I have a few M1 Garands from the DCM.  I guess I got really lucky.  I am "batting 3 for 3".  To me, these are important rifles.

I took them out of the safe today, swabbed the bores and wiped the metal fittings with CLP.  Every few years I oil the stocks with BLO.

Is there anything else I should do?

The Garand wants GREASE...




Also, I like to have extra springs, not "extra-powder" springs, ....just standard springs.

 

The oil can (not always, but sometimes - maybe dependent on the brand/type of oil) get hard/gooey on the metal surfaces over time.  I've seen this happen twice with handguns of my dad's.  One began to malfunction and the other just looked like crap (stainless revolver).  Took some hoppes#0 and patches and a brush to remove the crudded up oil before re-lubing.

I do the same thing, get some of the non-fired guns out every so often, remember shooting them (where, when, with who, etc) and clean them up.  Be sure to run a patch or three down the barrel with powder solvent on them, too.  To remove any dried oil build up.  Then run your oily patch through for rust prevention.

Be aware of any build up on parts and keep them clean, but lubed to prevent rust.  If you get them out and handle them/look at them and touch metal parts, its a good idea to wipe that metal touched with an oily cloth to remove any salt/sweat your hands/fingers might have put on the surfaces and to replace any rust preventive oil your hand/fingers removed.

I've stopped using BLO on my old rifles' stocks.  I use tung oil now.  It seems to not build up/yellow as BLO does.  I have also put the tung oil right over top of the BLO on more than one rifle when I started using Tung oil.

I only shoot one of my Garands.  The H&Rs and a couple of the early war SA's just sit in the safe.  It's not that they're too pretty to shoot.  It's just that I don't have range time to shoot everything these days.  But retirement is coming.....

In the video he uses way to much grease and you should not grease the hammer hooks a trigger sear.
http://www.nicolausassociates.com/PDF/M1GarandRifleGreasePoints.pdf

The rifles are fully lubed and ready to shoot, including grease in the right spots.  The type of maintenance I refer to is that which keeps them from rusting while being ready.

The oil I'm using is Break Free CLP.  After several years of treatments, it does not seem to build up, get gummy.  I think the way CLP is formulated, it re-dissolves (cleans) and old material and lays down a fresh coat of lube.

I got started oiling the stocks when I noticed the stock would get moldy (white mold) while in storage.  This was when it first came to me.  After a BLO treatment or two, the mold has never re-appeared.


Does all of that sound proper?  Any thoughts on the moldy stock?

Only way stock will mold is if there is mositure. Dont overthink the brand of oil, any  brand will be adequate
Store rifle in a dry enviroment and keep rifle metal lightly oiled and you will be fine. Reason military firearms are parkerized is to help hold the oil as it is porus

For grease, you might want to try this stuff.





It is a synthetic grease designed to work at cold temperatures.  It was -9 degrees F last weekend and my Garand worked just fine.

For cleaning a Garand, get a muzzle guide from Sinclair International and a good coated rod.  If you use Patch Out, you will never need to use a brush.  With a good rod and a muzzle guide and no brush, you will never wear your Garand barrels.


http://www.sinclairintl.com/gun-cleaning/cleaning-rods-accessories/muzzle-guards/dewey-muzzle-guard-for-m1-garand-prod33215.aspx


I have one of these carbon fiber rods and I like it a lot:


http://www.cabelas.ca/product/5974/tipton-deluxe-carbon-fibre-cleaning-rod


Patch Out


http://www.sharpshootr.com/patchout.htm

I was very surprised at the mold when I first saw it.  It is almost always dry here in the southwestern USA.  I wonder if the rifle came to me inoculated with the mold from Anniston or the RRA Depot.  When I simply wiped it away, it came back fairly quickly.  Two treatments with BLO and it is (seemingly) gone for good.


The Breakfree CLP treatments have prevented any rust from appearing on the exterior surfaces.  I guess I'll just keep it up.


Thanks for the sanity check, everyone.

I watched the video and learned a new spot to put some grease - the bolt "race way" beneath the top rear of the receiver (where the bolt hides when retracted).  Thanks for that.

I think a range rifle could get away with a liberal application of grease and oil, whereas, a fighting rifle would benefit from being a bit drier, a bit cleaner, to keep it from picking up dirt.  Does that sound right or is there a fallacy in that concept?

A lot of people recommend storing with the trigger guard open a little so the wood fibers don't compress and loosen the lock down.

That is for long term storage.

There is also thought that the more you work the trigger guard the looser the lock down becomes with time.

That said I shoot mine at least a couple times a year and I keep the trigger guard locked.

IIRC, the Garand had reliability problems in WWII when oil was used.

heavy rains would wash away the oil causing the Garand to lock up

this is why the FM calls for "lubriplate " grease.  

http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/oils-lubricants/lubricant-protectant-oils/lubriplate-130-a-mil-spec-grease-prod6525.aspx



Like posted above, I use modern synthetic bearing grease, but I know Garand users who still use Lubriplate

My 1990's CMP service grade

Springfield made late 1944/early 1945

Any good quality wheel bearing grease is overkill for our babied Garands. I woud think that modern grease is much beter quality than what was made in War times

Lubriplate has an extreme cold weather grease that works at -60!  I wish I could find some




https://www.lubriplate.com/Products/Multi-Purpose-Greases/Low-Temp.aspx

I believe Lubriplate is just a brand name for white lithium grease which is available almost anywhere they sell grease.  Check the auto parts store, for instance.

I was looking at the MSDS for a few greases and it is not clear to whether the above is true, or not.

The Garand Gear website has good information on inspection and maintenance.

http://www.garandgear.com/