M1 Garand help please

[Sniper338]

I need help learning what to look for and how to select a garand.

I want a really nice authentic springfield, 30-06 garand. OR, as close to it as i can get... and want to be able to shoot it here and there too... i love having collector guns, but they are worthless to me if i cant shoot them every once and a while and enjoy it. The value doesnt mean anything to me, the history in my hands does..

Where do i start looking for this venture? All help is appreciated.


And this will extend to 1903a3, m1a1, 1917 enfield, and other american military rifles

 

[M14AMU]

CMP

 

[people]

Yes the CMP has great information. It has been a few years but their forum is good.

 

[msinc]

I would suggest you first get your hands on a copy of J.C. Harrison's book titled, "Collecting The Garand II". This is the best reference for determining rifles that are correct from a collectors standpoint.
The next thing I would say is that there are very few Garands that are correct, because even the U.S. Army swapped out parts during depot maintenance. The problem is that the majority of Garands were in some foreign country for many years under the so-called "lend lease program" and they were even further mixed up.
Don't be too picky or you might never enjoy one. Some "collector" parts are not the best to have as a shooter either. Getting a good hammer can be tough...no one is making them new, there are no NOS hammers left and when the trigger hooks on the back wear the gun will double. Forget about a good bullet guide. I haven't seen one of those in spec for 15 years and again, they are not made new/aftermarket either. There is another way to time the rifle though, it works fine and you are probably going to get a rifle that has already had this done, if you do get one that is in time.
Good G.I. period correct barrels are just about impossible too...I have had many Garands over the years and, like you, I really enjoy shooting them. My current one is all period correct with all the numbers matching but it has an aftermarket 308 barrel and I shoot it a lot.
I would also caution you about paying too much for a stock because it has all the correct cartouches...some years back someone was making the "brands" or stamps to mark stocks. They weren't cheap, but they sold a lot of them and now there are way too many "period correct marked" stocks out there.

 

[spclark]

http://www.usrifleteams.com/

I invite you to come join the National Match Forum hosted at that website. You'll find a number of members (many are members here!) well able to offer first-hand knowledge of these fine rifles, some going all the way back to when they first appeared.

There's a Long Range Forum too but the NM Forum's where M1's feel more at home.

Feel free to join both if you like! You have to sign up twice, once for each forum, though you can use the same user name & password for both.

 

[danny]

I've never seen a Garand with any numbers matching each other, let alone all of them, and I have handled hundreds, if not thousands of Collector and Correct Grades. It is impossible to have even two part numbers being the same on one M1, unless, of course, someone might, somehow add fake numbers.

Danny

I would suggest you first get your hands on a copy of J.C. Harrison's book titled, "Collecting The Garand II". This is the best reference for determining rifles that are correct from a collectors standpoint.
The next thing I would say is that there are very few Garands that are correct, because even the U.S. Army swapped out parts during depot maintenance. The problem is that the majority of Garands were in some foreign country for many years under the so-called "lend lease program" and they were even further mixed up.
Don't be too picky or you might never enjoy one. Some "collector" parts are not the best to have as a shooter either. Getting a good trigger can be tough...no one is making them new, there are no NOS triggers left and when the trigger hooks wear the gun will double. Forget about a good bullet guide. I haven't seen one of those in spec for 15 years and again, they are not made new/aftermarket either. There is another way to time the rifle though, it works fine and you are probably going to get a rifle that has already had this done, if you do get one that is in time.
Good G.I. period correct barrels are just about impossible too...I have had many Garands over the years and, like you, I really enjoy shooting them. My current one is all period correct with all the numbers matching but it has an aftermarket 308 barrel and I shoot it a lot.
I would also caution you about paying too much for a stock because it has all the correct cartouches...some years back someone was making the "brands" or stamps to mark stocks. They weren't cheap, but they sold a lot of them and now there are way too many "period correct marked" stocks out there.

 

[msinc]

I've never seen a Garand with any numbers matching each other, let alone all of them, and I have handled hundreds, if not thousands of Collector and Correct Grades. It is impossible to have even two part numbers being the same on one M1, unless, of course, someone might, somehow add fake numbers.

Danny

Not sure what you mean here...I never suggested that "all numbers match" or ever did or should match. The numbers on the parts should be close to the correct numbered part for the year of the rifles serial number, i.e., you should not have a rear sight with a lock bar on a gas trap gun, etc.
I corrected my post about the trigger...it should have read and now does "hammer"....

Whoever was the tech advisor for "Saving Private Ryan" was good...all the rifles had bare stainless gas cylinders. Those rifles would have been made when they painted the cylinders black and the paint quickly burned off.

 

[akajun]

As others have stated , a cmp service grade special, $700.

 

[GotRDid]

CMP is the way to go, and there are plenty of reputable fellows there that frequently sell Service Grade (or better) rifles in most of the variants you list.
As for a Service Grade Special, they are different from the Service Grades for $700. The Specials are built up in either .308 or .30-06 to near match grade quality and typically with the current CMP marked stocks, and at approx $1,100. Lots to be learned by visiting the Forums there.
As a Garand Collector and Volunteer Armorer for various KY VFW, American Legion, and Disabled Veteran's Posts, I can personally vouch for the information to be gleaned simply by reading the FAQ section alone.
Feel free to contact me if you wish to ask specific questions.
As stated before, there are few Collector grade Garands, but there are lots of Corrected Garands available. Likewise, there are lots of counterfeit stocks, etc, but parts are still relatively available to replace/repair any rifle you may acquire.
I have been actively shooting/collecting Garands since 1999, and have built 7 rifles from stripped receivers to include finish reaming the chambers on Criterion barrels.
Start here to begin your education, but be warned, it can become an addiction (Garanditis). http://forums.thecmp.org/
Good Luck!
GotRDid.