I recently sent my M1 to the shop, due to the action becoming loose in the stock. I requested that he do a glass bedding job on it. I have no doubts about his expertise, so that is not the nature of my question.

After dropping off the rifle, I was reading my military manual for the M1, and noticed that they instruct servicemen to apply linseed oil to the stock on a regular basis. I have never done this over the last 15 years I have owned it.

That got me to thinking.

Is it possible that I may be missing an important part of stock maintenance? Would regular application of linseed oil to the stock keep the stock "swelled" enough that bedding would be improved?

I don't believe the gunsmith has started working on the bedding job yet. So, should I be asking him to apply linseed oil to the stock before glass bedding the stock?... or am I overthinking this whole thing?

Linseed oil won't swell the stock but a buildup where the trigger group mates to the stock will cause the assembly to tighten. This is however a poor substitute for a good glass bedding job.

When I was around 12 years old I was able to work for a gentleman who collected guns. His collection ranged from the Revolutionary War until, at the time, the late 60's with an emphasis on military weapons. One of my jobs was to disassemble his 60 some odd long guns and apply a thin coat of linseed oil to the the stocks. This was done on everything from a Brown Bess to M-1 Garands. He told me it preserved the wood stocks. Considering that he was in his 70's at the time and had had some of these guns for over 60 years, and seeing the condition of them, I had no reason to doubt him. He was a match shooter and had 12 National Match Garands that he did the same thing to, but they were glass bedded as well. He explained to me at the time that glass bedding was for accuracy and linseed oil for preservation.

I recently glassbedded my Garand stock. I bought a new one to replace my well-used original, but before the new one came in, I decided to try to bed the old one just for the experience. You could grab the forend and move the barreled action back and forth almost 1/4 "! I followed the instructions in my old NRA manual and it shot so well that I have yet to put the new stock on. I don't shoot Match, but I know some of the military match shoots don't allow glass-bedded stocks, something you might want to check if you go that route.

I have done this; we had M1s and M14s when I was in ROTC. After each use, we had to put linseed oil on the stocks. That was always, for the past 200 years, the military treatment. Note I didn't say, "finish". Linseed is about the WORST thing you can put on a stock; it does practically nothing for sealing against moisture. And it turns black after a number of years. It is just that it was cheap, and easy to apply. Varnish would have been a better finish, but it would have chipped in service and looked bad on parade. Do not use it; there are now much better things to put on stocks.
Oh, putting linseed on the stock Before glass bedding; NO, he will have to remove any oil first. Use a modern urethane type finish if you are serious about keeping your stock as stable as possible.

Don't forget that repeatedly disassembling tends to loosen a glass-bedding job. Many folks I know won't disassemble after a glass job unless it is unavoidable.

Glassing makes a dramatic difference in accuracy, assuming you have a good barrel.

Claence

Best bet is get a Sage chassis stock; the Army has done that with the M14 so no more headaches with glass bedding wood stocks. Or get a fiberglass one. On the Sage, nothing touches the receiver so the bedding can't go wrong.

I have an ultra match M1 rifle built by Springfield Armory using an M1 rifle I got from CMP. The rifle is glass bedded and I cannot remove the barreled action from the stock.
Per their instructions I have to send the rifle back to them and they disassemble the rifle, clean and oil the metal and the stock at no charge.

Talk to your gunsmith if you want the option of removing the barreled action from the stock.

Linseed oil is the largest part of my restoration finish recipe. When I restore military rifles and want them to look original, I always use it.

Thank you gentlemen for the great responses!

I try to minimize the number of times I take the action from the stock, but over the past 15-20 years that I have had the Garand, it has required field stripping, cleaning the bolt, trigger group, operating rod, etc, and light lubrication. The gunsmith doing the work is experienced with Garands, and people who shoot them regularly, so I will be very attentive to his directions for proper care and cleaning.

The gun barrel is certainly not match grade, but it does still have sharp, visible rifling in most of the barrel. It used to shoot an 8 shot group of 2 to 2.5" from the bench at 100yds... now I struggle to keep a sub 4" group. When I realized the receiver was moving back and forth about 1/16" in the stock, I decided it was time to try glass bedding.

I heard that releasing the trigger group pressure on the stock during periods of storage is recommended, so the stock stays tight to the receiver. I never tried it, but I will consider anything that can keep this gun shooting well for a long time.

After cleaning the Garand, I always wipe the metal and wood down with a soft rag containing a few dribbles of Sheath (now called Barricade). While Barricade does a nice job of cleaning the wood surface, I don't believe it has enough protective qualities to properly care for an oiled stock. I will spend the time to ensure proper stock care, provided I am using something that will work.

When I first bought the Garand, I shot at a club that had monthly CMP 100 yd NRA Matches, and had a blast. Then, life got busy, and I left it fall to the wayside.

I would like to start shooting along with them again, and would like to be at least as competitive as I was initially.

The club also has an NRA 1000 Agg High Power match scheduled for this June. That would be fun to shoot, as they are shooting at 200, 300, and 600 yds! I will check the rules regarding glass bedding.

If anyone has any additional information, I am all ears.

Thank you for sharing your experience, and have a great New Year!!

Releasing the trigger group is a good idea because that's why the wood compresses over time.

If you're going to shoot CMP matches, bedded Garands are typically not allowed.

Remember, the OP is not restoring an M1; he is building a glass bedded match rifle.
True, many finishes contain linseed oil, but it has driers in it; raw or "boiled" oil takes forever to dry and they still let moisture in even after they appear dry.
I have restored many, many M1s and Springfields; trust me, there are other ways to get the original look without soaking the stock in linseed oil.
Anyway, what the soldiers put on stocks is moot; late NM rifles used an epoxy finish, per the AMTU manual, paragraph 4.7.2. They recognized that linseed is a very poor stock finish.

I did not bring up Linseed oil; the OP did. I was pointing out that it was, and should not be, used on a bedded, match rifle. Linseed oil, either raw or "boiled" , is the worst finish you can put on a stock short of nothing. Linseed oil does not seal a stock; it is "water repellant" at best but allows moisture to go through it. Again, which is why the AMTU does not use it.
Not sure what you mean by "soaking", but the original specs for the manufacture of 03, and M1 stocks call for them to be dipped into linseed oil, then drained.
Yes, if you put driers in it, it will dry hard, but that is not what the Army used. The only reason they used it for the past 200 years is that it was cheap and easy to apply. It does not make stocks water proof. I prefer a more modern finish type that actually keeps water out of the wood.

My question regarding linseed oil was prompted by finding it in the service manual for the M1. They recommend using linseed oil regularly to keep the stock in good condition, whatever that implies.

Would linseed oil actually cause the wood stock to "swell" enough to keep the action and stock tight? It seems that it may, but it would not be enough to counter the bedding damage caused by repeated removal of the action from the stock.

Keeping the trigger group loose during storage raises other questions. It seems the Garand was designed to keep the action and stock bedding tight by utilizing the wood's elasticity when snapping the trigger group closed. While I agree that prolonged compression of wood should cause loss of that elasticity, I find it hard to believe that the Military would store Garands with the trigger guards loose.

This design would also dictate the type of stock finish used, as a finish that is hard (like polyurethane) could eventually break and chip due to the clamping action of closing the trigger group on the stock.

Did I mention that I tend to over-think things?

Duane, this gun is not really going to be of match grade... it would need a new barrel, and some serious tuning to come close to that claim.

Still, I know this gun has more potential for accuracy than I am getting. It has proven that in the past. If this Garand can start shooting 2.5" groups at 100 yds again, it is more to do with my ability to work up a handload, than the quality of the gun. It does not shoot that well with Surplus Ammo.

I recently had the splines peened to snug up the front site... and it helped a little, but not enough.

There is a reason the AMTU TM does not call for using linseed oil on match grade, expoxy bedded stocks; it will not help the wood at all to repel moisture. And it won't "swell" and make your metal tighter; it will make the wood softer. And the bedding won't stick to it. It calls for epoxy finish, but you can use any good modern urethane based finish that really will seal the wood from moisture. Service M1 manuals were only for rifles in the hands of troops;; not national math rifles. And yes, linseed oil was the finish for every US service rifle from 1800 to 1968, as I stated above. Good for "repelling" water, but not really keeping out. The military did not store Garands with the trigger guards loose; but on glass bedded NM rifles, it is recommended that you do. Don't worry about modern finishes breaking and chipping; yes, you are definitely over thinking this. Garands were never designed to be match rifles and it is black magic to make them shoot well with wood stocks. Go with what has been proven in building match M1 and M14 rifles; unlikely you will improve on it. And don't use linseed oil.
Of course, these are only my recommendations based on what the Army Marksmanship Training Unit manual says, and what I have done. You are free to do anything you like if you want to deviate from proven procedures. And since you said this is "not really going to be of match grade" anyway, it might work for your purposes. What does the guy who is glassing it say?

dpcd,

I dropped the rifle off with the gunsmith right before the holidays, and I really had not considered how a military surplus rifle treated with linseed oil in the past would take the bedding. He did tell me at the time I dropped it off that it can be done. He also said he would not be working on the M1 till after the holidays. I will call him to inquire about my questions this week.

While I would prefer to keep the original stock, I must assume the stock was treated with linseed oil in the past. So, would I need to replace the stock in order to use a urethane based finish?

Nope, soak it in TSP and very hot water for 20 minutes; that will pull the oil out of the stock. If it is still oily, repeat. Your guy will know this if he works on military stocks. Lacquer thinner also works but is more expensive to buy. You will get some very dirty, dark brown/black water out of your stock from all the oil in it. Then, you stain it to the shade you want but do not re-apply linseed oil. It never really dries.. All US military stocks were dipped in linseed oil at the factory and as stated, in service it was applied frequently. A used M1 stock will not take bedding as is unless you remove all the oil.
I forgot, when you soak it in the TSP and hot water, it will raise most of the dents too. You will be surprised. I assume you stock is walnut? The birch ones tend not to soak up oil as bad as walnut. Anyway, if you stock is original to the rifle, it will be a miracle; does it still have the correct markings that correspond to the rifle make and date? If you send me a picture of them, and the make and serial number range, I will tell you.

dcdp,

I have been searching for some pictures of the rifle, and cannot seem to locate them. As far as I can tell, the stock is walnut.

I had checked the serial number in the past, and (using my failing memory) I believe it was manufactured near the end of WWII, and before the Korean War. It has certainly been used, and may have seen service during the Korean War. There are markings on the stock, although I cannot recall what they signify.

I asked the smith how he beds the action with regards to linseed oil, and he reported that it doesn't cause him problems, as he "roughs up" the areas of the stock so the bedding will adhere to it. He also recommended using Tru Oil if I wish to re-finish the stock. It seems linseed oil is one of the ingredients in Tru-Oil.

I checked the Sage website. They certainly are an interesting rifle stock. I wish they would post a picture of the action and stock together.

He better remove all the soaked in oil with TSP or other solvent or the bedding won't stick. I would not do one just roughed up. I was going to tell you all about your rifle but I need the serial number and any stock markings. You might not realize that there are at least 5 different stock shapes. Tru oil does contain linseed oil, but also contains a ton of driers so it actually dries; it is a good finish.
You can see pics of the Sage by googling the M14 EBR Enhanced Battle Rifle; they made (assembled and tested) hundreds of them here at Rock Island Arsenal and I watched them do some. (TACOM)

Another tip I was thinking about; if your stock contains original WW2 cartouches, then it should not be glassed in any way; it is worth far too much to a collector; Most stocks have been through rebuild and all the markings were scraped or sanded off so WW2 markings are actually rare. Winchester especially; if you have a Winchester stock, it is worth several hundred dollars. SA, with markings, a bit less but still a lot. Plenty of plain jane stocks to work on.

quote:

Originally posted by Rub Line:
Releasing the trigger group is a good idea because that's why the wood compresses over time.

If you're going to shoot CMP matches, bedded Garands are typically not allowed.

Rubline, just checked the CMP Competition Rules for Service Rifle, and Service Pistol. Section 6.1.2 states:

 Internal modifications may be made to improve functioning and accuracy.
A special match barrel may be installed. Synthetic materials may be
applied to the interior of the stock to improve the bedding. No
modification may interfere with the original functioning of the rifle and its
safety devices.

Looks like it should be good to go!!