The American M1 Garand was the world’s first general issue semi-automatic rifle. It is famous for many reasons (such as the harmonious ping it makes when ejecting its en bloc clip), but it is a magnificent piece of engineering that you can only truly appreciate by seeing what’s inside.

Transcript …

– [Voiceover] Hey guys, it’s Alex C. With TFBTV.

And for today’s Field Strip, we are finally getting the M1 Garand.

This rifle in many ways is America embodied.

Designed by an immigrant who came to the country in 1899, swearing the Oath of Allegiance in 1920, and becoming a citizen, pledging to defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

And, Mr. John C. Garand’s contribution sure helped accomplish this.

Anyways, on with the field strip process.

The first thing you’re gonna want to do is make sure the Safety is on and pull the Trigger Guard towards the end of the Buttstock, and that should release the entire group.

Next up, you can lift the entire Action right out of the Stock.

As a side note, competition shooters who use the M1 will very rarely do this as it interferes with the bedding of the rifle.

Next, grab this Op Rod Guide, and pull it so that it unhooks.

This is a little tricky, and to be honest, I had to do multiple takes on this because it was quite slippery.

And, that will release the guide and this large spring that runs the length of the barrel.

Next up, bring the Op Rod to this little section right here, and it should pop out once you have it lined up.

That separates the Op Rod from the actual Bolt.

Then, you can freely remove the Bolt by moving it forward and kind of tilting it, and pulling it up and out.

You can, at this point, also remove the Op Rod.

Sorry, at this point, my arm blocks that from view.

But, it’s not tricky.

Just pull it down and pull it to the rear.

Now to disassemble the Gas System, you’ll notice that, the Gas Plug is shaped like a cross.

So, you’re going to need a special tool that’s normally housed in the Buttstock of the rifle.

So however, the standard GI tool is not as good as the little after market wrench you can buy for just a few dollars.

So, I prefer to use those.

So, go ahead and unscrew that plug.

And, I do a time lapse here, just because it does take quite awhile.

Set that plug aside, and then, you can remove the End Cap by unscrewing that.

And, I did another time lapse there in case you didn’t catch it.

And, you can pull off this sleeve here that does contain the Front Sight, and you have a fully field stripped M1 Garand or Gurand rifle, which ever you prefer really.

Apparently, Mr. John C. Garand didn’t really care how you pronounced the name of his rifle.

He was just pleased that we adopted it and we’re using his invention.

But, everything I’ve read about him is been overwhelmingly positive.

He was a humble man, an extremely hard working guy who designed a rifle that helped us win World War II, and served until much after World War II.

Really, it’s a great gun.

It’s an amazing piece of American history.

And to me, that is very cool all in and of itself.

And of course, the rifle has great merits too.

So, I hope you enjoyed this Field Strip.

We hope to see you next time.

And, a special thanks to Ventura Munitions for helping us out with the cost of ammunition.