Don't believe any of these guys. The M1 is a horrible nasty thing and you 're really going to hate it! I mean, you'll truly despise it! Just save yourself the pain by boxing it up and shipping it to me. I'll "take one for the team" and suffer through it all....
Seriously, they are a great bit of history that actually has real world utility. Everbody ought to have a couple in the back of a closet somewhere.
There are lots of good publication available and it would also help to see if you can find a Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) Service Rifle Clinic in your area. Go to CMP.org and follow the links.
The most common GI spec ammo available now is of Greek manufacture. It's made to US and NATO specs, is of high quality, is non-corrosive, and comes in a sealed tin can. While you are at the CMP site, check the store and see if they still have any for sale.
An "M1 thumb" is the result of letting your thumb get partially chambered while depressing the follower to release the bolt without loading a clip. The way to avoid it is to keep your hand well back over the receiver and have only the ball of your thumb out in front of the bolt. If you "blade" you hand (think like a karate chop) and keep your wrist and elbow firm the bolt will ride out from under your thumb. You'll figure it out pretty quick and it will become second nature.
However, if you don't show proper respect for the strength of the operating spring then you'll join the millions of folks who've managed to partially chamber their thumbs. I suspect that when it comes right down to it, for those who use their rifle fairly often there are only two kinds of shooters when it comes to giving yourself an M1 thumb: them that have and them that will.
When you clean the rifle, position it horizontally with the sights down and the trigger group up. Keep the muzzle slightly downhill of the receiver. That will keep any solvents and lube from flowing through the gas port and gumming up the gas system or draining back into the receiver.
When you clean the bore you should avoid a segmented rod (unless you have a coated segmented rod) and use a one piece rod. Pushing a segmented rod into the muzzle risks damaging the crown and the end of the rifling since the seams at the joints are often rough. It is a good practice to push the rod tip, without a patch or brush, into the receiver. Thread the brush on or put your patch on from the receiver end and pull it out the muzzle. Remove the patch or brush and repeat as needed. Pushing a patch or brush into the muzzle will accelerate bore wear since the rod will bow and rub the rifling. M1 bores are not chrome lined and they are more prone to wear than modern military firearms. Additionally, pushing a patch or brush into the muzzle will inevitably result in pushing solvents or crud into the chamber and action. Cleaning it the way I've described will keep the action cleaner and keep solvents and lubes off the stock in the receiver area. They will soften the stock.
Check with the local shooting clubs; many have "Garand" matches, either formal or informal, for unmodified M1s, M1903, M1917 etc rifles.
It is well worth the expense to find a gunsmith who is familiar with Garand rifles and have him check the rifle out. Since they have been around for so many years and have been reworked so many times by both professionals and, in some cases, by fools it would be the safe thing to do.
The advice to change the operation spring is good advice. A tired spring will result in the bolt pounding into the rear of the receiver and will also lead to feeding, chambering and locking issues. If it were my rifle I'd replace all the springs (except maybe the sights) so I know what I'm starting with.
Lance
