Question regarding M1 Garand purchase

[davegonewild]

Hi guys, looking for some good advise. What should I be looking for when purchasing an old M1 Garand? Anything I need to stay away from?

[Tere_Hanges]

Hi guys, looking for some good advise. What should I be looking for when purchasing an old M1 Garand? Anything I need to stay away from?

Well this question has been asked many times.

I would only consider a USGI receiver.

So you are probably looking for either HRA (Harrington and Richardson) or SA (Springfield Armory). There are also Winchester and IHC (International Harvester) but those are getting really expensive now.

In general, do as you would for any used or surplus gun. Check function, overall condition of wood and metal. And of course the condition of bore. Even better if you know TE and ME measurements.

[SonofWWIIDI]

You can get an old rack/service/field grade, or a refurbished like new one. Depends on how much $$$$ you want to spend.

If you want a refurbished, like new one, these guys do great work.

http://www.miltecharms.com/rifles.htm

But it's gonna cost you.

[davegonewild]

I was hoping to find one in good condition on the $1500 range

[003]

http://www.nationalmatcharmory.com/

Click the link. Lots of good information.

[TMB 1]

Why not just get one from CMP?

[tmuller]

http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/rifle_sales/m1-garand/

dunno why you'd look elsewhere...

[CGZ]

Get one from the CMP while you still can.

[tmuller]

Why not just get one from CMP?

Beat by secs...SoJ +1

[Tere_Hanges]

You can get a special field grade for $830. New barrel and stock.
thecmp.org/cmp_sales/rifle_sales/m1-garand

[Milsurp Collector]

Anything I need to stay away from?

Back when M1 Garands were scarce on the civilian market decades ago, some people would take demilled M1 Rifle receiver halves



weld them together, and assemble a rifle from parts. Those rifles are commonly called "rewelds", although that is a misnomer since the original receivers weren't welded, so the new receivers have been welded together, not "re" welded.

There are still some out there floating around in the used market, so you should carefully inspect the receiver of any possible purchase. Here is an article that describes what to look for http://www.fulton-armory.com/%5Cfaqs...AQs%5CWeld.htm

[davegonewild]

Wow. Thank you guys for alll the information. I really appreciate it.

[toro1]

The reweld is the biggest thing to look for, but also check lockup. If it is loose the trigger lugs may be worn, but the stock could also be worn out.
If you buy from CMP, there should be no issues, but the ship time is getting pretty long for those. A good place to check is the CMP forum classified ads. While some people there try to extract high prices, reasonably priced ones show up frequently.

http://forums.thecmp.org/

Scroll down to the Parts for Sale section, M1 Garand sub-forum.

It looks like a Field Grade IHC just sold this AM for $960.

[onelonehorseman]

I was hoping to find one in good condition on the $1500 range

That's very doable. The last couple of Crossroads shows I saw 2 or 3 nice CMP Garands in the $900 range.

[Barbarosa]

Go check out the Shootist in Murrieta. Last time I was in they had several old military rifles handing on the wall. I didn't check closely to see what they were. They have Garands from time to time.