CAI receiver

[thunderw]

As the title says, my Garand has a brand new CAI receiver in it. I've fired maybe 200 live rounds through it without a problem and have maintained it well. So far it has performed flawlessly. Upon last disassembly I noticed a small (less than 1 mm) spot of fresh, shiny metal on the inside back of the receiver where the bolt had made contact. It is right near the angle in the reciever. I have spotted no cracks. The recoil doesn't seem to be excessive compared to GI Garands I've fired, ammo is the same. My question is should the bolt be making contact with the receiver as it recoils? Is this bad? I don't want this thing breaking my face.

Also, I've heard good things and bad things about CAI receivers. I was told to keep it well maintained and nothing serious should come up. Your thoughts?

Thanks,
Will

[Mark Sman]

Only use M2 ball (or equivalent) ammo in your Garand.
Ammo loaded hotter or heavier can damage the receiver.
The good news, M2 ball is cheap.

I had a conversation with a guy that testified as an expert witness during a civil trial concerning this issue.

I wish I could give you the full and complete answer that he could give. I however am not an expert in the field of Garands.

One of the things he pointed out was that modern cartridges are often loaded with a powder that has a very different burn rate than the older stuff.

So, even a load that generated the same total chamber pressure as M2 may develop a different pressure level at the point in the barrel the bullet passes the gas port. This could slam the op rod back harder than intended.

If you want a more complete answer you can try here:
http://gunboards.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=49

or you can PM me and I will you put you in touch with the only person I know who is an expert on the subject.

Not really an issue for me since I only have a Model 1903A3 in .30-06

[Durandal]

As the title says, my Garand has a brand new CAI receiver in it. I've fired maybe 200 live rounds through it without a problem and have maintained it well. So far it has performed flawlessly. Upon last disassembly I noticed a small (less than 1 mm) spot of fresh, shiny metal on the inside back of the receiver where the bolt had made contact. It is right near the angle in the reciever. I have spotted no cracks. The recoil doesn't seem to be excessive compared to GI Garands I've fired, ammo is the same. My question is should the bolt be making contact with the receiver as it recoils? Is this bad? I don't want this thing breaking my face.

Also, I've heard good things and bad things about CAI receivers. I was told to keep it well maintained and nothing serious should come up. Your thoughts?

Thanks,
Will

Contact Foulton...they are always pretty damn helpful.

I have fired some Garands that had some slap, but I never tore 'em apart and looked at them to see what it was doing.

I do not own one, so I honestly could not say.

[thunderw]

Thanks, you've both been helpful.

[Rifleman]

It is normal wear so don't sweat it. As to your CAI receiver, that is a subject that brought up in the wrong company would be like a MP.net flame war live and in person..lol!

That said, I'll give the short answer first. It sounds like you have a good one, enjoy and shoot often (M2 Ball).

Now the long. I collect Garand's and bought one when they first came out that I, in a way, still own.

The most frequent problem I have heard of is the op rod coming out of its rail during recoil, mine did this also. I have heard of no injuries because of this and when mine did it I was never concerned about it. It even happened during a match during rapid fire, I pushed it back in and finished. Again, it would just come out of the rail, not sail thru the air like a mad banshee.

I contacted CAI and their service was excellent however, I said above I still own one in "a way". They were never able to fix the problem and since I collect M1's and this rifle had some rare M1 parts it was disassembled.

Later, having more that enough parts to build several rifles, I thought about putting it back together as a beater. But after measuring the receiver I found that this problem would continue and could not be fixed.

IMO that is/was the real problem with the CAI Garand and you seem to have a good one.

As to receiver failure.

To my knowledge their is no valid failure of a CAI Garand using correct ammo. Sadly, 2 years ago one of my M1's, a Winchester developed a crack while at the range and had to go into retirement.

Like I said, that is a normal wear point, all of mine have the same.

[thunderw]

Thanks for your reply. Yours is the type of response I've been getting on other gun forums. I rest easier because of it and will continue to keep the rifle well maintained. Thank you for the info.