[cslinger]

Sorry I just felt the need to say that.

Got up this morning after a pretty restless night of sleep. I was supposed to head out to the outdoor range with Sheslinger and a buddy. Wasn't sure if I wanted to go. I was kinda beat and didn't know if I wanted to dirty up some rifles after dirtying up the handguns the night before.

Well I dragged my butt there and what a wonderful day it was.

The Garand is a simply spectacular rifle, smooth, accurate, wonderful to shoot and that PING. What more could you ask for in a rifle.

Had the Mauser out too. Also a good showing. I was actually shooting pretty well with fast follow ups even losing the sight picture while manipulating the bolt.

I must say shooting both guns back to back really drives home why the M1 Garand was thought to be the greatest battle implement of the time.

Because it was so nice out there were all kinds of people at the range. Everybody had their gee whiz, tactical, tupperwhere, crazy 1 million yard, expresso machine guns out. I only joke because there were some nice guns there.

Well the funny thing is quite a few people came up to my buddy and I to ogle our 50 year old rifles. The Garand got high praise and the Mausers were looked upon with awe when they heard them fire and couldn't seem to grasp a 50 year old gun firing and looking as good as ours. Lots of conversaion ensued.

All in all a great day. I even managed to get all the guns cleaned and put away afterwards, even the handguns from the night before.

You just can't ask for a much better range session. Both myself and Sheslinger love our Garand. If anybody is on the fence do yourself a favor and forego your AR-15 purchase and pick up a Garand I don't think you will regret it.

Ok, enough of that. I just had to gush.

Chris

[Schuey2002]

By God, I've never owned/ and or shot a Garand..

One of these days.;)

[SquirrelNuts]

I have a beautiful M1 made in '51. It is the nicest one I have actually seen in real life, and everyone else agrees. It is so nice to shoot at the range because everyone ALWAYS looks when they hear that PING. Either because they know exactly what it is, or they are looking to see what it was.

-SquirrelNuts

[Bob]

Boy can I relate to this thread! I've got an M1 made in Feb/Mar of '42, rebarreled in '44. Wonder what stories it could tell? It still shoots quite well too. Nothing handles for me like a Garand. Only other rifle I like as much is very different, a '94 Winchester in 30/30.
Bob

[fallingblock]

when one picks up a Garand.:)

[GD]

The Garand is probably my most favorite rifle to shoot (I have over 25 different types of rifles). I wish the ammo prices were low enough for me to fire it more. I understand the ping was also a favorite of the Japanese in WW2. When hearing it they all jumped up and came running to see you!

[Blackcloud6]

One problem with the Garand is buying them. I have five with two more on order!

GD, try reloading. Surplus M2 ball bullets are available and not expensive. Reloading is a good way to keep your Garand fed.


BTW, the enemy hearing the "ping" thing is an internet legend. The report of the rifle is bit louder, eh?

[ACP230]

I have an M1 that was reimported from Korea back in the 1980s. Woolworth used to sell them for $269. I was shooting HP rifle back then and bought the one with the best rifling off the rack. It served me well in matches for three or four years and then I went to an M1A.

These are the "Blue Sky" Garands, so called because the importer had to stamp its name on the rifle somewhere. Mine has a small, light "Blue Sky" on the underside of the barrel. The only part I have replaced on the rifle is the firing pin which I broke while dry firing. The stock and handguard don't match and both are dinged and dented. I have no plans to fancy up this old veteran. It was made in 1943, and I figure it was used in WWII and Korea. It was rebarrelled in '54 and reparked somewhere along the line too.

I've reloaded for it since the beginning using Winchester 147 grain FMJs. The same bullet is available from ads in Shotgun News for $55 a thousand now. These aren't match bullets, but I have made some very nice ammo using them.

I haven't shot the Garand since last fall, but am considering using it in a CMP match sometime this year again.

[Sven]

Right now, I am struck with "Carbine-itis", but that Garand is coming... I can hear the ping already!

[Tamara]

I completely agree!

Besides, in addition to being fun to shoot, how can you watch Band Of Brothers without a Garand?

[Gewehr98]

You need at least one M1 Garand. Two is better, and three is the bee's knees. Otherwise, you need a 1903 variant to make proper use of the Garand's stacking swivels! :D

http://mauser98.com/stack9.jpg


http://mauser98.com/stack10.jpg

[twoblink]

Schuey,

Hmm. I don't know if you are the religious type, but where I come from, a few folks might say, it's a sin to have never shot a Garand!!

Cslinger... personally..

I love my M1A! Left-handedness makes a Garand something I'll probably never use a lot of; of course that might not prevent a purchase of one just for history's sake.

My Mauser is excellent, and the fact that it shoots 308s like my M1A, makes people oogle at the logistics as well as the performance...

PING!!

[jem375]

Gewehr98.....damn those are nice, I only have 2 and after looking at your pictures, I guess I need another...:) .....the garand is also one of my favorite rifles to take to the range......lot of surplus ammo out there already loaded in clips.....must have 200 clips now......I put 35 clips in a ammo box, have one filled now, so, it is easy to grab if I have to make a run if the **** hits the fan.........

[dude]

My .308 Garand is a blast and my favorite gun in the safe ................just ahead of my .308 Styer Mauser 98

[Schuey2002]

Twoblink, we have all " sinned and fallen short" of....



















Tamara.;)

[hps1]

Twoblink:
The American Rifleman had a one page article on loading the M1 for southpaws that seemed to work. I had copies of the article in my briefcase when I was match director for our club but gave the briefcase to the director that took my place. :(

Maybe you could get a copy from NRA??

Regards,
hm

[Tamara]

makes people oogle at the logistics as well as the performance...

I gotcher logistics right here... :p

(My 1917 shoots the same ammo as my Garand, my FR-8 shoots the same ammo as my HK91, my Chiang Kai Shek shoots the same ammo as my 98k, and my Swede shoots the same ammo as... well, my other Swede. :D )

[Oleg Volk]

What more could you ask for in a rifle.

My only concern with the Garand is its tendency to eject the empty clip into my face, esp. if I am firing uphill. Bad news to have sharp metal hitting glasses or skin.

[Tamara]

Between Garand clips and spent cases, Oleg, I'm beginning to think you just have a magnetic head. :eek:

[Oleg Volk]

Brass is magnetic? News to me... ;)

Clips don't often hit me but it takes only one to scratch my glasses...and that's a design defect, IMO. I like the Garand but blind magazine makes it harder to clear jams and ejecting enblock is annoying.

[Pilot]

Where can you get a Garand in .308? What's the going price?

[Steve in PA]

You can get it re-barreled by a gunsmith.

[JHill]

Cslinger,

Are you 100% serious about foregoing the ar15 and getting a Garand?
I am seriouly torn b/w finding an unground cemte or building an Ar from a stripped RRA lower-w/ the possibility of adding a 20"-22" bbl upper and adding optics later.

I really don't know where to start to hash this thing out:

maybe I should start w/ .308 or .223.

All my intended shooting will be done from 500/600 yds (w/ optics) in.

*IF* one were to go the garand route--danish rack grade or the $500 series stuff?

[dude]

OH GREAT!!!

after 60 years of sucess the combat proven Garand now has a design flaw

[dude]

.........and anyways Oleg, you whould be wearing saftey glasses while shooting in the first place. (perhaps a face shield in your case!)

[hps1]

JHill:
Personlly, I would go for the Danish, shoot it until the barrel gives up the ghost and then have it rebarreled to .308.
Barrels are available from Brownells.com and http://www.fulton-armory.com/

I am sure there are many others who offer the barrels and rebarreling services. You will have some time to look around for more sources while shooting your new 30-06 Garand. ;)

http://www.jouster.com is an interesting M1 site, too.

Regards,
hps

[dude]

I used a CAI Garand as a parts kit and re-barreled to .308 using a Brownells barrel. A bit of 'tuning' for NATO ammo..............FUN!

[cslinger]

I guess it really depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for a real defensive firearm for home or land or whatever, you probably want to go with the AR.

If you are looking for pride of ownership, piece of history, conversation piece not to mention the fact that the 30-06 is a pretty serious round I would go with the Garand.

I like wooden rifles. I have my requisite evil black rifle, not an AR, but evil and black none the less but I shoot my EWRs more. Evil wood rifles. :D

There is just an intagible quality to holding a piece of history in your hands. I don't get that with "Tactical Tuppewear", or most modern weapons, maybe the FAL but that is about it.

The Garand is not cheap to shoot, has limited capacity, has a required en bloc clip, is not as accurate as more modern rifles or a good bolt action and is heavy. Lots of cons. For me they all melt away when shooting it. I guess it really isn't something that I can explain, you just have to experience it. It's not about it being the best firearm for conflict. Many years have passed and their are better choices if you are going to war.

Besides what do you want with an over glorified .22 anyway when you can have a real rifle. Just kidding, no flames please. They both have their places. One day I will get an AR varient but the fact remains I have more fun shooting and cleaning my war babies.


Oleg, have you ever looked into a nice welders mask. :D

Chris.

[DonP]

I must just be lucky.

I shoot my Garand (Nov. 1943) lefty, dominant eye thing. I have put a couple of thousand rounds through it since I got it and I have never been hit by the ejecting clip or casing.

Mine all eject forward and to the right about three to four feet.

It is true though that the "ping" attracts people at the range, old timers and younger folks too. I can honestly say of all the rifles I shoot the Garand always attracts the most attention every time.

The EBR Ninja wannabees head over and I always give them a couple of rounds and the info on the CMP program..

EWR, Evil Wooden Rifle, I like that a lot! I bet the Wehrmacht felt that way sometime, post 6/6/44.

Don P.

[spacemanspiff]

why is it that WWII era Mausers are so much more affordable than Garands? seeing how you can get a Mauser with matching numbers, in excellent condition, but most Garands i have come across have gone through the armorys so many times that few parts are original. my $179 mauser is a prize in my eyes. i do want a garand, but i really want the s#'s to match, and for everything on it to be as original as possible.

[hps1]

Cslinger:
The Garand is not cheap to shoot, has limited capacity, has a required en bloc clip, is not as accurate as more modern rifles or a good bolt action and is heavy.

Have to respectfully disagree w/"not as accirate" part. NRA puts out a booklet on the M1 Garand which, amoung other good info, outlines steps you can take to accurize your M1. Following these steps will make a 1-1.25 moa rifle out of most M1's assuming barrel OK and shooter does his part. Can't argue the other points, however.:)

Spacemanspiff:

but i really want the s#'s to match, and for everything on it to be as original as possible

M1's have no serial #'s on any part other than receiver. All you have to worry about is that mfg. is same on all parts and that the parts are proper era to go w/your SN.

Higher price for the Garands, I think, reflect the demand. Purchased a DCM (now CMP) M1 in 1983 and the price was $90.00. Supply is diminished and price is up. If/when CMP supplies dry up, look for the price to jump even more.

Regards,
hps

[voilsb]

I want a garand, too!

[Khornet]

I really must no know any better, never having owned a true lefty firearm, but it works fine for me. I load as often from the right as the left. When loading clips I naturally place the top round on the left; some say it matters but I don't notice. The clip generally lands on top of my hat.

Was reading about the Chosin fighting last night; three guys in a hole and one had a broken MG. The author says he busied himself filling clips from the MG belt " and passing them to the riflemen whenever the rifles spanged empty." Love that--"spanged empty"

[ShaiVong]

Ok, here comes the ignorance:

Whats the difference between an M1 and M1A? How big of a job is it to convert it to .308?

[cslinger]

In a nutshell the M1 came before the M1A. The M1A is basically the civillian version of the military M14 which was made in both fully automatic and semi automatic varients. The M1A shoots .308.

As far as I know any M1 can be rebarreled to .308 and work with a little tweaking. I believe the Military actually did this to a few of them.

That is my limited knowledge.

Chris

[dude]

the major differences are that the M1A takes 20 round mags and had a different gas system

....the barrel swap just takes a bit of $$$, some tweaking and a good gun smith



IMHO the Garand scores much higher on the 'cool factor' chart, you shoot less ammo just as well downrange due to the 8 round clips, it has more of a historical 'vibe' and for better or worse the Garand is more PC with no hi-cap mags or flash supressor issues. I am severly biased though having a fantastic custom .308 Garand!!

[Crimper-D]

Picked it up from the CMP back when they were still selling "Collector's Grade" M1's. Mine is Korean War issue according to ser# and Barrel date, _all_ H&R components.
Still had the range card pasted on the inside of the floorplate with sight settings out to 500 yds. The stock is no thing of great beauty, having actually been used carried and shot by someone, but my-o-my does it shoot! = Sub MOA full clip groups out to 200yds. :) If I decide to get _Really_ serious with it, I have a set of National Match sights handy and a few hundred rounds of National Match ammo stashed in the original boxes. :D

" With 8 rounds Ball Ammunition - LOCK & LOAD! "
Been a long time since I last heard _That_ command!:cool: :)

[Watchman]

I got one a few weeks ago and I LOVE it !

I also got 7 bandoleers of ammo and 2 ammo cans full. Got probably 60 or so "clips" with it.

It shoot like a dream. Its a 1943 and its beautiful !

I can imagine that having a semi auto was a distinct advantage on a battlefield with an enemy that had bolt actions.

No C&R collection is complete without one.

Now I need another....

[hps1]

Crimper-D:

If you reload for the 30-06 or know someone who does, you might want the bump the bullets on your match ammo. I had some LC 62 Match that wouldn't shoot a 5" group in a match grade M1 @ 100 yds. Discovered that the bullets on about half of the rounds were "welded" to the case with age. When you pushed the bullets back into case .002-.003" half would make a loud crack, others would just slip back easily. After bumping the bullets, accuracy was moa.

Regards,
hps

[twoblink]

It's not the shooting, I don't have a problem shooting the Garand; it's the LOADING. I am use to loading left handed; and the way to do it with the right hand is to slide the blade of your hand against the bolt; and drop the en bloc in.. The bolt moves forward, and the blade of your hand stops it.

Left handed; you stuff the block in, and PING! Garand Thumb.. :eek: :( It sucks to bleed on a Garand, which I have done about 4 times. On the 4th time, I decided, I love the Garand, BUT.... M1A... I can do what my friend does; he takes it in the palm of his hand, and shoves the block in and retracts his hands before the gate closes... He's pretty good at it now; but I have seen his fingers a bloody mess when he wasn't paying attention and the gate was faster then he was....

That said; that doesn't mean my girlfriend wouldn't want a Garand... PING!!

Of course, as much as I love history... if I bought a Garand; it'd have to be in 308... it's a logistical thang....


Tamara, you and your Swedish boyfriends... ;)

[dude]

well as a lefty who has bled on your Garand a few times........you will really (really) like a .308 Garand then. They do not have the 'thumb smashing' tendenancy as the .308 is grabbed much tighter by the clips than the .06 so as you have to give the charging handle a 'bump' every time.

You can tell Navy 7.62X51 Garand clips by the crease vertically down the center which took some of the grabbing-power out of the clip.

get one and enjoy!!

[ReadyontheRight]

Gotta love the Garand.

The upside of enblock clips: As discussed earlier on THR and TFL, the Garand design may seem old fashioned compared to magazine-fed designs, but if you only have one or two 20-30 round magazines for your AR, M1A, AK, etc., which rifle will shoot 100+ rounds downrange faster? You can pop an enblock clip in pretty quick and they are cheap.:) There's also nothing sticking out of the bottom of your weapon if you need to become one with the ground.

The downside of enblock clips: I was discussing Garands once with a guy whos father had carried a Garand in Korea. His father had a badly mangled thumb due to "Garand thumb" in sub-zero fighting. The action had bitten into his thumb very, very badly, but he didn't feel it because he was so darn cold. OUCH!:uhoh: I happened to have my Garand with me so he was finally able to check it out and see how his Dad had wrecked his thumb.

Everyone needs a Garand, especially THR members! I've been pushing www.odcmp.com Garands so much on THR that they'll likely be gone before I can buy enough to make use of that stacking swivel.

BTW - Did anyone catch the double entendre' R. Lee Ermey made about stacking swivels on The History Channel's Mail Call a few weeks ago? :D

[Khornet]

no comprende.

I hold the rifle in my right hand with the edge of my hand against the op rod handle, squeezing the stock. Shove clip in 'til I feel the catch click. Grip rifle with left hand, let go with right, in battery.

As often as not, you'll need to bump the op rod handle anyway, so nowadays I just shove in the clip till it releases the catch, keeping thumb pressure on the clip. Bolt won't release until pressure is off the clip; I then just yank my hand away quickly, and bump the handle if necessary. No prob.