quote:

Originally posted by iamgene:
Terry,

Nice rig....work by DGR?

Two beers for you! The man does great work and is a great guy.

Terry

quote:

Originally posted by Savage99:
What with the eight shot magazine which makes it illegal here for hunting

As long as all you have on you is a clip that cannot physically hold more than five rounds, you are good to go.

Besides, the capacity limitation on centerfire hunting rifles is not universal. Several states have NO capacity restrictions for hunting rifles or shotguns, except for the Federal ones for migratory birds.

Right, They do sell 5 rnd Garand clips. I've got one around here somewhere.

Terry

quote:

Originally posted by TC1:

quote:

Originally posted by iamgene:
Terry,

Nice rig....work by DGR?

Two beers for you! The man does great work and is a great guy.

Terry

I concur!

Dean's does some of the best work on M1's, 03's, M1a's etc. out there.

Have his fancy walnut, Bastogne and maple stocks...he just built me a nice LRB M1A on my parts kit as well.

Good people.

Well, ignoring the fine history of an M1 Garand, it is heavy, expensive, and only shoots the 30-06. It is not legal here for hunting deer since it has an 8 round magazine and is semi-auto. I think I would pass on owning one and just enjoy looking at some one elses.

You can't hunt Oregon with a semi-auto? (Remington 7600, Browning BAR, Winchester 100, etc?) They sell Garand 5 rnd clips. It only comes in the .30-06 because it's best cartridge ever made

Yes, by today's ultralight standards the Garand would be heavy. My Grandfather carried one across Europe, didn't bother him too much. I think I could carry one on a day long hunt.

Ok, not the best hunting rifle ever made, but most people don't buy'em for that anyway. It's a fantastic gun with a lot of history behind it. They hold thier value extremely well. They are a pleasure to shoot. I'd buy one and enjoy it.

Terry

quote:

Originally posted by Old Elk Hunter:
Well, ignoring the fine history of an M1 Garand, it is heavy, expensive, and only shoots the 30-06. It is not legal here for hunting deer since it has an 8 round magazine and is semi-auto. I think I would pass on owning one and just enjoy looking at some one elses.

Well, sir, I would respectfull contend that every shooter should have at least one gun that has no other purpose than to pleasure the shooter.

That would be my Garand.

Heck!!! The ole M-1 gun was the first high powered rifle I ever fired (thank you Uncle Sam) and now I have 8 of them. Sure, they are mostly good for target shooting and competitions, unless you live in a benevolenbt state like I do, TEXAS, where you can still hunt with an M-1. I have M-1s in both .30-06 and .308, and they are both a lot of fun to shoot, although right now I am not shooting tham as much as I should. The best place for a Garand purchase is still the ODCMP, best prices and so on. The Greek batch of Garands has produced some really fine examples and some real clunkers. You need to visit the ODCMP website to see them, or if you are close enough attend one of the major gun shows that they also attend, marvelous displays of M-1s!!!! The M-1 Garand is a major chunk of American history, I think every collector ought to own one.
LLS

Disregard my previous post.

Just went out and shot the old Garand this afternoon.

I now must say, any man's arsenal devoid of a Garand, is hardly an arsenal at all.

-Spencer

I bought an SA Garand some 40 years ago. Shot it quite a bit and put it away when I went to graduate school. Been in the safe every since.

Decided to get it out as one of the fellas had been having functioning problems with his Rem M7400 and he's going to need something to hunt this fall.

Cleaned many years of dust out of the bore and found it to be in great shape. Found a couple of hundred spents from the old rifle (seem to have misplaced a couple of cans of ball), a box of ball bullets, and a box of 150 grain Noslers. Loaded some shells from the old recipes in the loading log.

We took it to the range and absolutely pounded the 100 yard target. Rifle functioned like a champ and was even comfortable to shoot.

Other than being a bit cobby, the Garand is a hellova rifle.

Does give you some real respect for the Greatest Generation who dragged them all over the world under the most severe conditions!

Buy one and have a good time with it ... you'll enjoy it!

I'm not In any means trying to piss on the garand,,or ,,anyone here,,,90% of you probably know,but for the 10%,,The garand was designed around the .30 cal. m2 ball ammo,no more ,no less.It is not intended to shoot 200+gr hunting bullets,,Or 125 gr speer tnt's.You really need to keep close to the mil.specs. when loading ammo for it.Like mstarling is doing,,keeping the bullet at around 150 grn,,and he's probably not using max charges[my guess] The garand is a fine and well respected rifle,,but is not a rem 700 with the 7 rings of steel,,It has it's limitations. Have fun,and safe shooting! Clay

heresyourslaw
The Garand is a fun rifle to shoot.
I love it when the 8 round clip flies out of the rifle and goes "PING".
I learned to shoot High Power matches with a Garand, and I have a 308 Garand in full Super Match trim ready and waiting for when I retire [very soon] so I can start shooting High Power again, because for fun it is my favorite High Power rifle. I highly recommend you get one. It is part of American History.
It is the rifle we took to War when WE wanted to Win.

I have a H&R manufactured M1 that a good friend gave me years ago. It looked like it had gone thru both WW II and Korea without a rebuild. The barrel had some minor pits, but still looked pretty good considering. It still shot like a house-a-fire though.

After awhile, the stock started bugging me. It was almost black from the old oil finish and it looked like it had been in a number of bayonet fights and artillary barrages, not too mention firefights. I bought a new one on sale from Midway when they were making lots of stocks. I had no problem installing the stock and it still shot like a house-a-fire.

After some more time, I got tired of the 60-70% finish and packed it off to Fulton Armory for gauging and repark. They replaced the gas cylinder and op rod and returned it. I now had a new rifle with a slightly used barrel and was absolutly happy with their work. Does it still shoot? I don't know. It looks so good that I haven't shot it since. I just ordered a "Service Grade" Garand from the CMP yesterday so I'll have another.

Funny how we do things, eh?

Regards,

Eric

youll love an m-1 garand. i have my as issued dcmm m-1 and one that i have turned into a 308 match rifle. i give the guys with space guns (ar 15 ) and bolt guns a run for there money at matches out to 600 yd. yo will have a blast shooting it

Don't buy a Garand. Unless you happen to like going to a shooting range and shooting a solid, steady holding, accurate rifle that functions flawlessly.

Don't buy a Garand. Unless you like user friendly sights that were the best military sights in the world of it's era and still do pretty darn good today.

Don't buy a Garand. Unless you like to see empties eject with gusto. Unless you like to go to the range and have fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Mauser96:
If "Cool" likes it...stay away. The guy's a major f745K up.

Mauser 96, you are a complete effing idiot. Try and stay "on topic", will ya?


Jordan

I have a WWII Springfield, a late Winchester, an IHC and an H&R. The Springfield is set up as a Garand match rifle and I took third in the WI. state Garand match with it this year. Get one, get three, get a bunch. If you like guns at all, you can't help but like Garands. If nothing else, the historical significance makes them own-worthy. They are fun to shoot and they ain't makin' many more so the value of the originals will continue to climb.

Fast Ed

All good Americans need to own at least one Garand.

Every time I go to the CMP North Store, it is like visiting a museum or historic monument. I can't help but wonder what stories those rifles could tell. Looking at them, your mind wanders to another place and time. Who was the last brave soldier to shoulder this gun? When was it last fired? Did the bullet find it's mark? Who was the target? ...

Any American who can pick up a Garand and not have butterflies in their stomach should be immediately deported to Canada.

Buy a Garand!!!!

And do watch Band of Brothers or Private Ryan. I love hearing those clips going ping! That was the first feature in Band of Brothers that made the series for me, as up to that time literally no one recorded the ping of the clip ejecting! All the comments about that sound being a deadly giveaway may be true, but only if the bad guy is damned close, and the Garand shooter is slow on the reload. Watching some of the actors revealed that "someone" had spent time teaching them the M-1 basics.
LLS

After they witnessed the first one get an m-1 thumb,,I'm shure the rest paid close attention Clay

Buy it and do not look back.Yeah,its a
rifle from the "Old Days",But their still great
fun to shoot.And can be tuned up to shoot like
gangbusters.Bought one for my Boy,when he was 16.Now 28 and still shoots it.

The Garand shoots fine with 125 to 180gr bullets as long as you use 4895 or 4064 for powder.

quote:

Originally posted by Old Elk Hunter:
Well, ignoring the fine history of an M1 Garand, it is heavy, expensive, and only shoots the 30-06. It is not legal here for hunting deer since it has an 8 round magazine and is semi-auto. I think I would pass on owning one and just enjoy looking at some one elses.

You need an education.

First of all, semi automatic rifles are legal for hunting big game in Oregon.

Second, the M1's magazine capacity is dictated by the CLIP that you use to load cartridges with. Finding five round clips is pretty easy, and they make the rifle legal to hunt in states with magazine restrictions, as long as that is the only kind of clip on you in the field.

Third, even if you were right, who cares? The Second Amendment is most definitely NOT about hunting.

Well, my new CMP Garand finally showed up. It is a Springfield Armory, post 1945 production, mostly matching parts. The trigger guard and hammer are Winchester, the rest appears to be all Springfield, but I haven't detail stripped it, nor care too for the moment. There are some rust pits on the receiver where the wood meets the metal, but otherwise the rifle is "very good." The barrel is new, I mean really new.

The stock had a bad crack in the fore end that I cried about, so they sent me another exchange stock. It cleaned up quite well, with some minor dings for character. After some ironing, scraping, whiskering and three rubbings of cherry MinWax (I needed a little red to match the handguards)it pretty much matches. Now I just have to run some rounds through it in the next week or so.

I am happy. The CMP is swell. Life is good.

All smiles,

Eric

I would recomend buying a Garand,mine is a CMP Service Grade.

FREEDOM FLIES IN YOUR HEART
LIKE AN EAGLE
Dusty old helmet, rusty old gun,
They sit in the corner and wait -
Two souvenirs of the Second World War
That have withstood the time, and the hate.
Mute witness to a time of much trouble.
Where kill or be killed was the law -
Were these implements used with high honor?
What was the glory they saw?

Many times I've wanted to ask them -
And now that we're here all alone,
Relics all three of a long ago war -
Where has freedom gone?

Freedom flies in your heart like an eagle.
Let it soar with the winds high above
Among the spirits of soldiers now sleeping,
Guard it with care and with love.

I salute my old friends in the corner,
I agree with all they have said -
And if the moment of truth comes tomorrow,
I'll be free, or By God, I'll be dead!

. . . Audie Murphy

quote:

Originally posted by heresyourslaw:
I'm considering getting one. have any opinions?

Go ahead and buy one...a good one. You will enjoy it, and it will become your best friend. When you get bored, you can learn to put it together in the dark, blindfolded.


PS watch out for Garand thumb!!!!!

You owe it to yourself to own an M1...After 40 years out of the Army, I ordered one from the CMP, rack grade, and when it arrived it was like old home week. The rifle fit in my hands as if it was molded to them...the memories & lessons flooded back like a dam gone bad and that baby was dismantled in a matter of minutes! When it was cleaned we went to the range...zeroed at 200 yds(5 inch groups) and proceeded to hammer away at the 300 yd targets. Not bad for a 60 year old, eh? The Garand would be the best money you ever spent on a rifle.
You want better accuracy than a stock Garand? There are plenty of match parts out there if you like to tinker and enjoy the satisfaction of doing your own enhancements otherwise, there a number of #1 armorers out there who can build up a tack driver for you. Go for it!!

Back in "the day" I carried a Garand for a living (literally) - 25th U.S.Infantry Div. -
Have never gone any extended period without one since then.

As to "buy it now", danged right! Do it pronto. Even if they did make 5.5 million of them all told, they ain't gonna be available forever. And prices WILL keep rising.

Bought my first DCM Garand for $128...it was an As New Winchester, all NM parts where NM pieces had been made for it. For some reason I sold it for $285.

Felt stark-arse naked without it, so bought a DCM Springfield Garand for $165. Kept that longer, but traded it for some ratty bolt gun. Mistake!

Next DCM cost me $400 for one in barely service-grade condition, but at least it had a NM op rod & rear sight, and an apparently brand new stock when it arrived. Sold it for $785.

Couldn't go cold-turkey 3 months without getting my current one...it is an As New International Harvester. Won't tell you what it cost me, but could have got all three of the previous ones at my orginal costs for less money. This one IS NOT getting away.

If anyone hasn't noticed, they are a danged handy instrument in times of need and folks the need WILL come again, regardless what the "heads-where-the-sun-don't-shine" try to sell us.

I bought a 1943 Springfield at a gun show because it was in fine shape at $600 (Couple years ago), and because they're historical.

The Garand will be the "Colt SAA" collectable of the future. They're collectable now.

It's not practical for hunting, although mine came with a 5 shot modified ammo clip. But it is practical as a defensive rifle if that's something you're interested in.

I have an AK-47, and a Rem. 870 12 gauge "riot gun" -- but the Garand in 30-06 is serious stuff. I seriously doubt that I'm ever going to be placed in the position of "defending the homestead" but the Garand is up to that role.

I also got a PAL 1943 bayo for my Garand, matching year of production. Cut down -- The bayos were cut down to 10 1/2" from I think about 20".

But then to put things in perspective here, maybe -- I have a WW-II hand grenade (dummy), and a repro Philidelphia Deringer sitting on the coffee table. Couple Mausers, Mosins, Makarovs, CZ 52, and a foot locker full of bayonets.

Alberta Canuck!

Yeah, spent all my money on firearms, motorcycles, women and liquor. The rest I just pissed away!

quote:

Originally posted by 45/70 Govt.:
I bought a 1943 Springfield at a gun show because it was in fine shape at $600 (Couple years ago), and because they're historical.

The Garand will be the "Colt SAA" collectable of the future. They're collectable now.

It's not practical for hunting, although mine came with a 5 shot modified ammo clip. But it is practical as a defensive rifle if that's something you're interested in.

I have an AK-47, and a Rem. 870 12 gauge "riot gun" -- but the Garand in 30-06 is serious stuff. I seriously doubt that I'm ever going to be placed in the position of "defending the homestead" but the Garand is up to that role.

I also got a PAL 1943 bayo for my Garand, matching year of production. Cut down -- The bayos were cut down to 10 1/2" from I think about 20".

But then to put things in perspective here, maybe -- I have a WW-II hand grenade (dummy), and a repro Philidelphia Deringer sitting on the coffee table. Couple Mausers, Mosins, Makarovs, CZ 52, and a foot locker full of bayonets.

Where did you dream up the thought that garands aren't suitable for hunting ?I was a range master for our club for garand qualification, when we started receiving the garands one of the shooters told me he used his garand to take a mule deer in Colorado so I eventually did the same thing shooting one thru the neck at approx 250+ yards.A man I knew had 2 sniper models and 2 issue types that he used to hunt elk ,deer and bear all over the western USA.I recently purchased a mini scope mount from http://www.amegaranges.com for my garand.Another source is http://www.ultimak.com

I had three of them, gave one to my 75 year old cousin whose eyes were bulging out when he saw the old warhorse he carried in the military in the early 1950s. All were/are Springfield field grades from the CMP.

If you want one, you should buy it soon. Thanks...Bill.

Ohhhhhhhh you can hunt with them. Oregon requires a 5 shot magazin/clip. You can modify an 8 rd. or buy after-market.

But it's big, heavy, not the fastest pointing gun in the safe. I've never seen one with a scope, and these days "hunting rifles" have scopes. Hell, "hunting pistols" have scopes.

But I'm impressed with the Garand as a "defense" gun. 8 rds 30-06 in semi-auto. That's some serious firepower. A bayonet, and furniture that will stand up to serious "butt slams" on an assailiant.

But mostly I'd get one because they're historical. Get one while you can, because they're not making them any more.