5. Disassembly and Assembly
(a.) The individual soldier is authorized todisassemble his rifle to the extent called field stripping.
(b.) The rifle should be disassembled and assembledonly when maintenance is required or for instructional purposes.Repeated disassembly and assembly causes excessive wear of partsand soon makes them unserviceable and reduces the accuracy of theweapon.
(c.) The rifle has been designed so that it may betaken apart and put together easily. No force is needed if it isdisassembled and assembled correctly. The parts of one rifle,except the bolt, may be interchanged with those of another whennecessary; for safety reasons, bolts should never beinterchanged except by maintenance support personnel.
(d.) As the rifle is disassembled, the parts should belaid out on a clean surface, in the order of removal, from leftto right. This makes assembly easier because the parts areassembled in the reverse order of disassembly. The names of therifle parts (nomenclature) should be taught along withdisassembly and assembly to make future instruction on the rifleeasier to understand.
Exploded view: U.S. Rifle, Cal. .30 M1
6. Clearing the Rifle
The first step in handling any weapon is to clear it. If therifle is loaded, unload it as described in paragraph 13.The M1 rifle is clear when there is no ammunition in the chamberor receiver, the bolt is locked to the rear, and the safety isengaged. To clear the rifle, pull the operating rod handle allthe way to the rear, inspect the chamber and receiver to insurethat no rounds are present and push the safety to its lockedposition (inside the trigger guard).
7. Disassembly Into the Three Main Groups
(a.) The three main groups are the trigger housinggroup, the barrel and receiver group, and the stock group.
(b.) To disassemble the rifle into the three maingroups, first insure that the weapon is clear and then allow thebolt to go forward by depressing the follower with the rightthumb and allowing the bolt to ride forward over the followerassembly.
(c.) Place the rifle butt against the left thigh,sights to the left. With the thumb and forefinger of the righthand, pull downward and outward on the rear of the trigger guard.Swing the trigger guard out as far as it will go and lift out thetrigger housing group (fig. 3).
(d.) To separate the barrel and receiver from the stocklay the weapon on a flat surface with the sights up, muzzle tothe left. With the left hand, grasp the rear of the receiver andraise the rifle. With the right hand, give a downward blow,grasping the small of the stock. This will separate the stockgroup from the barrel and receiver group.
8. Disassembly of the Barrel and Receiver Group
(a.) Place the barrel and receiver group, with the boltclosed, on a flat surface with the sights down (insuring that therear sight aperture is at its lowest position), muzzle pointingto the left. Holding the rear of the receiver with the righthand, grasp the follower rod with the thumb and forefinger of theleft hand and disengage it from the follower arm by moving ittoward the muzzle (fig.4). Remove the follower rod and operating rod springby withdrawing them to the right. Do not separate these parts.
(b.) Using the tip of a dummy cartridge, remove thefollower arm pin by pushing it from the far side of the receivertoward the body (fig.5).
(c.) With the left hand, grasp the bullet guide,follower arm, and the operating rod catch assembly, and lift themout of the receiver together (fig. 6).Separate and arrange these parts from left to right in thefollowing order: follower arm, operating rod catch assembly, andbullet guide.
(d.) Reach down into the receiver and lift out thefollower assembly.
(e.) Turn the barrel and receiver groupover so that the sights are up, muzzle pointing away from you.With the left hand, raise the rear of the receiver. With theright hand, pull the operating rod to the rear until the rear ofthe handle is directly under the forward edge of the windageknob. With an upward and outward movement, disengage the guidelug of the operating rod through its dismount notch on thereceiver. Remove the operating rod (fig. 7).
Caution: The operating rod is bentintentionally so that it will not bind against the enlargedportion of the barrel. Do not attempt to straighten it.
(f.) With the right hand, grasp the bolt by theoperating lug and slide it fully to the rear; then slide itforward, lifting upward and outward to the right front with aslight rotating motion to remove it.
(g.) Using the screwdriver blade of the M10 cleaningrod handle unscrew and remove the gas cylinder lock screw locatedunder the end of the barrel muzzle (fig. 8).
(h.) Unscrew and remove the gas cylinder lock. Loosenthe gas cylinder by tapping lightly toward the muzzle on thebayonet stud with a piece of wood or similar soft object. Removethe gas cylinder, taking care not to burr or damage the splines. Donot remove or attempt to adjust the front sight.
(i.) Remove the front handguard by sliding it forwardover the muzzle. Do not attempt to remove the rear handguard.
9. Assembly of the Barrel and Receiver Group
(a.) Replace the front handguard by sliding it over themuzzle and insure that it is seated in the front band.
(b.) Place the gas cylinder over the barrel, makingsure the splines are aligned with their grooves. Push the gascylinder down as far as it will go. If tapping is necessary, usea piece of wood on the bayonet stud. Engage the threads of thegas cylinder lock with those on the barrel and screw the lock onby hand until it is finger tight (do not use a tool). If the lockis not aligned with the gas cylinder, do not force it, but unscrewit until it is aligned. Replace and tighten the gas cylinder lockscrew with the handle assembly of the M10 cleaning rod.
(c.) To replace the bolt, hold it by the operating lugand place the rear end of the bolt onto the bridge of thereceiver. Rotate the bolt counter-clockwise as far as necessaryto permit the tang of the firing pin to clear the top of thebridge of the receiver. Guide the left locking lug of the boltinto its groove on the left side of the receiver. Lower the rightlocking lug on its bearing surface and slide the bolt halfway tothe rear.
(d.) To replace the operating rod, hold the handle withthe right hand and place the piston end into the gas cylinder.Align the operating rod so that the recess in the hump fits overthe operating lug of the bolt. While applying pressure downwardand inward on the handle, pull the operating rod to the rearuntil the guide lug is engaged in its groove. Move the operatingrod forward until the bolt is closed.
(e.) Turn the barrel and receiver group over so thatthe sights are down and the muzzle is to the left. Replace thefollower assembly so that its guide ribs fit into their groovesin the receiver. Make sure that the slide of the follower is downand that the square hole is to the rear. The slide will restagainst the bolt.
(f.) Replace the bullet guide so that its shoulders fitinto their slots in the receiver and the hole in the toe of thebullet guide is aligned with the holes in the receiver.
(g.) With the right hand, lift up the lower part of thebullet guide slightly. With the left hand, insert the rear arm ofthe operating rod catch assembly through the clearance cut in theside of the bullet guide. Make sure that the rear arm isunderneath the front stud of the clip latch which projects intothe receiver. Lower the bullet guide into place. Test for correctassembly by pressing down on the front arms of the operating rodcatch assembly. It should move and you should be able to feel thetension of the clip latch spring.
(h.) Replace the follower arm by passing its rear studsthrough the bullet guide and inserting them into the guidegrooves on the follower. Allow the wings of the follower arm torest astride the toe of the bullet guide. Align the holes in theoperating rod catch assembly, follower arm, and bullet guide withthose in the receiver and replace the follower arm pin from thenear side.
(i.) Insert the loose end of the operating rod springinto the operating rod. Grasp the follower rod with the lefthand, making sure that its hump is toward the barrel. Pull towardthe muzzle, compressing the operating rod spring, and engage theclaws of the follower rod with the front studs of the followerarm. You may have to raise the follower assembly to do this.
10. Assembly of the Three Main Groups
(a.) Place the barrel and receiver group on a flatsurface, sights down. Pick up the stock group and engage theU-shaped flange of the stock ferrule in the lower band, thenlower the stock group onto the barrel and receiver group.
(b.) Unlatch and open the trigger guard. Keeping thebase of the trigger housing group level, place it straight downinto the receiver, making sure that the locking lugs on thetrigger guard enter their recesses in the receiver. Place thebutt of the rifle on the left thigh with the sights to the left.Close the trigger guard and latch it by striking it with the heelof the right hand. The trigger guard is latched while the rifleis in this position so that the rear sight will not be damaged.
11. Test for Correct Assembly
Each time the rifle is disassembled and assembled it should betested to make sure that it is put together properly. To do this,pull the operating rod to its rearmost position. The bolt shouldstay open. Close the bolt and snap the safety to its lockedposition. Squeeze the trigger. The hammer should not fall. Pushthe safety to its unlocked position and squeeze the trigger. Thehammer should fall. This test is made to check the operation ofthe safety.
.
- INTRODUCTION
