MAN I Hate Cosmoline!

It's just now 7:45. I have just finished reassembling my Garand. I used three large cans of brake cleaner, a toothbrush and a large coffee can, and all the cosmoline is STILL not off the metal. But it is cleaner. I'm leaving stripping the stock for another day. And scrubbing the bore 'till it's sqeaky, too. I may do that tomorrow.

I have learned how to field-strip the Garand, and detail strip the feeding and operation assembly. And put it back together again. (Correctly, the second time.)

Rifle condition: Fair. No finish left, but the metal is OK with very minor pitting. The trigger is not bad at all for a military rifle. The wood looks OK but the upper handguard is (of course) cracked. I think I'll end up replacing the stock with a new Boyd's walnut one. I wouldn't be surprised if the rifle needs a new barrel, too. Then I can take all the metal parts, strip and clean them, and finish everything with Norrell's Moly Resin in the greenish-gray Parkerized finish. That should look very nice when it's finished.

And shoot pretty good, too!

I love my hobby!