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Want a M1 Garand ?


Johnson County Mike

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Hi, I recently got my monthly newsletter from the CMP. This link was listed... https://www.alloutdoor.com/2020/08/2...m1-garand-cmp/

It's a spot on description of getting a M1 Garand from the CMP. The author went for a "Field Grade" which usually has that "lived in look". Pickins are pretty slim but rifles can be had between $650 and up, and they send it to your house, in most states. Check it out, regards, Mike

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Yep. I got one last March - field grade Springfield, replacement barrel gauging less than 1 at both ends, $750, delivered to my doorstep in a nice hard case. :) 

Doesn't shoot worth crap with 150 grainers, but really shines with 168's. Use Garand specific loads to avoid damage to the operating system. ;)

100_2444.JPG

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There are many long time CMP fans here. B)

42B26A88-C3D5-4946-A5B6-9B5C1363B5A6.jpeg

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5 hours ago, Johnson County Mike said:

Hi, I recently got my monthly newsletter from the CMP. This link was listed... https://www.alloutdoor.com/2020/08/2...m1-garand-cmp/

It's a spot on description of getting a M1 Garand from the CMP. The author went for a "Field Grade" which usually has that "lived in look". Pickins are pretty slim but rifles can be had between $650 and up, and they send it to your house, in most states. Check it out, regards, Mike

sent in  my paper work couple weeks ago.

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~* GRIN ! *~  :lol:

CMP (or was it the DCM back then?), 1986.  I don't recall the cost, but it wasn't much... something like sixty-five bucks for the rifle and a bit more than that for processing and shipping.  Arrived on a day when I was home in bed, sick with the flu.  Made me feel MUCH better!  ^_^

 

                  1319297093_RodM1Grin.thumb.jpg.f6d995911e084632d5b65f47e3ddf763.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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44 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

~* GRIN ! *~  :lol:

CMP (or was it the DCM back then), 1986.  I don't recall the cost, but it wasn't much... something like sixty-five bucks for the rifle and a bit more than that for processing and shipping.  Arrived on a day when I was home in bed, sick with the flu.  Made me feel MUCH better!  ^_^

 

                  1319297093_RodM1Grin.thumb.jpg.f6d995911e084632d5b65f47e3ddf763.jpg

Yup bet i come down with a bug when i get delivery notice.

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About 1960 you could buy them in downtown Chicago, at Klein's Sporting Goods for $79.95! :o  Some of them were Lend Lease returns from Great Britain, and had the British proof marks on the barrel.  Wish I had bought several. -_-

"Ping!" my @$$!

Stay well, Pards!

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Just now, Trailrider #896 said:

About 1960 you could buy them in downtown Chicago, at Klein's Sporting Goods for $79.95! :o  Some of them were Lend Lease returns from Great Britain, and had the British proof marks on the barrel.  Wish I had bought several. -_-

"Ping!" my @$$!

Stay well, Pards!

The lend lease M1s are rare nowadays!

 

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Just now, Utah Bob #35998 said:

The lend lease M1s are rare nowadays!

 

IIRC, I once read that a British commando unit in Burma held off a large Japanese attack on their position, inflicting heavy casualties and were NOT overrun.  They were armed with M-1 rifles, rather than bolt -action Enfields.  They must have had a good supply of clipped .30-06 ammo rather than .303 British.

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17 minutes ago, Trailrider #896 said:

About 1960 you could buy them in downtown Chicago, at Klein's Sporting Goods for $79.95! :o  Some of them were Lend Lease returns from Great Britain, and had the British proof marks on the barrel.  Wish I had bought several. -_-

"Ping!" my @$$!

Stay well, Pards!

 

Still fairly dear for the time... adjusted for inflation, the equivalent of almost seven hundred bucks today.  

 

The K-Mart affiliate in Dallas sold 'em for about that price in '66.  I stood and gazed and drooled...  :blush:

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30 minutes ago, Trailrider #896 said:

IIRC, I once read that a British commando unit in Burma held off a large Japanese attack on their position, inflicting heavy casualties and were NOT overrun.  They were armed with M-1 rifles, rather than bolt -action Enfields.  They must have had a good supply of clipped .30-06 ammo rather than .303 British.

The lend lease Garlands had a red band painted around the forestock to indicate they were not .303. 

7C1EE3F2-7A4A-429C-95B1-B18665128FBB.jpeg

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46 minutes ago, Injun Ryder, SASS #36201L said:

 

"Some", not all.

I agree.  The one I saw did not have the painted band.  It had the 18 tons per  []" proof mark.  My understanding is that the proof test was done just prior to them being exported to the U.S.  I'm not sure how the British proof test was done, but I think it had to do with the backthrust on the bolt face, rather than the copper crusher tests that would require a hole in the barrel.  The good condition of some of these probably means they were stored someplace and never used.  Interesting if true, but interesting!  

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I think probably the bulk of the Lend Lease M1s went unused or just used for drill. With both Canada and the US cranking out SMLEs, the need for Garlands Was not critical and the Enfield was generally preferred by his majesty’s armed forces.

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Does not describe how the Garands were "proofed" by the British.

 

From the MILSURPS board:

 

In regards to the "BNP" mark on the receiver ring under the hump of the op-rod, the following is from an article by Scott Duff in the Apr. 2002 American Rifleman. 


" In addition to the barrel proof marks, the Rules of Proof stated that both the receiver and bolt be marked. Birmingham used its BNP proof to mark the top of the receiver ring directly above the chamber; London used a crown over intertwined GP to mark the right side of the receiver ring under the hump of the op-rod. Both houses stamped the right lug of the bolt.


 The proofing dies however, were no match for the hardened steel of the M1 Garands receiver and bolt and wore out in short order. Only a small fraction of Lend Lease rifles show these proofs or parts of them: most carry only a dent or smudge. Many show no evidence at all, suggesting that both houses eventually gave up the attempt."
 

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I once helped a young man lie to his mother.

 

It was late 1986, so the law was in effect allowing military firearms back into the country, but the firearms weren't there.

 

David bought an M1. Paid well over $1,000 for it. If his mother had known that he spent that much money on a gun, she would have beaten him severely (figuratively).

 

So I and three other people "gave him" that rifle for his birthday. At his birthday party, in front of his mother. She could not complain about him wasting his money on another stupid gun. It was a birthday present. <_<

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16 minutes ago, Alpo said:

I once helped a young man lie to his mother.

 

It was late 1986, so the law was in effect allowing military firearms back into the country, but the firearms weren't there.

 

David bought an M1. Paid well over $1,000 for it. If his mother had known that he spent that much money on a gun, she would have beaten him severely (figuratively).

 

So I and three other people "gave him" that rifle for his birthday. At his birthday party, in front of his mother. She could not complain about him wasting his money on another stupid gun. It was a birthday present. <_<

Wow. $1,000.00 in 86! That was some nice M1.

 

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Speaking of “foreign” Garlands, our junior rifle team in the late 70s/89s had two odd DCM rifles. 
 

Both were in 30-06, but the stock was about 3/4” shorter than normal. The lower but plate screw, which was actually threaded as a machine screw, had been cut and welded shorter. They were not comfortable at all for an average sized older teenager to shoot, so we used it for the younger or smaller shooters.

 

We often wondered if these had been shortened and sent to Korea or Vietnam where physically the average soldier is much smaller than his American counterparts. Would anyone have any information about such a program?

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6 hours ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said:

Speaking of “foreign” Garlands, our junior rifle team in the late 70s/89s had two odd DCM rifles. 
 

Both were in 30-06, but the stock was about 3/4” shorter than normal. The lower but plate screw, which was actually threaded as a machine screw, had been cut and welded shorter. They were not comfortable at all for an average sized older teenager to shoot, so we used it for the younger or smaller shooters.

 

We often wondered if these had been shortened and sent to Korea or Vietnam where physically the average soldier is much smaller than his American counterparts. Would anyone have any information about such a program?

I have seen shortened stocks but they weren't done by the US govt. Done in country in Korea and I think maybe Greece.

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I wanted to order a Garand from the CMP late last year.  The misses stopped me when she was mad when I tried to sneak a PTR-109 into my shop/garage.  Before I went to the FFL to pick it up I told her I was going to the hardware store.  It took an hour longer than my normal hardware store run; so, she was not accepting my excuse for the time length.  Had to buy flowers & a card to calm her down.  I told her it was my Christmas present.  She said I don't need any more guns; so, when Interarms imported a large number of rifles that had been stacked like cordwood in Ethiopian warehouses for 50 years I jumped at the chance to acquire an early production M1 Carbine in good condition.   I asked "Mother may I" before buying one.  The Ethiopian's had 1880's vintage antiques, C&R's & 1950's vintage rifles.  They had various models & vintages of Carcanos & Enfields as well as Polish 98K's & Polish refurbished Mauser 98K's.  There are more Ethiopian rifles to be imported.  Checkout Royal Tiger Imports if you collect military firearms.  Hopefully the CMP won't run out of Garands in 6 months.  Maybe by then she will allow me to add a 2nd rifle to my US military rifle collection.  With a M1 Carbine & Garand in my collection I am sure I'll have the rifle my dad carried when driving his landing craft to and from Pacific island beaches.  The only landing he ever talked about was the one time he told us kids his experience spending a scary night on a Siapan beach after his landing craft was shot-up.  The only war story he told multiple times was a drunken liberty incident where one of his motor machinist mate buddies rode a bicycle off the end of the pier the APA-9 Neville was tied up to.

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Back when I was a teenager, I wanted one badly.  But I couldn't talk my dad into ordering one.   He had carried one across Europe and had a lot of negative things to say about them.  I finally realized that he just didn't want one in the house. 

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8 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

Back when I was a teenager, I wanted one badly.  But I couldn't talk my dad into ordering one.   He had carried one across Europe and had a lot of negative things to say about them.  I finally realized that he just didn't want one in the house. 

Maybe he had one of the early gas trap models.

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I bought one of the "special" grades about 12-13 years ago.  They are completely rebuilt with new wood and a new barrel, and refinished so everything matches.  That probably reduces its collector appeal, but it's one heck of a shooter!  

 

FYI, the Hornady reloading manual has a section dedicated to loading for the M1 Garand.  The SAMI pressures are different today than they were then, so using that manual is your best bet.

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2 hours ago, Warden Callaway said:

 

I wouldn't know.  I took it as it was a reminder of a time he didn't want to remember.  

 

I once worked with a kindly, older gentleman who had been a WWII vet who had been recalled and sent to Korea.

 

Of course, I had many enjoyable conversations with him.  But one day he told me of the time in Korea when he was carefully examining his M1.  A buddy asked him what he was doing; he replied that he was trying to figure out a way to smuggle it back home when he was discharged - whenever that may be.

 

"What?  Why on Earth would you want to take that thing home?"

 

"Well," he replied, "'Cuz I want to fix the bayonet, stick it in the ground in my back yard, and every evening before bed I wanna go out back and pee on the $*%&^ thing."

 

Yup... some folks just didn't see 'em the same as we do.   :mellow:

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OK here is a group photo of most of mine (plus a 1941 Johnson).  Have acquired a couple more since these photos were taken.  The one with 53 on the stock is a Mk2 Mod1 Navy Garand HR modified to 7.62.

 

 

M1 F.JPG

M1 R.JPG

M1 R2.JPG

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On 8/31/2020 at 3:26 PM, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

~* GRIN ! *~  :lol:

CMP (or was it the DCM back then?), 1986.  I don't recall the cost, but it wasn't much... something like sixty-five bucks for the rifle and a bit more than that for processing and shipping.  Arrived on a day when I was home in bed, sick with the flu.  Made me feel MUCH better!  ^_^

 

                  1319297093_RodM1Grin.thumb.jpg.f6d995911e084632d5b65f47e3ddf763.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hardpan, I got mine at about the same time.  Mine shoots great with 172 grain FMJ handloads.  They sure were a bargain back then.

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