M1 Garand continuation

Jessie · Oct 9, 2015

After reading the latest Garand thread it got me to thinking how nice it is when I take mine to my hunt camp.
I don't do it often, its usually a 94 in season or an AR to plink with otherwise.
Sometimes I'll drag that big heavy beautiful M1 out there though.
I have to say that whenever its in the gun rack, everybody says " Wow! Can I check that out?"
Realistically, it will take care of any 2,4 or 6
leg alien critter that might want to harm me or a 4 legged one for dinner.
I just like them, a heck of a gun!

kenv1950 · Oct 9, 2015

They are quite the beast

M1Lover · Oct 9, 2015

I'm a huge fan of the M1 Rifle Cal .30 and had 14 of them at one time. Down to the finest three (IHC, WRA and SA) and my Springfield is a late 50's that appears brand new. This rifle was a major breakthrough in auto-loading design evolution and for a 1939 design, it still remains an awesome rifle. I hope everyone gets theirs out of the safe for a drive around the block once in awhile! Glad you do. H.

Jessie · Oct 9, 2015

I was lucky enough to get a Winchester
From the CMP. It's not a collector, didn't want to wait that long, but I'm happy to have collected it.

jack the toad · Oct 9, 2015

Everyone should experience the M1. Just to see what it was like back when men were men and women were glad of it.

K Frame Keith · Oct 9, 2015

Our son is a Coast Guard Academy graduate. The CGA drill weapon is the M1. For his graduation I picked up an old non functional import from Korea and had it rebuilt by Fulton Armory. His is popular around the camp fire too.

Backlighting · Oct 9, 2015

Sadly, I've never owned an M1.
I did, however, train with its successor, the M-14 while in the Army.
Now that's a great gun!
Wouldn't mind having both now.

kenv1950 · Oct 9, 2015

Backlighting said:
Sadly, I've never owned an M1.
I did, however, train with its successor, the M-14 while in the Army.
Now that's a great gun!
Wouldn't mind having both now.

The son of thre Garand

Engine49guy · Oct 9, 2015

Have to agree the M1 Garand is probably one of the most iconic rifles in history.
This one was purpose built in Italy for a Dutch Military contract and chambered in .308 Nato :

My other one is a Springfield from 1944:

kbm6893 · Oct 9, 2015

I have 2 Garands. A WW II Springfield and an HRA from 1955. I used to have AR's but when I got my first M1 and held the two next to each other, the AR was sold to fund the HRA. There's something about holding an iron and wood piece of history that just cannot be duplicated. And I have no fantasies of the end of the world, so I figure if an M1 was good enough for the heroes of WW II and Korea, it's good enough for me. Every Christmas, I treat myself to 2-3 cans of ammo and shoot either one of my Garands. Usually 100-150 rounds. Something about winter shooting the M1. Reminds me of Bastogne maybe.

It's my favorite rifle and the one I want to always stay in the family.

sigp220.45 · Oct 9, 2015

I have one, and each of my boys has their own, too. My nephew who lives with us also has one, not pictured.

I was smart enough, for once, to get them while the getting was good at CMP.

NCchris · Oct 9, 2015

Yep, not too many like the Garand! I own two, one a late production Springfield 56 or 57. It is just like new and I love to shoot it! i have another Springfield that I shipped to Shuff's Parkerizing for his Mini G treatment.

I love to shoot this one too. It is just so handy.
chris

W.E.G. · Oct 9, 2015

I shot my Garand so good, the CMP gave me a medal.

Garand%20medal%20-%20Downs%20syndrome_zpspcebfhd0.jpg

Almost looks like the guys we fought in Korea hacked the .jpg file for vendor.
Wait,... the vendor is Chinese.

Man, those guys must have had a good laugh on us.

JohnRippert · Oct 9, 2015

This is a one that I put together on a Winchester receiver from the CMP, along with my favorite handgun.

It was in a different stock set when I test fired it. Shoots pretty good.

I too purchased a few from the CMP and have enough receivers and parts kits to put three more together. One of those will be a "Tanker" in .30-06

Arik · Oct 9, 2015

I'm gonna be the odd man out here. As a fan of firearms I had one. An H&R mix match whatever. ...it was irrelevant to me. The stock was repainted and you could see the training # on it through the paint. The rifle was solid but had severe throat erosion however it shot great. I got it for a steal along with 2k rounds of surplus 7.62. But realistically it didn’t do anything my more modern rifles didn't do. Since I'm not a bench shooter my other rifles were shorter, faster, lighter with more ammo AND cheaper to feed....much much cheaper. So I sold it. Happy to try it, nice rifle but nothing special

Jessie · Oct 9, 2015

This prompts a memory of when I lived in Ky.
There's a group of guys we used to get together with in deer season. One is a federal judge. Great guy and I have the utmost respect for him.
One year I brought my Garand. He said " You can't hunt deer with that"
I told him it was perfectly legal since Ky. allowed a 10 shot mag for semi's.
Guess what? Next year he shows up with a Garand.
It's not often you can correct a federal judge on the law.
I enjoyed it immensely.

Edmo · Oct 10, 2015

I bought mine, an early '50s Springfield Armory model, through CMP about 10 years ago.

Here it is posing with it's nephew, a Springfield M1A. Both are good shooters.

Edmo

kbm6893 · Oct 10, 2015

Arik said:
I'm gonna be the odd man out here. As a fan of firearms I had one. An H&R mix match whatever. ...it was irrelevant to me. The stock was repainted and you could see the training # on it through the paint. The rifle was solid but had severe throat erosion however it shot great. I got it for a steal along with 2k rounds of surplus 7.62. But realistically it didn’t do anything my more modern rifles didn't do. Since I'm not a bench shooter my other rifles were shorter, faster, lighter with more ammo AND cheaper to feed....much much cheaper. So I sold it. Happy to try it, nice rifle but nothing special

An AR is cheaper to shoot (I get 200 rounds of surplus 30-06 for 120 bucks shipped), but I don't shoot hundreds of rounds a session, nor would I want to in a 30-06. What the Garand has over more modern firearms is the history. I just can't describe it. When I got my first Garand, I looked at the AR in the safe and just went "bleh". Nothing like 8 big BOOMs followed by that iconic PING. Every time I take it to the range, it gets attention and compliments. Always have people ask me where I got it. I tell them about the CMP and that they can have a Garand shipped right to their door for 730 bucks. Many of those who asked ran home to order one.

As for the stock being painted, some people keep them looking that way, but stripping a wood stock and applying several coats of tung or boiled linseed oil make it look almost new again. You can even steam out the dings in the wood and lightly sand the stock if that's your thing.

bigwheelzip · Oct 10, 2015

kbm6893 said:
I just can't describe it.

You described it beautifully. Like the difference between a 55 Chevy and a Ford Taurus. The Taurus gets you to the same place more economically, but not in style.

Arik · Oct 10, 2015

The paint never bothered me. Added character! When I bought it it was because of one heck of a deal. And because I never had or fired a Garand before. I got a H&R mix match, which didn't bother me, but a solid rifle with 2200 rounds of Greek surplus for $1200. This was around 2011. The rifle shot beautifully and accurate. But it was just one of those things.....neither here nor there so I sold it to someone who would enjoy it. When I sold it I had even more ammo cause I bought a bunch more. All total probably 2800 rounds considering I fired a bunch. By that time the ammo was getting harder to find and to buy from CMP ment I had to join and go to shooting meets which I couldn't do anyway.

Looking back I probably would still have sold it but if someone were to offer me the same deal again I'd probably buy it

M1 Garand continuation

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