M1 Garand Check Out

[roo_ster]

I am considering picking one up.

Any common pitfalls on these old warriors to look for?

I understand bbl/chamber/muzzle erosion and to take a gander at the rifling, but I wonder about the passel of other pieces/parts not generally found on my other milsurp bolt actions.

 

[ocabj]

There's a ton of stuff to check out and most of them you won't be able to do without the proper gauges.

Generally:
1. Check barrel wear. Confirm TE and MW. Ensure no crown damage. Check interior for pits or rust.
2. Check headspace. Field gauge should be enough.
3. Check trigger guard for tight lockup.

Other things:
1. Check oprod. Gauge the tab, lugs, and piston.
2. Gauge gas cylinder.
3. Gauge clip latch timing.

Often seen but easily fixed:
1. Loose gas cylinder. Fix via barrel spline peening.
2. Loose rear sight aperture. Fix via tightening windage knob screw and/or new rear sight cover.

From a collector's standpoint, check the drawing numbers and revisions of all the parts.

You should be able to inspect most of the parts through a basic field strip (drop the trigger group and remove the stock from the rifle).

 

[fredcwdoc]

Three words... Civilian Marksmanship Program.

Check out their website and prices.

 

[TheEgg]

Yes, if you, like me, have your eyes glaze over when people start talking about 'miking' various tabs, slots, and orifices, run, do not walk, to www.odcmp.com.

They will sell you a rifle that functions (they test fire them before sending them out). If for some weird reason it does not work when you get it, call their customer service and they will work with you, up to and including replacing the whole rifle if necessary, to make sure it will work.

 

[Ares]

Absolutely!... On the aftermarket you will run into a lot of rifles that are nothing mroe than CMP rifles that are bought then marked up. Others will have been made from demilled and rewelded recievers which are not considered very safe.

If you live anywhere near Ohio then a trip to Camp Perry to the CMP North Store is the best option because you can hand pick what you want. Be warned these are war relics, none are "Like New In Box". But they make great shooters and they do a good job of making sure the rifles are indeed safe to shoot, although they are careful not to garantee that and tell you to have a gunsmith check them out. Their MW and TE is marked on the rifle (at the store anyway) and they will even help you with your selection. You will be hard pressed to find a better group of people. If you buy it from them then you know that they are real GI parts and not partially made in Chine aftermarket junk or rewedled hacked junk etc... Prices range from $400 for rack grade to $1400 for collector grade. One of the biggest reasons for goign to the store is if you want a decent original stock. Even many the collector grade rifles I saw have a lot of stock gouges etc. I picked one up that had a pretty nice stock with a MW of less than 1 and a TE of 2 I believe it was. It's less important if you're going to replace the wood anyway I guess (the CMP has probably the best replacement stock too I might add) it wouldn't matter as much. Still it's a real refresher to see that many Garands in one place. It's a small store but it's almost all 1903's and M1's. I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

http://www.odcmp.com
http://www.odcmp.org (not the same site BTW but both CMP)

 

[ocabj]

If this is your first Garand, then the CMP is your best bet, as everyone has pointed out. I have purchased all of my Garand rilfes and receivers from the CMP.

But, that is not to say that there are not good Garand deals out there besides buying one via the CMP. You just have to know what you are looking for.

 

[alamo]

The CMP does a pretty good check on M1s they sell:

http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/inspect.htm

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

The CMP does say you should have the rifle checked out by a competent gunsmith before using it and that put me off a bit as I am a novice, know nothing and take such warnings VERY seriously.

Didn't find a gunsmith, but got info from others that if the bore is clean, all parts lubed, in place and moving easily the worst that could happen is a failure to chamber the second round without help. The headspacing would be the only worry and that is checked by CMP.

Worked good. The rifle is not complicated and is obvious after a tear down or two. I would suggest looking for instructions before pulling the wood off, though, as I did minor (thankfully not visible) damage to mine.

Speaking as one who had horrible experience with a bolt action 30-06, the M1 Garand is friendly and just plain old fun.

 

[Ares]

They headspace everything.... If you go to the store they will put the go/no-go gauges through it right there for you, they will also verify the MW and TE for you. They will even help you go through the rack and pick out something that is what you are looking for. That's at the store. Via mail you get whatever is next in line in the grade you ordered. It's still checked for safety though. They still put that disclaimer on there for legal protection though. You probably should have a 'smith look at any rifle you purchase that is that old no matter who you purchased it from. I didn't. I did a manual cycle through to make sure it fed, chambered and ejected properly by hand and it was go-no-goed at the store so I felt reasonably safe at the range. Still I made my son stand back when I fired the first clip from each. They both operated nicely, recoiled less than I expected and were an all 'round blast of fun. One point to remember... Although I think it's overblown... when you release the en-bloc clip when you are loading it, get your thumb out of there briskly. I'm not the fastest person in the world and it was no issue for me though. Just don't leave it there to hang out and you'll be fine. However if you don't get it out of there fast enough I've heard you'll likely remember to move it the next time.

 

[Brian Dale]

One more "Bravo" for the CMP. I got my M1 from them in October and I couldn't be more pleased. I've now ordered my second case of ammo.

 

[TABING]

I've got two CMPs and got got nice ones. But, if you don't mind paying a bit more ($695.00) I HIGHLY recommend the www.garandguy.com. Beautiful rifles without all the CMP hoops to jump through.

 

[Highland Ranger]

TABING - have you bought from the Garand Guy?

Not far from where I work and it seems like he is giving a lot more for the money than CMP.

I am looking for a Garand to shoot, the histiry is nice too but I am not looking for a collector.

If I can get one with a good barrel and nice stock for the same price as a collector grade CMP, that might be a better way to go . . .

 

[delloro]

TABING - have you bought from the Garand Guy? ... it seems like he is giving a lot more for the money than CMP... . .

that would be a neat trick, considering that the CMP is a non-profit. I guess giacobbe is one hell of a philanthropist.

yeah.

I will never to business with him again.

as to the original post, if the rifle is not a documented DCM or CMP gun, make sure it's a USGI receiver; if it is USGI, make sure it's not a reweld.

 

[TABING]

I bought 2 from him, a premium grade and a super premium, both are beautiful rifles and shoot well.

I was extremely satisfied with service and the product, (or I wouldn't have recommended him).

BTW, what is a non-USGI receiver, did someone else (foreign manufacturer) make them? Other than government Springfield Armory, Winchester etc, I didn't know of non-USGI makers

 

[Hacker15E]

that would be a neat trick, considering that the CMP is a non-profit.

Just because the CMP is non-profit doesn't mean they're selling M1s 'at cost'. Orest has said many times on the CMP forum that they price Garands at a cost that the market will accept. Just note the price increases a few months ago...

They ARE making money on rifle sales...but it's all going into the CMP coffer to promote future marksmanship events, and THAT is the non-profit aspect of the sales.

 

[Hacker15E]

what is a non-USGI receiver, did someone else (foreign manufacturer) make them? Other than government Springfield Armory, Winchester etc, I didn't know of non-USGI makers

There are both commercial manufacturers (Springfield Inc, Century Arms) as well as foreign manufacturers (Beretta).

 

[DSS]

I always wondered how they checked headspace with a dirty chamber half full of cosmoline. Test firing too with all the cosmo in there. Scary! I've never got a BAD one but the last couple had minor problems. One had a broken op rod spring and the other the gas cylinder was one of the cut ones and was loose enough to require replacement.
They are the cheapest game in town though.
Not the only one.
There are a few of us in the business that take pride in our work and don't let any bad ones out the door. Also with the same no bull warranty. The price may be more but you can't run a business doing work for free. My main thing is restorations of antique military weapons. And it's not just making them look nice. It's making them function as nice as they look too. Much the same as the other well known shops like the garandguy. I've seen his work and it is nice.

FWIW rewelds and cast receivers on garands are not one of my favorite subjects. They really aren't worth the hassle and a couple I have seen are just plain unsafe. That's speaking of cast receivers. Rewelds are only as good as the person who did it but I'd recommend really looking out for them and staying away. Also be careful of ones previously owned by another civilian. MOst of the ones I repair were butchered up in some way by the last owner. Botched trigger jobs and the like. Just because it sits on a gun dealers shelf doesn't mean it is safe. Far from it. Most of them could care less.

 

[Ares]

They ARE making money on rifle sales...but it's all going into the CMP coffer to promote future marksmanship events, and THAT is the non-profit aspect of the sales.

It's also another good reason to buy from the CMP... Especially if it is important to you to get a true USGI one and not a reweld or aftermarket weapon. If all you want is a functional Garand type replica weapon then get a Springfield Armory Inc made one...

 

[ScottsGT]

And if you have enough bucks, you can get a NIB Garand. They found a few in the Greek returns that sold on their auction site for upwards of $12K each

 

[Ares]

Yeah a bit pricey for me... Although NIW is not necessarily NIB though. It's uaually pretty darn close though.