My springfield M1 is doing what i believe is called a slam fire.  I pull the trigger once and two rounds go off.  What can i do to correct this problem?  It doesn't happen all the time, maybe three times out of 60 rounds.

Replace/Repair your trigger group.

M1 slam fires are somewhat of a mystery, even to the experts.

Here's the little I know about them and what causes them, and I hardly qualify as an expert...

1. Improperly seated primers, primarily on re-loads. A "high" primer, not all the way seated into the primer pocket, will detonate with less contact than it should. Fix?? Properly seated primers, obviously.

2. Firing pin protrusion. If the bolt gets excessively dirty, the firing pin will not "free float" and will make excessive contact with the primer when the bolt "slams home" into battery. Fix?? Clean your bolt, particularly the firing pin, and get the gunk thats making it stick out of there.

3. Improper head space. GET THIS CHECKED / FIXED immediately.

beyond this, I can send you a site (membership required) that all the "experts" hang out at. They are likely to be able to diagnose your problem better than I.

There are claws on the hammer and the trigger! The Trouble shooter section of the army's technical manual on the m-1 rifle states that when the claws wear down on the hammer ,or trigger assembly the rifle can slam fire or go full automatic! you need a new trigger or hammer or both! Don't fire it till its fixed! that would be extremely dangerous as the m-1 despite looking burly is not designed for full auto![:D]

From what you say it hard to tell wether you had a slam fire or the gun double fired.

Grandman pretty well sumed up a slam fire condition, but it usually happens when you drop the bolt on a single round.

Has the trigger group been worked on or modified?  I would sure take a careful look at it and change if necessary.

did it slam or did it double? the slam fired primer will not be hit as hard so the indentation in the primer will not be as distinct. if the rifle doubled the hammer hit the firing pin with a lot of force and the indentation will look like a normally fired round.
if it is doubleing then the trigger is at fault, if it slammed then the firing pin is contacting the primer to hard or the primer is soft or not seated deepenough...pat

You're using GI ammo or hand-loads with military primers, right?

how do i go about replacing the trigger group or inspecting the trigger group?  I am fairly new to the M1 and need some help.  Any suggestions of manuals or websites that have some instructions?  

turn the rifle upside down, and grasp the rear of the trigger guard (the part of the trigger guard that is behind the trigger), and pull it toward the buttplate. this will unhook the catch, and then the trigger group lifts right out.

Make sure the rifle is not "cocked" before removing the trigger group, else you could be in for a nasty little surprise when you pull the trigger and mash a finger. Also, removing the trigger group could cock the trigger, and the same "ouch, that hurt" warning applies.

Visual inspection will tell you if anything looks overly warn, or broken. You NEED to get Scot Duff's book on the Garand. Go to


[url] http://www.fultonarmory.com/ [/url]

and get a copy under " books you need." Do it. NOW.
[:D]