Anyone Else Here Ever Get the Dreaded M1 Thumb?

[DrB]

Was looking at my Garand and will always remember that. It took less than a week after I got it.  It felt like a Pit Bull latched onto my thumb and wouldn't let go.  Lost the thumbnail in the next week.  Damn that hurt.  Anyone else?

Dave.

[Maser]

I had an old underlever cocking Chinese airgun as a kid that malfunctioned while it was cocked and I was loading the gun.  Luckily my fingers were out of the way when the air chamber slammed shut.  Would have been WAY worse than any M1 thumb. 

[DrB]

Don't ever do this...  Trust me folks..

Dave..

[jmax]

I watched a guy try to shake a 9.8# Garand off his thumb during an inspection in 1966. A real eye opener as he was taken to the hospital in his bloody uniform but thumb was still attached.

[Moshe]

That gives me a whole other appreciation for the Garand.  I wonder if the M-14  would have a similar ouch?  Interestingly enough, I have peaked around on the SOCOM II variant.  Either the owner's loved them, or they just dried up.  The regular SOCOM I have seen.

[Valmet]

Haven’t fired a Garand in a long time but got my first one in 1998. I had M1 thumb a time or three until I started holding the charging handle back and gradually releasing it until I heard the clip click...

[Dric902]

My gunsmith is an old guy that shoots Camp Perry every year, and works on a lot of M1s

he showed me how to put your palm along the side with the hold open behind your hand. Hickok shows you how

 

[willie-pete]

+1

[SilverRidge01]

Hell yes, I was in the old brown boot army ... Owned a M1 Garand after I got out of the service and every once in a while when not concentrating bam!, got the ole M1 thumb, and your right it hurts like heck, should have known owning the Garand for so many years what would happen ....PS for all you M1 enthusiast the Garand I had was a Springfield armory with all matching serial numbers, rare rare rifle ....  

[blueiron]

I got it once until I used a knife hand on the operating rod while using the thumb to shove home an en-bloc clip. Then release the op rod and it'll slam shut.

Since the M1A/M14 uses a magazine and no internal follower in the rifle, it does not give out the M1 thumb.

Edited June 29, 2019 by blueiron

[Collim1]

Nope. Never happened. I was fortunate to have someone show me how to do it properly.

[DrB]

On 10/19/2019 at 9:12 AM, Collim1 said:

Nope. Never happened. I was fortunate to have someone show me how to do it properly.

Well you were lucky.  Me not so much..  It did hurt like hell right then. Opened my eyes big when the pain hit.  Losing the thumb nail was fun also. 

Dave..

[Moshe]

I have honestly been tempted to get an M1 Garand.  The problem is when I got rid of my Winchester bolt 30-06, I divested myself of my 30-06 ammo.  Also, M1 Garands have gone up a crazy amount.  I appreciate the predecessor to the M-14,  but I think I have pressed my luck this year with the Kitchen Police with my SOCOM II and about 300.00 in rounds that will cycle through there.  Little does she know I want to put a Zeiss 4 4x4 CBQ with a bullet drop indicator for distance that provides the same image at night.  It should take up about 10 inches of my rail.  I thought about a light laser box, but good ones cost as much as I paid for the rifle.