So, I came across this beautifully preserved 1943 M1 Garand a while back. Has it's original barrel in Immaculate condition and everything else is pretty much the same. If the other parts are not original, they are at least very correct. As with everything I collect, I feel that shooting it a little, once in a while won't hurt it. So here's what happened... I went to a public outdoor range for the first time with a friend that goes there often. I wanted to take my shooter Garand and shoot on the 100 yd range. I brought 3 boxes of M2 ball to put through it. As I was packing my stuff for the trip out, I picked up this Garand and figured I would take it and run one full en-bloc through it to see how it does. All I've ever done with it before was run 3 rds. through it to make sure it functioned, and then it just sat in the safe until now. I can usually pick off a clay pigeon at a 100 yards with about 3 rds. average with my shooter. They are pretty hard to see with these old eyes now. I set out about 20 of them and walk back and pull my shooter out of my rifle bag and oops.. that's not the shooter. Oh well, I can get this out of the way and get on with the fun afterwards. I loaded her up and settled in on the bench and squeezed the triggBOOM. WOW, that pull was short compared to my shooter. My buddy exclaims "You dusted that one!" What? I hadn't even fine tuned the sights yet. Gotta be a fluke. I settled in for the next shot, ready for the trigger this time, BOOM - dusted again. 6 more booms and 6 more busted clays. I was not ready for that, but without thinking, the next, and the next clips went in, and out of the first 20 shots,19 resulted in a break. I wound up putting all of that M2 ball through this rifle and none through the shooter. Should I use this as my new shooter, or put it back in the safe and keep it tucked away? Either way I will continually second guess myself if I don't receive clear direction one way or another.

Well, since it's no longer a mint-condition piece and it shoots great, why not shoot it some more?

Already shot it so shoot away and enjoy. A pleasurable day at the range is worth something.

You just figured out why safe queens do not give the satisfaction you get when using your gun like it was designed.

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S&W factory revolver armorer

Since you say it's a "collectible investment piece" how would you harvest your profits? My guess, is that you don't intend to sell it to secure the gain. So why worry about degrading its value?

Shoot. It.

Many will believe otherwise, but I cannot consider most guns as being good investments, except under certain specific circumstances. You might as well enjoy the M1 while you can.

As I read your story, I could feel a tiny bit of the rush that you experienced at the range with the Garand. That is why we collect and shoot isn't it? To have the ear to ear grin? I think you know you will shoot it again, but if you need my thumbs up to do so, you got it!

Thumbs-up-boy-small.jpg

I’ve been stuck with more than one gun that I got as a good deal, and intended to sell, but couldn’t because they were phenomenal shooters.

Don’t take guns to the range that you want to sell, period.

Choot that thing!!!!!

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Possum—The other white meat!

Will you have that amount of fun with it back in the safe?

Go again very soon!

Another vote. Shoot it !

I shoot every gun I own regardless of its cost and/or collectability and one of my goals in life is to wear them all out without any regard for their next owner.

You nailed it!..........Me too......No cobwebs in any of my gun barrels.

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S&W Accumulator

It likely got shot more than 20rds since 1943 before you obtained it.
Have fun with it.
Take care of it and it'll never look any worse than it does right now.

If I had that 1943 M1 Garand and found out how
accurate it was as you described, I would shoot
it, and sell the other one.

The Best to you and your Endeavors.

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SD social distanc'n since 1889

No clue how old you are, but you can't take it with you.

Might as well enjoy it.

I have about a half dozen pretty desirable S&W 2.5" and 3" K's I never shoot I've been thinking about selling for a while. I just don't shoot revolvers anymore.

Always wanted a Springfield M1A.

If you transport and store the rifle carefully, fire only GI spec ammo or carefully prepared hand loads and clean thoroughly after ever trip to the range your M1 should still look good no matter how much you fire it.

I have a nice arsenal rebuild M1 rifle that did,nt
look like it was fired much after being surplussed. When I bought the rifle in the late 70s there was still a lot of WWII and early 50s M2 Ball around with corrosive primers. I have always avoided this stuff.

I have fired this rifle quite a bit. It is my only Garand and it still looks like it did when I bought it.

I would say enjoy yours.

No reason to. Just flush everything with hot water after use. That dissolves the corrosive salts.

The M1 Garand is a fantastic rifle!! You will probably never wear it out - even shooting it on a regular basis. They are certainly not rare (over 6 million + made during the war years) and very few have original parts from one manufacturer. I think Winchester might be the only manufacturer that at one time made all their own parts. For the most part, Garand manufacturers made some parts and bought others. Over the years Military Garands were field serviced, arsenal serviced and the parts used are what they had on hand, regardless of the manufacturer.

I say shoot it often! Just make sure you always use the correct 150 grain Military ball ammo or ammo made specifically for the M1 Garand. I know PPV and Federal both make 30-06 for the Garand. Better yet, if you can find any CMP Military surplus in the ammo cans - even better!

I'm not a collector, but at one time I sort of fancied myself as one. One day talking about a gun that I didn't think had ever been fired, my wife asked me "What difference does it make? When you're dead the kids or someone else will shoot it. Why not you?"

Made sense to me.

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John 3:16 .

I love shooting my IHC postage stamp M1. Extremely nice January 1966 Red River Arsenal "overhaul". Barrel is SA 8-65 and came to me with a ME 0, TE 0 and other than the barrel most parts are IHC, even though IHC had bucoo troubles and had to use other OEM parts during the Korean War to keep up with production quotas.

Mine was one of the last arsenal rebuilds for the M1 Garand. Arsenals were switched over to M14 rebuilds late 1966, early 1967.

This Garand is like the OP's safe queen..it impacts precisely where you zero it..no worn gears in the sights. I don't any longer even attempt to shoot from prone..or over 200 yds, but it is still a winner at the local outdoor range.

Ammo is still scarce (modern ..made for the Garand) as I don't reload but joining the Garand Collectors Association ($25.00) gets you access to some dang good values at CMP for ammo (as long as you have the fortitude to get beyond the M1 auction listings).

OP: We NEED pics of that safe queen now shooter!!!!

Attached Images

	M1 Garand -1.jpg (221.5 KB, 20 views)
	M1 Garand -2.jpg (217.8 KB, 18 views)
	RRAD 1-66 rebuild proof.jpg (42.9 KB, 19 views)
	SA 8-65 bbl 2.jpg (25.5 KB, 17 views)
	Trigger Group housing 1.jpg (19.3 KB, 15 views)

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Charlie B
SWCA#3083, SWHF#570

Unless I have a sufficient quantity of guns to change my lifestyle if I sold them, I'd never consider guns an investment. I enjoy shooting them regardless of how nice they are. They can remain nice guns even if you shoot them and you needn't wax them or subject them to other busy work rituals.

Enjoy your guns, shoot them when you wish, keep them clean without obsessing, and wipe them down with a soft lightly oiled cloth (any oil, even a CLP if that's all you have).

You said "with these old eyes". So.....what are you saving it for? The next guy? I say shoot the snot of it!

And the other side of that coin is... "Don't keep guns in the safe that you want to SHOOT!"

Cheers!

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Sit Reloader Sentiret

I've used two (2) S&W 544s that I bought unfired just because they're excellent revolvers. Tools should be used.

Some reloading manuals contain .30-‘06 recipes specifically for use in the M1. The main thing is to not reload using the slower powders, stay in the midrange - propellants which are similar to 3031 and 4895 are best. Slow powders produce a pressure curve which can cause the M1s operating rod to bend, and that cannot be fixed.

A gun as an investment depends on couple of things, and being in new unfired condition does keep the price near the top of the price range within which that and similar of its type are selling at the moment you sell. Internet sales depend upon photography skills.

You can say this about a gun, that it will never be worth nothing, which you cannot say about many things including the US dollar. You cannot even depend on the value to keep pace with inflation, but it will do very well compared to any product that you can buy, use for a while and then resell.

The most important thing is the market. I seriously doubt that you, yourself would pay what you want for the rifle today even having just discovered its true value by observing its accuracy first hand! Let's say you would, then let's ask, "How many others out there are like me?" There are still some who think that a gun is a store of wealth, like gold is. The old GI's who were buying it for nostalgia are gone now. The Boomers who had regard for it are also dying off. If you wait much longer you are planning to sell it to a Gen X person or a Millennial aged person. Good luck with that. Some of them will belong to the "Saving Private Ryan" generation. That movie was in 1998, so if you time it right, maybe. Put it up for sale simultaneously with a new WWII blockbuster, someone will want it.

I own an M1 carbine and I love it for its practical utility. I traded my M1 Garand on a S&W 3rd gen back in 2005 which I carry every day. I have my Dad's captured Jap rifle, a Carcano type worth now about $300. I ain't gonna buy your gun at any price. I am now thinking of leaving something that will mean something to my children and their husbands, but that is a sentimental consideration, also things easy to sell so it's not so much trouble for them to move them when I am gone.

I showed my wife yesterday a place where she or my daughter can take the whole collection, who will sell on consignment and take 10%. Isn't that what will happen to your collection? Now if you get into a cash crisis and you take that rifle to the pawn shop it will do you better than any insurance policy you ever bought, because you never get those premiums back. You are at the age where that is just not gonna happen. Sooo..

You did the right thing keeping it pristine until now as an insurance policy. Now you just don't need it for that anymore, so go ahead and buy it from yourself and shoot away! Enjoy it while you can. You now own an M1 shooter. Congratulations. Keep us posted as you push the range farther and farther. Love to hear about it. YouTube videos?

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696-6906-457-38-3913-CS40-411

In these types of discussions, I like to quote Carroll Shelby: "These cars are meant to be driven." I drive my Shelby. More to the subject at hand: I also shoot my K-32.

I can respect collectors, but I'm not one of 'em. The only gun I have that I don't shoot is my grandfather's Iver Johnson breaktop. It's looser than a goose. Might get more lead out of the gap than the muzzle. Were I to shoot it, it would be on a Ransom Rest.

There seems to be a concensus among the ranks. The only reason I even asked the question is because this rifle is so pristine. I wholeheartedly believe that it is a 100% original M1, but I wasn't there when it was built. I have other guns that I probably shouldn't shoot, (US Cavalry Colt from 1875 and a 3 digit Schofield of the same vintage, to name a few) but they have all been used extensively in the past and what little I shoot them won't be noticeable. This one, however, will be. Many have mentioned the enjoyment of shooting them, and I agree, there is nothing like shooting something that has historical significance. It's ALMOST like you were there. I even had one that I swear actually took me back to witness it's history... scared the buhjeebus out of me. Only did it the first time I shot it and then never again, but I will remember that experience til the day I die. But anyway, I feel that all of you enablers have set me on the correct course of action, seeing as I don't intend to sell it until I am no longer physically able to hold it. Thank you all for your wisdom.

I don't reload rifle calibers, I have enough M2 stashed to last me to last me the rest of my lifetime.

I say shoot it. The only guns I consider truly investment grade-non shootable pieces are guns that are really rare, 99%+ condition, and 100% original. So if you had an orig, 1943 mfg Garand that still had the original grease in it from SA (NOT a refurb depot), I’d say keep it as a safe queen but unless it’s a truly orig, mint 1943 Garand (in which case it would be extremely rare and valuable), shoot it.

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Some Might Say.

Someday, (hopefully a very long way off), when on your deathbed are you going to regret shooting your guns too much? You only go around once so enjoy it.

The ultimate M1 investment would be an unissued gas trap version. I once saw a gas trap, but it wasn’t in very good condition. But still....

Ain't no safe queens at my house. I've got a few that don't get shot often, but they do get shot. And I enjoy it every time I do.

My guns are an investment for my sons. They'll get that money.

Take your previous " shooter" , sell it , and buy a wad of the ammo you used busting those clays with..
Now you have a nice looking pc that shoots as good as it looks. Enjoy it..

We need to see pictures of your collectible to help make answer your question.

"Collectable" and "collectible" are easy to confuse because they sound so similar (i.e., they are nearly homonyms) and their meanings are close. "Collectable" describes items able to be collected. (e.g., payments, keys). "Collectible" describes items considered worthy of collecting by enthusiasts (e.g., coins, guns, stamps).

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"Stay Frosty"

Put me in the shoot it camp. I have a couple guns that I don't shoot a lot. And treat them with gentle care. But they still get shot.

Maybe one day when I hit the lottery and buy a true unfired gem from way back it will be different?

What are you truly going to gain by not shooting her?

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213th FBINA

I remember some years ago on this forum...whenever this question was brought up someone would offer this analogy;

If you just married a beautiful virgin wife, would you save her untouched until you were too old to enjoy?

I may not be quoting exactly as I heard it but I think I am close.

I always figured who am I saving the guns for ? Go use that thing ...

The most valuable "collector" pieces are those directly traced to having been owned and used by someone of historical note. The "story" is what sets the value. A gun that's lain in a box since manufacture has no personality beyond being in new condition and only becomes really valuable over a long time or if particularly unique and of limited production.

A few years back I discovered that PURSES of all things can bring a huge return on investment by one knowledgeable in "the business." If my wife needs some extra money, she reaches into her considerable collection, pulls one out she bought a few years ago on sale when it was first released and sells if for double, triple and even more in just a matter of days! No pesky rules and limitations! Makes you wonder.

The museums have all the Garands they need.

Shoot it.

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I've still got it made.

Or use Ballistol. Works well after firing corrosive stuff and Ballistol's "dirty feet" aroma is unmatched.