Heavy Bullets In The Garand? Get Out Your Socket Wrench

by
posted on March 12, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
diy2015_fs.jpg (2)

A dandy device has surfaced that makes shooting heavy-bullet-that is, more than 150-gr.-hunting and other loads in the M1 Garand rifle without bending its operating rod a simple and low-cost proposition. From garandgear.com, the Ported Gas Plug is a screw-in replacement plug with a tuned port that delays the operating rod for several microseconds, lowering peak pressure in the gas cylinder pressure by a claimed 30 or more percent. The plug is not vented and does not feature an adjustment capability, so it simply replaces the original with no permanent modification to the gun. It is installed using a standard ¼” square socket driver. According to its maker, “the secret is the hollowed out area in the base of the plug which increases the initial volume of the gas cylinder. By increasing the volume, the peak pressures are reduced without the need to vent the gas.”

Whether it’s used as a means to safely shoot heavier match bullets or to use the Garand for hunting with heavy game loads, the Garand Gear Ported Gas Plug is certainly inexpensive insurance for one of the Garand’s most vulnerable and expensive components. Other, adjustable, units exist, and we will look at those in future Gun DIY installments.

So, what’s your experience using this or other gas-spike-taming devices in the Garand?

Latest

Gotw Wilson Combat Divison 77 Project 1 Web
Gotw Wilson Combat Divison 77 Project 1 Web

Gun Of The Week: Wilson Combat Division 77 Project 1

Join American Rifleman staff on the range in this video to get a closer look at Wilson Combat’s somewhat cryptically named “Division 77 Project 1.” 

The Armed Citizen® July 18, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Review: POF-USA LMR BASE Rifle

The Patriot Ordnance Factory LMR Base offers a .308 Win. chambering in a lightweight, AR-15-size package, which makes it a capable platform for today's new gun owner. And it comes at a fair price.

2025 Accessory Of The Year: Wyoming Sight Drifter

For each of the past 23 years, the editors of American Rifleman have convened to select our top picks for the past year’s best and most innovative products. Here are the most recent winners.

Henry Donates Rifles To Support Young Leukemia Victim

Henry Repeating Arms has donated a limited run of 50 “Team Keane” Golden Boy .22 lever-action rifles to support 13-year-old Keane Rhodes of Universal City, Texas, who is currently undergoing aggressive treatment for ALL T-cell leukemia.

Rifleman Review: Springfield Armory Echelon

Springfield Armory introduced its Echelon in 2023, bringing a modernized, chassis-style, striker-fired handgun to the market that has since seen several notable line extensions.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.