driving out there vs buying my own gauges with where gas is though.. but good to know a good smith is in the area if the headspace is off.