So, as some of y’all know I got me a Garand a few weeks back. Worked the action quite a bit, learned how to do it without snapping my finger. Took it to the range and had zero problems. Kinda thought “this Garand thumb thing must be kinda rare…”
Fast forward to last week, I hadn’t messed with the Garand since getting back from a hunting trip so wanted to look at it a bit before I put it up for a while. I pull it out of its case, pull the bolt back to show clear, go to sit down in my office chair, reach up to depress the follower a bit to release the bolt and WHAMMO! I didn’t have my hand on the bolt handle well enough and it rocked my left hand thumb. I made up a few choice words and sported a bit of a bruised fingernail and small blood blister.
Valuable lesson.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I was going to say that you avoid Garand Thumb by using two hands, but it sounds like you managed. Good job.
Next time hold the bolt back to take pressure off the follower before you release it and ride it down slow. If you're not loading it there's no reason to let the bolt fly.
Have yet to happen with the garand, i did get an empty clip hung up in the action once though ( I like to keep an empty in there in case i forget to bring them with me to the range). I've gotten the proverbial garand thumb from a mas49/56, nice old blood blistered blueberry thumb.
The bolt on the mas is huge and sits a lot deeper than the garand, overbuilt is an understatement. Wish I had a picture but it was pretty gnarly for a couple weeks till the colour came back. Cut open some skin and all the grease and oil got in the cut- to add insult to injury.Not sure how Mas thumb stacks up to Garand thumb, but I don't want that one either. I've heard anecdotally that Hakim thumb makes Garand thumb seem pleasurable in comparison.
*visible suspicion*