i know i know. all the old hands with the garand are gonna go ballistic with "here we go again". don't blame em. but i have some questions. looking at a garand, springfield, dated 4/1951. which is kinda cool cause thats my b day. anyways, does that designate the date of mfg or the date of rebuild. maybe it was in korea? that date is on the bbl. the # on the reciever is not the same as on the bolt so that suks but i expected it to be a parts gun anyways so...! i used to compete in the 90s at ft.bliss w/my M1A and can see like 95% of it in this garand. been a little cheaper too if i hadda a got one back then! can anyone tell me what the ser # on the reciever designates? as in dates of mfg etc. THANKS

Good question. The answer is that the barrel is the only part that is dated. So, the barrel date of 4-51 is the date that the barrel was made. Since Springfield armory made no M1s in 1951, the rifle was not made then.
Give me the receiver serial number and I will tell you the manufacture date. Spare barrels were made in quantity because all the ammo then was corrosive and WW2 barrels quickly got used up.
Look on one of the receiver legs and sometimes it will be electric penciled with the rebuild date; usually not. For example it might say, BA4, 3-61, meaning it was rebuilt at Anniston in March 61. BA4 is a RIC code, a kind of supply code.
Also often the stock will have rebuild marks on it; like SA in a box without a bottom, RA, for Raritan Arsenal, BA for Benicia Arsenal. etc.

ser # is 53663@@
stock is brand new from 2x4s. are original stocks available?

Thats about a 1955 manufacture and the stock would have had the DoD eagle and stars proof mark. Hundreds of them on that big auction site. All conditions.

that being gunbroker site?

No, the biggest one on the planet. eBay.

I believe the numbers on the barrel, bolt, and some other parts are "drawing numbers" or kind of like parts numbers so they will not match the serial number of the rifle.

Many other parts are numbered with drawing (part) numbers and revision numbers. They are not serial numbers, but they are loosely tied to production dates as they varied from 1942 all the way through production end in 1956/7. Only the barrels are dated. Since yours has been rebuilt at some point in it's life, it is likely all mixed parts. I can tell you the manufacture dates if you send me the numbers, if you care.

next time i dig it outta the safe i will do that. thanks

Go to the CMP forum and look around. A wealth of information.

http://forums.thecmp.org/forumdisplay.php?f=7

Dupage Trading is a great source for gunstocks and parts.

https://www.dupagetrading.com

The Garand bug is a tough one to shake. :-)

what is more desirable collector wise? a SA action and SA bbl dated 4/51 or a SA action w/a Marlin bbl dated 4/53. the SA/Marlin combo is in a lot better shape.

the marlin bbl (which i have found out is fairly rare) also has a tag reading:
MUZZLE READING 1+

THROAT READING 3

meaning ??? anybody?
thanks

quote:

Originally posted by john c.:
the marlin bbl (which i have found out is fairly rare) also has a tag reading:
MUZZLE READING 1+

THROAT READING 3

meaning ??? anybody?
thanks

Wear and tear readings with gauges. Most important being muzzle reading for accuracy that is very good in that case.

good to know. i joined the CMP as reccommended above but still have not been given access to ask questions (post). however, lots of good infor there while trolling.

quote:

Originally posted by john c.:
what is more desirable collector wise? a SA action and SA bbl dated 4/51 or a SA action w/a Marlin bbl dated 4/53. the SA/Marlin combo is in a lot better shape.

As always, collecting is about originality and condition. The Marlin barrels were used on post WWII re-builds/overhauls, as far as I know. But they have a good reputation for accuracy.

A muzzle reading of 1+ would normally mean the muzzle is in good shape and boogered up by cleaning rod use. A throat reading of 3 means it has been shot a lot. But until you shoot it, you'll never know. I had a 1903 that probably had a throat reading of 4 or more, and the bore was rough. But it shot as well.

Since neither gun seems to be original, you have two average Garands - and that is not a bad thing. Shoot and enjoy.

more good infor. thanks
still not able to post/ask questions on the CMP site. maybe someday

still can't post on the CMP site. grrr. whats the circle P stand for on a stocks wrist grip?

installed a new op rod spring from a kit from orion 7 ?? saw that the op rod is a NM. when i get a little braver i will attempt to replace the other springs that came with the kit. spent 2 hours tearing down my reloading room today and not even close to being done. fun.

help!! does anyone have any pull or contacts at the CMP site? still can post and i have questions about my garands. they say my registration is in line to be seen (approved) by a moderator etc etc
thanks

quote:

Originally posted by john c.:
still can't post on the CMP site. grrr. whats the circle P stand for on a stocks wrist grip?

Proof mark.

quote:

Originally posted by john c.:
help!! does anyone have any pull or contacts at the CMP site? still can post and i have questions about my garands. they say my registration is in line to be seen (approved) by a moderator etc etc
thanks

Weird that it is taking that long. How long since you first applied?

Here's a great site showing serial number appropriate proof and cartouche marks:

http://www.trfindley.com/pgsnstmpsm1.html

One thing, don't be too crazy about replacing springs. If they work, they work. Sometimes newer springs can cause problems. But, the Orion 7 springs should be good to go.

For the price of two boxes of ammo, join the Garand Collectors Association.

http://thegca.org

Nice newsletter and books available. Garands are just cool. You'll never get that big grin firing an AR-15 that you get pulling the trigger on an M-1.

quote:

Originally posted by john c.:
help!! does anyone have any pull or contacts at the CMP site? still can post and i have questions about my garands. they say my registration is in line to be seen (approved) by a moderator etc etc
thanks

Asked the question in the "Ask Each Other" Forum. We'll see if I get an answer for you.

appreciate it!!
it has been like maybe 2-3 weeks. i AM able to troll the site and saw where one guy said he was finally able to contact someone at CMP and get permission to post. i have sent 4 message to the "contact us" and have yet to receive an answer.
i agree, plastic guns have their place but not with me. to me, nothing beats a wood stock.
shot my first few rds ever from a garand yesterday. i killed a mulch pile w/some of my reloads i wanted to check for function. first one out the clip was real hard to get to feed. think maybe my after market magazines are too stiff/tite.
shot good though. the safety was holy hell to put on or off. gotta find out why and correct that.

thank you for the help!

Here's the answer that I got:

http://forums.thecmp.org/showt...=1714710#post1714710

"Quote:
Originally Posted by A7Dave View Post
Question from a new guy. He applied for Forum access about two weeks ago and is still awaiting "moderator approval". I would have thought approval would have been just a few days? Anyone know usual time required for approval? He's got Garanditis and a bunch of questions!

From the Moderator, "Big Red":
We know its a misnomer, but actually its not the moderators that can approve forum access. It has to be done by one of only two administrators.
Considering that there are 100's of requests for forum access each week, most of them bogus/scammers/spammers, it takes a while to weed through them all.

More importantly, there is not ONE person involved with these forums who is dedicated to supporting it as a sole, dedicated job or responsibility.
Even the folks at CMP who are administrators or otherwise help with/post information to the forum have full-time jobs there that entail other, and in some cases, completely unrelated duties.

I know this will chaff the sensitivities of some here, but the forum is a non-essential entity that, at best, simply supplements the CMP mission, so a minimalist approach is taken, both in expenditure of funds and manpower support.
Which is why it doesn't host photos, avatars, doesn't employ commercial sponsorship, and most actions can take time, including reviewing and approving access. As Ghost once said: Simple = cheap.

As per the announcement in the Forum Webmaster section here...
http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=187848
Have them send an email to that address with their name, location (city/state at least) and email address they used to register, requesting access...helps admin in trying to check/verify their IP address/info so they can grant them access.

Also, I try my best to facilitate new member requests whenever possible...have them send me a PM with their info and I will pass that along as well.

But with the amount of bogus access requests we receive, it can take up to several weeks to get access (in some cases, more), depending on what demands the staff at CMP are having to balance, and/or if the requests come in the middle of the sporadic avalanches of access requests we get when spammers use bulk username generators to submit hundreds of username requests in the span of a day or two.

Regards,
Rob"

ok, well i will definantely send some more infor then. the second link in blue you posted i have tried b4, and just did again, and when you click on it nothing happens.
thanks again

A7DAVE................PM sent

I sent them your info. Any Garand questions in the meantime?

thanks again. it must of worked cause after a month i finally got permission to post there today. i guarantee you i will have more questions.

Mine is marked on the base of receiver Springfield Armory.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
Mine is marked on the base of receiver Springfield Armory.

They're all marked that way on the receiver.

The only difference is the maker: S.A., Winchester, HRA, or IHC.

Don't worry about the cmp site; just post all your M1 questions here, or PM me, and I will answer them, correctly.
Been working with them since 1969. still am.

O.K. so where is the mfg.listing?! BTW Tom, thanks for the help on the muzzle loader.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
O.K. so where is the mfg.listing?!

Huh? You mean on an M1 Garand?

Yes. I already said that it is marked Springfield Armory at the base of the receiver top tang but some one here said that they were all marked like that.SOOO,where is an additional mfg. mark?

only the ones marked (made by) SPRINGFIELD ARMORY will say SPRINGFIELD ARMORY

Thank you.that was my thought but wanted to ask before bothering Charlie Wallace.

Ok,don't forget that Springfield Armory of Geneses IL also made M1 receivers and rifles and they are marked as such, but the serial numbers are above those made at the one in Mass. In the 7 million range.
So, it is easy to get the two confused unless you look closely at the markings. I used to have several of those and I recall that there is a little R next to the marking. Meaning Registered Trade Mark. At least on some of them.

nother question concerning the CMP garands. how can they ship to a non ffl holder? any other non antique gun has to go to a dealer. just curious