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My Garand


Perro Del Diablo

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Today I shot my Garand for first time. Much more fun than expected :D. Few hand loads just to try out. So shooters couple lanes over commented on the ping so of course I said try couple rounds. 11 year old boy had big smile on his face. My 16 year old son got last couple of clips and loved it too.

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I would say “Pictures or it didn’t happen” but I figure you’re a little busy today Devil Dog so, never mind. ;)
 

I love my Garand. In 2002 my daughter asked if she could have it. I gave it to her. This year for Father’s Day she gave it back to me. 
 

When I got it the gun was a Korean lend lease gun and it looked like someone used it as a boat oar then covered it with cosmoline. I paid $269 for it in 1990. It had 1952 stamped on the barrel. The barrel had the weirdest ring wore out of the rifling about 3”- 4” from the muzzle. It shot okay but eventually I had a “Garandsmith” put a new stock on it, bedded the action. Installed a .308 barrel, accurized the gun by taking pressure points off the barrel and I had a NM front sight installed. I left the original rear. What a shooter she was after that. 
 

I had always assumed the gun was made in 1952, then a few months ago I looked up the serial number and it turns out it was made in 1943. 
 

I haven’t had a chance to shoot it since Father’s Day due to this CoVid crap but that will change soon. I found out that the outdoor ranges are open in my area. 
 

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Several years ago I was going to Georgia to spend Christmas with my daughter. My son-in-law's mother and sister and nephew and nephew's girlfriend we're also going to Georgia to spend Christmas. That house was kinda full.

 

I emailed nephew, telling him that I had heard he was coming and since I was planning on bringing several guns, did he have anything in particular that he would like to shoot (him living in a place that did not allow you to shoot a gun). He said he would like to shoot a cowboy gun, and he would like to shoot an army gun.

 

So one of the guns I brought was my Garand. Don't have any pictures of him shooting it, but here's my daughter. She's better looking anyhow.

 

 

Missie Garand.jpg

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Here is a picture of my virtual rifle, that you have probably seen several times. Purchased from CMP and refurbished by a fellow back east. He did an excellent job, and I got back a virtual new reifle, with a stock upgrade. I tried to contact him after trying it out, only to find that he had passed and his daughter was running the business. Soon thereafter his web sight disappeared. I hope she survived and is still carrying on the business. 

 

A search of the serial number tells me it was one of the last production runs for Springfield Armory (US Springfield),  circa 1956/57.

I entered the army in 1958 so it has some meaning for me. I was issued an M1 in Ft. Riley, so the memory stuck. I still recall training with it. 1926715200_DSCF0179(1).thumb.JPG.0c6694b7cbd6cc439a7d7ec6def5cfbb.JPG

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9 minutes ago, Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 said:

Here is a picture of my virtual rifle

Wow! Love the wood on your Garand. Just beautiful. ;)

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I got to shoot a Garand on the range a couple of weeks ago.  Also got to shoot a dialed-in 1903 A3...loved it.  Holding history in my hands!!!

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Springfield, 1942 production.  CMP was nice to me back in '87...  :blush:

 

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In good company~!  ^_^

 

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Story time

 

When I was stationed in Gablingen Kaserne, back in 1959, my Squad Leader's TOE was an M1 Garand. Typical GI rifle. Few nicks and bruises on the stock. But this particular rifle had some nice finish on the rifle's metal. 

 

So each evening  he would disassmble it and and place the wood close to the radiator in the room. After mess, he would take the warm stock and work it with linseed oil. He also raised the dents and sanded and oiled the wood. After a few weeks of this it looked like it was just off the Springfield, Massachusetts show room floor. We had some kind of parade coming up so the top, 1 Sergeant Willingham, borrowed it for the parade.   RHIP Soldier. I think Sgt Katzenburger was proud that his rifle was so displayed. Old Top was a Buldog of a soldier. We had some very good leadership. I carried a 1911 and waltzed with one of these.

 

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Two M1s (Springfield and International Harvester) and an '03 (Remington)...   ^_^

 

 

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My M1 Garand is a 1943 receiver and nearly all SA parts, including the 6-45 barrel. My father bought it back in the 1960s so it's still 100% as-issued. Pictured here along with my 1943 Inland M1 Carbine. It was easy to dig up this pic because somebody took it and posted it on Wikipedia without my knowledge or consent and labeled it as public domain.

 

Garandcar.jpg

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I don't wanna say, "We told you so."

 

But we did. :D

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I just noticed that Sixgun's rifles are nearly the same length. I have little to no experience with the M1 Carbine. 

I watched an NCO demonstrate how to disassemble and assemble it, and later shook the hand of a fellow that

had used one in Korea.  HUH!

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No combat experience, but my first bigbore rifle was an M-1 Rifle (Garand), a LendLease return with British proof marks.  Made in Nov 1941.  I bought an M-1 Carbine from DCM back in the early '60's. (Let that one slip away a few years later.)  My Dad would go on 2-weeks active duty as a reserve JAG officer at Ft. Sheridan, Illinois, when I was a teen. He fixed it with the post S-2 that I could shoot with any reserve unit using the post range, if the unit C.O. approved.  Army Reserve units would come out with M-1 Carbines.  Marine Reserve units were still armed with M-1 Garands.  Those Marine gunnies were the ones who taught me to shoot using my M-1 rifle.  Some of them had fought in WWII and Korea.  Marines got ride of the carbines after Korea.  Said they jammed too easily in cold weather, and stop ChiComs real well either!  Sometimes, when an Army Reserve unit would be shooting their carbines, I would shoot my Garand.  The guys manning the targets in the butts wondered what was coming over their heads from the sound of the M2 Ball coming at them! :o:P 

Got in the Air Force and nobody taught me anything about shooting small arms (only surveying and aiming 5500 mile range "mortars".  Had to qualify annually with a .38 Spl. revolver.  Since I had been shooting my own Ruger Flattop .44 Mangle-em and Dad's .M1911A-1, it was no big deal.  Except the first time I went out, the piece I was given was shaving jacket material (.38 Spl Ball), I was afraid of killing someone on either side of me.  I cleared the piece and asked the range NCO if I could use my own gun.  He said, sure, as long as I used their ball ammo. Went to town, bought a Combat Magnum, which I used to qualify several years in a row.  Sold it to a wildlife officer after I got out.  (Give me something bigger than .38 caliber for all purposes!).

Stay well and safe!

Merry Christmas to all!

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17 hours ago, Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 said:

I just noticed that Sixgun's rifles are nearly the same length. I have little to no experience with the M1 Carbine. 

I watched an NCO demonstrate how to disassemble and assemble it, and later shook the hand of a fellow that

had used one in Korea.  HUH!

 

The similar length is mostly an optical illusion from the pics. And there is definitely a weight and power difference! Both are similarly fun to shoot though.

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I believe I'll go down and ring in Christmas this afternoon. Temperature is u to 36°. I won't even have to shoot from inside the man cave. :D

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