Making a 2rd en bloc, need advice!

[Oh Mr. Wilson]

Well I have my first Garand match in a few days, I ordered a mat, a fellow CMP member gave me a shooting glove, got my rifle sighted in today and while at the range I realized I forgot to order a 2 round clip. Now time is too short and I need to make one.

Yes I know I can just cross to rounds in a en bloc and make it work but I fumbled way too long trying to get the two rounds crossed to lock in the rifle and close the bolt, I'm sure I'm not doing it right but I don't want to be fumbling with it on the line.

I cut a clip, now I need to make the bend, what I'm finding is the entire side of the clips wants to just twist while I'm trying to make the bend on the newly cut end, I only need to curl it over a bit to hold the 2nd round. I have torches and can heat it to soften the metal and make a nice curl, but then how do I put the temper back in the metal once I'm done bending? I'll need to temper it to have the same spring properties as it should. Do I heat it orange and dunk it in old oil? That's how I was taught to harden steel and that has worked well for making steel hard, but wouldn't that be too brittle and not spring? Guess I could always find out, I have more clips. :)

Anyone heated one of these and then re-temper it? Or does anyone have a tips on how to bend this to get the curl without heating it?

Below is the clip after I made the cuts, (sorry for the flash wash). Does this look about right or do I have it all wrong?

Thanks!
Guy Wilson

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj274/guywil/2rd%20en%20bloc/2rd.jpg

[canes7]

No need to make one. You can just do this:

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff207/hurricanes7/other/DSC01092.jpg

[Oh Mr. Wilson]

Canes,

That's what I was doing while at the range yesterday but I was having a hell of a time getting the clip to latch and then the bolt to pick up the first round and with both of my Garand's. No big deal to rack the op rod again to load the first round but I was spending too much time fumbling and I don't want to do that on the firing line.


Maybe it was the clips I was using, I'll try some other clips today. I made up a bunch of dummy rounds a few years ago so I can test my rifles here at home without using live rounds. I can play with this right here in my home office and see if I can get this down pat. My poor thumb is taking a beating though.

Thanks for posting the picture, I appreciate it! This lets me know I was at least crossing the two rounds correctly.

I'm so looking forward to this first Garand match, I'll be taking a still digital camera and a small pocket video camera. I'll post some pics and maybe a video or two. You guys will get to see old fat boy Wilson making an ass out of himself. You've seen me make an ass out of myself through my posts, now you'll get pics too LoL.
(I can hear it now. Ahhh.... my eyes, my eyes.... LoL)

Guy

[canes7]

Guy... You'll still have the same problem of the clip latching with a home-made or store bought 2 rounder. The problem seems to be the lack of stiffness at the bottom of the clip with the rounds not being present. In Garand matches now you have to load your 2 rounder and let the bolt override the cartridges anyway. You chamber a round after you get in position. Once you load your two rounder, override the bolt when you rack the op-rod the clip should be held in place.

Another method I've seen people do is to put an empty clip in then slide the two rounds in between the feed lips and the follower, pushing the en-bloc in position after the two rounds are inserted. It's takes a bit longer but some find it easier.

Good luck in your match! Let us know how you did.

[jak]

I just hold the 2 rounds against the side of the enbloc with my thumb and then load the rifle. The 2 rounds just fall into place

Don't worry about fumbling around on the line. Just take your time and relax. The RSO has to wait till everyone is ready.
There will probably be guys there that are slower than you.
Remember you are there to have fun. You are not competing against the other shooters, you are competing against yourself.
Don't worry about what anybody else thinks.
Just do the best you can.

[Oh Mr. Wilson]

Guys,

I tried bending the clip and using it, I pinched my finger while trying to bend that damn clip! I did get it bent, looks good and holds two rounds nicely, but when you pull the bolt back to extract the 2nd round, the clip tries to pop out a tad early and it jams. The clip releases and jams against the empty case locking the bolt back, you have to reach up and yank the empty to get it out and then the clip is setting in the well because the ejection spring doesn't have enough throw left to kick the partially ejected clip out. I gave up and threw the damn thing!

So back inside, went through my clips and picked out some good USGI clips, crossed two dummy rounds and practiced, I got! I see just what your saying, I got the hang of it. Reason I was having trouble yesterday was the L&M clips I had at the range.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Tim will tell you I'm just stubborn old fool who won't listen and has to find crap out the hard way. Now I have a bloody pinkie to show for my stubbornness. LoL.

Wilson

[canes7]

Your welcome.

[timshufflin]

I do what jak does. I've done a lot of modifying of enblocs including soldering blocs to the side for center mount scopes. The blocs will bend fine without heat if you use two pairs of pliers.

[Oh Mr. Wilson]

I do what jak does. I've done a lot of modifying of enblocs including soldering blocs to the side for center mount scopes. The blocs will bend fine without heat if you use to pairs of pliers.

Well Tim I was doing pretty good bending it until the pliers slipped and pinched the tip of my left pinky finger, SOB!! Blood all over, no band-aids left in the tool box, wrapped it with electrical tag and a piece of blue shop towel and keep on working. That was the start of my frustration and the anger built from there. Felt real good to take that damn clip and throw it as far as I could, but I'll find it the first time I mow. PING! LoL

[CollectorChris]

What if you took 6 spent cases and soldered them into the clip, wouldnt this essentially achieve the desired result? Just thinking outside the box, it may not work, but then again, it may.

[canes7]

What if you took 6 spent cases and soldered them into the clip, wouldnt this essentially achieve the desired result? Just thinking outside the box, it may not work, but then again, it may.

Interesting idea, however I would think that the clip & 6 dummies would not eject and the bolt would get stuck on the first dummy round. That would necessitate drawing the op-rod handle backwards then hitting the release, adding an extra 2steps. Something you wouldn't want during the rapid fire stage of a JCG match.

[musketjon]

A friend made one for me almost 30 years ago and it still works fine. All he did was silver-soldered a square nut to the inside of the clip> Easy and cheap and no mashed fingers.
Jon