New guy with some Mini-G Build questions...

[Jgun]

CWes, Since you have the barrel (even if you don't end up using that one) just slip your gas cylinder on it, screw on the brake, and see how much interference you've got with your gas plug. On mine, I used a straight shouldered burr in my dremel, and only had to relieve a small amount on the two edges of the brake at the back where the radius cut meets the shoulder where the gas plug seats. I used a little layout dye to double check that there was no interference. I didn't have to remove much material at all.

[CWes]

I just tried it on one of my other Garands, the rubbing/binding starts when the threads start to catch. I was using a Garand Gear lock screw that I had laying around before and it would rub, but still screw in. I just used a USGI (SA) lock that was on the test rifle, and it rubbed even more and the lock screw got stuck (easily removed with socket wrench). Looks like it will need to be relieved about 1/4" in the center to allow for proper clearance.

[Jgun]

I'm guessing that you mean a 1/4" wide section in the middle. I would just suggest trying not to remove any material from the shoulder where the plug seats, if at all possible. If you've got a burr that's larger in dia or with a longer shank, it may make it easier to clear the bottom of the brake. material cut easilly for me.

[jbkf1003]

On mine the threads of the Schuster plug bit into the BM59E, right in the center of the relieved section. So all I did was with a dremel and a tapered stone bit removed the thread marks, then a bit more, in the end pretty much the whole relieved section of the brake was in the white. The rifle it was on recently got a Standard Parts drop down cylinder and the appropriate brake. The BM59E was going in a box of parts to Tim for a new build, so I didn't try installing a plug on it again before I sent it off to Tim, so we'll see how I did when it comes back.

[CWes]

Thanks for the help and replies!

I removed some of the metal on the BM59E brake and a USGI lock screw goes in now. My next dumb question is about the colors of park. I have the order form up and ready and up till now had "zinc" selected because from what I've read and seen online, it makes the lead dipped/annealed heel show up nicely (which mine has). But... If I now need to have the muzzle brake done too because of having to do this mod, will I end up with a sliver/grey one rather than it's original black?

This has me thinking the manganese park might be better, but I'm worried it would be too dark and the heal might not show up as prominently. I did some searching and didn't find any pictures of manganese park to see what it would look like with the annealed heel.

An alternative would be to pay the extra $35 and do a combo park job, but I'm trying to keep the cost down as much as possible.

Thanks again for your expertise...

Craig

[seaninmich]

I removed some of the metal on the BM59E brake and a USGI lock screw goes in now. My next dumb question is about the colors of park. I have the order form up and ready and up till now had "zinc" selected because from what I've read and seen online, it makes the lead dipped/annealed heel show up nicely (which mine has). But... If I now need to have the muzzle brake done too because of having to do this mod, will I end up with a sliver/grey one rather than it's original black?

This has me thinking the manganese park might be better, but I'm worried it would be too dark and the heal might not show up as prominently. I did some searching and didn't find any pictures of manganese park to see what it would look like with the annealed heel.

An alternative would be to pay the extra $35 and do a combo park job, but I'm trying to keep the cost down as much as possible.

Thanks again for your expertise...

Craig

Any parts that won't take park - gas lock, screw, gas cylinder - get a baking lacquer. They are going to be dark manganese to black in color no matter what you do with the rest of the rifle

[CWes]

Thanks SeaninMich. I should have asked what the BM59E Brake was made of to begin with, I didn't think of it being a part (like the gas cylinder) which doesn't take park. Others on here have posted that they've had Tim touch theirs up and I assumed (bad I know) that they meant park. I'd want the brake to be dark like the rest of the front end parts, which is what had me leaning toward the darker manganese over the lighter zinc.

Still not sure which to go with, based on the pictures from Tim's site they both look great. I just don't like the really dark "Greek Black" park if I can avoid it. Decisions decisions...

[seaninmich]

I will tell you this: when I first got into garands, the only park I liked was zinc. I thought mang looked like shiznit. a long time ago in a land far away, Tim convinced me to do a manganese garand and I've been hooked ever since. I'll never do another zinc. If you check out my website or any of my ebay auctions, EVER part I sell is in manganese. It will NOT look like Greek Black (which I don't mind either). No park looks like greek black. unfortunately, most people only THINK they know what greek black looks like. fully 3/4 of posts I read where a guy thinks he has greek black are actually original USGI finish parkerization.

[timshufflin]

The BM59E brake is not stainless, just to be clear. It will park.