Garand guys?

Crazy Carl

Crazy Carl

are ya freakin' kidding me?
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My good buddy @thrillhill let me shoot his Garand last week & I am hooked. I'd always heard great things, but never had a chance to shoot one till he invited me down to do some shooting.

Loved, loved, loved how it handled & shot. We weren't shooting any kinda distance, just firing a couple clips at chunks of wood floating in the creek at 25-ish yards. Just felt "right" & hit everything I pointed it at.

Now what?

Looked at CMP, but everything is sold out except for Springfield or H&Rs Field Grades for $650. Don't want a wall hanger or trophy & don't care about numbers matching or manufacturer. I want a shooter. The example I was privileged to put a few rounds through was a Special Grade with new wood & a Criterion barrel & is much more what I'm after.

Take my chances with a Field Grade, or hunt for a Special grade? Best place to find one & not get taken? What's a fair price for them these days?

I had a hunch that visit might cost me money, but I really liked that thing a LOT more than I expected.
 
I got my rifle from CMP, Winchester model. You have to check the website, they have been on shutdown for the virus. Get on their email list to learn when more inventory is added. Consider getting your C&R FFL #3 license so the rifle ships directly to you. The Garand Collectors Association uploads their membership list to the GCA. This meets one of the eligibility requirements.

https://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/eligibility-requirements/
https://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/rifle-sales/

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/curios-relics

https://thegca.org/
 
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I think I'm GTG with purchase requirements. Range I belong to is CMP legit, NRA member, veteran, etc. Haven't drilled down into specifics, but should be good.

Looking at what folks are asking for 'em on GB, I may be better off to buy the rack grade for $650 & have them fit a Criterion barrel, do a trigger job & glass bed the stock.

Dumb question- how do scopes work on these? CMP does a reasonable M1D upgrade. My eyes can use all the help they can get.
 
Would you consider a kinda sorta substitute ... Springfield M1A? Basically a semi-auto M14 so it’s kinda a .308win Garand that’s uses mags instead of EnBlocs. Basically you have a little lighter cartridge that’s a little more budget friendly which is not to bad. Now the EnBloc thing means not having the “ping” that most know but you are far less likely of getting a Garand Thumb.

As to price CMP Specials like you’re talking are not coming on the market to often and not cheap ... last used one I saw was a consignment at $1500 and it actually didn’t last long. In that neighborhood you can get a Standard M1A or for maybe $125-150 more the M1A Loaded with a barrel and trigger upgrade.
 
NCFubar said:
Would you consider a kinda sorta substitute ... Springfield M1A? Basically a semi-auto M14 so it’s kinda a .308win Garand that’s uses mags instead of EnBlocs. Basically you have a little lighter cartridge that’s a little more budget friendly which is not to bad. Now the EnBloc thing means not having the “ping” that most know but you are far less likely of getting a Garand Thumb.

As to price CMP Specials like you’re talking are not coming on the market to often and not cheap ... last used one I saw was a consignment at $1500 and it actually didn’t last long. In that neighborhood you can get a Standard M1A or for maybe $125-150 more the M1A Loaded with a barrel and trigger upgrade.
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I considered that. Think I'd want the Scout Squad version & it seemed to run $1500 - $1600 when anyone had 'em in stock.

Never shot one, though.

I do know however, that I really dig the M1. May do the CMP thing & see what happens from there. Could be it does what I want without spending a ton of money.
 
I would go the CMP route. I have been pleased with everything that I have gotten from the CMP. Several Garands, M1 Carbine, multiple M-44US .22 rifles, parts and ammo. I would not hesitate to buy another Garand from them. And I bought my Garand's when you got the luck of the draw and did not get to specify which manufacturer.

Start with the cheapest grade available and then swap out parts with how you want to build it. Any GI parts you remove, can be sold.
 
NCFubar said:
Would you consider a kinda sorta substitute ... Springfield M1A? Basically a semi-auto M14 so it’s kinda a .308win Garand that’s uses mags instead of EnBlocs. Basically you have a little lighter cartridge that’s a little more budget friendly which is not to bad. Now the EnBloc thing means not having the “ping” that most know but you are far less likely of getting a Garand Thumb.

As to price CMP Specials like you’re talking are not coming on the market to often and not cheap ... last used one I saw was a consignment at $1500 and it actually didn’t last long. In that neighborhood you can get a Standard M1A or for maybe $125-150 more the M1A Loaded with a barrel and trigger upgrade.
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I second the M1A option. While I like Garands, I like the box magazine feed approach on the M14/M1A platform better. You might be able to find a deal ( cash talks ) on a loaded M1A ready to go.


Check out this high end variant of a "Loaded" M1A Scout Squad type rifle...
http://www.smithenterprise.com/products02.html
 
There's absolutely nothing wrong with a field grade Garand for a shooter. It's been years since I've bought one from the CMP but I do recall that their grading was usually on the generous side. Worst case, it might need to be rebarreled but you may just have a fine shooter out of the box. I'd trust a CMP field-grade M1 over a gunbroker service-grade M1 any day.

I love both my M1's and my M1A but personally I think that I shoot the M1 better. The external magazine just seems to interfere with my shooting positions and support hand.
 
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The CMP rifles all meet the military’s requirement for being serviceable. Every part is USGI and the bore is good on all of them, some just a little better than others. The M1-A’s will not match the standards that the M-1 Garands possess from the get go. And you don’t need a scope to shoot the Garand as long as you can see the front sight. Several old geezers I know shoot very well with the battle sights just as they are, most over 70 years old. Best rifle for the money bar none.
 
I also recommend the field grade from CMP. Mainly because of peace of mind. If you buy a rifle from CMP, you know EXACTLY what you are getting - and what you are getting is a USGI rifle in good, issuable mechanical working condition, with a guarantee that it will meet the advertised standard. If you get a broken or out of spec part, they will quickly replace it free of charge. I have bought a number of Garands through CMP over the years and only twice in that time have I found a part that was cracked or broken (one was a cracked bullet guide and one was a cracked op rod catch). Both times, I sent them an email and had a replacement part in my hands in a matter of days, free of charge. They stand behind their rifles.

On the open market, you could theoretically stumble onto a really good deal on a nice rifle. Or, you could get burnt buying a rifle built on a re-welded receiver or a recovered drill rifle put together with out of spec parts. You might be buying a rack grade rifle for a collector grade price. Do you have the knowledge, experience and/or tools to identify the difference?

I know a guy that bought a nice, supposedly "correct" Garand for a pretty steep price at a gun show, but later found out the receiver was a torch cut reweld, and none of the internals actually matched. I know another guy who paid $900 for a wartime Springfield that looked fine, but the bore was trashed, and both the trigger guard and stock were so worn out, the trigger group would literally unlatch and try to fall out of the rifle after every shot unless you held it in with your free hand.

In my opinion, CMP is the only way to go for Garands unless you are buying from someone knowledgeable that you know you can trust. Otherwise, you are just rolling dice
 
Good to know, guys. Thanks. Better get my stuff together for CMP.

The Garand seriously surprised me. LOP, balance & handling were like it was made for me. Decent trigger & I loved the sights. Not too heavy & was very surprised at how soft it shot (late '70's Greek surplus, IIRC).
 
I've only ever got to shoot a garand once, and I thought it was really cool. Always wanted one, but didn't get one when they were somewhat affordable from the CMP, and finding them outside the CMP adds a few hundred $$$ to the price. Finding a really nice one can be tough too.

When I finally break down and decide to get a 30 cal battle rifle, I'll probably go with the Springfield M1A. Based on what I've seen, they're similar in size, weight, action, and power, and you get a new rifle for the same cost of an old garand.
 
Just to echo all above, CMP is the way to go. Bought 3 from them, Springfield, Winchester and International Harvester. Never disappointed.

Field grades just have a little more of a "been there, done that" look. They won't sell it if it's not a good shooter.

No need for a CR license, CMP can ship direct to you.

.
 
Gator said:
Just to echo all above, CMP is the way to go. Bought 3 from them, Springfield, Winchester and International Harvester. Never disappointed.

Field grades just have a little more of a "been there, done that" look. They won't sell it if it's not a good shooter.

No need for a CR license, CMP can ship direct to you.

.
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I would love to have an International Harvester Garand!!
 
Get your credentials in order with CMP, and if you don't mind the 9 or 10% sales tax, find a reason to go to Talladega or Anniston, AL, and pick out your own rifle instead of mail order pot luck. I usually go once a year and you never know what will be on the racks besides Garands. They usually have a few M1903s, 03A3s, M1917s, occasionally a M1903A4, and other various rifles that are in the U.S. inventory such as my Kimber 82G and Remington 40Xs
 
I'm late to this party, but I'll add to the "go CMP" clamor. I started out with one, and now I have five (!) One of each of the major makers, and one in .308. The .308 is a special field grade, three are service grades, and one is a service grade special. All are great. Expect some variance in the grades. If you want to shoot, a field grade should be fine. With an M1 you won't have the weight and bulk of the box mag. CMP eligibility/paperwork is easy. Over the years I've seen some truly ratty crap examples of M1s at both gun shows and LGS, and all for stupid prices, especially considering what they were. CMP gives you much more assurance for much less money; what's not to like? I don't NEED any more, but it's quite tempting to order more just for the rush of having a carrier bring a rifle TO MY HOUSE :D knowing that somewhere, someone can't stand that.
 
ERE99 said:
They usually have a few M1903s, 03A3s, M1917s, occasionally a M1903A4, and other various rifles that are in the U.S. inventory such as my Kimber 82G and Remington 40Xs
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awww man.
I was counting on dropping a small fortune when I go build to the "build your own" class next month...
but a couple of small fortunes?
 
I have a Navy Garand with the pressed-in chamber spacer that turned a 30/06 into a 308. It shoots well, but I am always worried that the spacer might start moving around after all these decades it I get it too hot shooting it. It does leave a slight ring around the fired cases where the end of the insert is. I have enough other Garands to shoot and only take this one to the range on special occasions. I also have a drop-in magazine spacer to keep me from putting 30/06 rounds in the magazine but decided not to use it because it is not really necessary.
 
I took the Springfield M1D Yeet Cannon out for some exercise today.

IMG_20200718_195016.jpg

Unfortunately, the M84 scope was professionally cleaned, refurbed and reset to the original settings. Now, when mounted to my rifle, it is about 12 inches left at 100 with no more dial remaining for windage. And I do not have a spanner screwdriver to loosen and reset the windage turret to allow me to gain more dial to bring it on over to zero. It's not a big problem, I just don't have the right tool to fix it yet. Still fun to shoot, but it'll be even more fun once I can actually zero it.
 
GeorgeBush said:
https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/874062979
Here is an interesting gun. Check out that 'buy it now' price.
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For his BIN price, I'd want to see documentation showing it's a USN rifle.

The CMP did sell Mk2 Mod 1 barreled receivers in the past, and those specimens are going in the $1200 range for complete rifles, $950 for barreled receivers. The barrel is correct for a Mk2 Mod 1, but I'd wager he cobbled it together and is calling it a USN rifle. The last time I saw a genuine USN Mk2 Mod 1 rifle for sale, it was a documented SecNav trophy rifle and went for $2300

Buy the rifle... not the story.
 
I'm going to repeat all the other advice. I bought my first Garand mail order from CMP as a field grade. I was fully expecting to re-build and refinish it until I finally received it. I was so happy with its patina of 70 years of use and its level of accuracy that I kept it as is. If you went this route and got one you didn't like, you could always sell it for at least what you have in it and try again.

If you really want new wood or a new barrel, then you can't beat the deal they give you on special grades. If you were to get a field grade and put the new stuff on it, I'm confident you would be a couple hundred dollars above the price of a CMP special. This is also a great way to get a .308, which would be way easier to feed than an 06.

I would love to go down to Alabama and pick one off a rack. That would be so satisfying. I can't find a reason to be down there when they are open so mail order was my only option.
 
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