An old Marine and an M1

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OleEd

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First high power weapon was the M1 issued to me in Boot Camp (MRSD San Diego 1960). My Drill Sgt, who was always right in everything, taught me to love my rifle and honor my M1. I followed his order and I still do.

But problem. Never bought one for myself ant then I learned about CMP too late. My cousin, a very well versed in weapons to include M1s called me. I had told him I was interested in owning an M1. He called me and said his wife’s uncle passed away and has an M1, except it has two different serial numbers. Other than that the weapon is in very good condition and the barrel (rifling) looks the same comparable to his match M1.

They want to sell it to me for just below fair market value. Don’t know them and the executor is not family. My cousin said it was in really nice condition and was well taken care of. My question is: With two different serial numbers and the stated condition, would the rifle be worth about $1000 to $1250? I’m still quite active, shoot often pistols (prefer my 1911s), my 30-06 and my 308 and hated, memories of my Matel toy while in Vietnam,
 
First, thank you. I apologize, as I am too young for a lot of your experience. Dad was Navy, and both brothers were Marines - so a lot of affection.

I am confused about two serial number. Please explain more. Pictures would help.

The CMP is a great reference. Check availability and current prices. It will give you a current baseline to compare to.

https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/m1-garand/
 
So if you pay a little too much and the widow gets a little too much money for seeking you an M 1 so what? You will sleep well at night knowing you now have an M1 and the widow is doing well. Buy the rifle.

A good friend died. He had an arsenal. I bought some. My wife’s words to me was: Do not take advantage of a widow. I sleep well at night with the firearms I bought.

Buy that M1 or you will never sleep well.
 
I share your love of the M1. I dis Boot at MCRDPI in the fall of 1959. Over ten years I carried M1, M14, M16. M1 is hands down the best of the three.

Not being an expert I can provide authoritative advice o/n your serial #/value question. It seems to me that it ought not affect value except for a collector grade rifle. You are buying a user. I would not worry about it if you are going to use it. Just enjoy it. With the CMP the value of user M1’s is unlikely to grow much.
 
Ya, I wouldnt worry too much about mismatched numbers, thats normal. The only reservations Id have would be if it is a Federal Ordnance receiver or a rewelded receiver, but you would have to do a pretty close inspection to detect that usually. Also, once you have it apart, do a "tilt" test to check for a bent op-rod caused by shooting modern hunting ammo. Thats easy enough to do at home, checking muzzle erosion and headspace require specialized guages.

Overall, though, unless its a FedOrd, go for it.

If you buy it, you may want to send it to the CMP for a checkup. Assuming the receiver is good, they can fix anything else they find wrong with it.
 
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NIGHTLORD40K said:
Ya, I wouldnt worry too much about mismatched numbers,
Click to expand...

M1 Garands do not have "mismatched numbers" in the way many rifles receiver, bolt, and barrels are marked with the same number, and the rest of the major parts marked with the last 3 digits of that number

M1's have a distinctive serial serial number on the heel of the receiver.

The rest of the major parts have a drawing number that identifies the characteristics and date of issue of that specific part. When the part is improved or changed in some way the drawing number for that part is changed.

Because most all M1s have been actually been used in some way and rebuilt, the rifle probably does not contain the original parts, so the drawing number dates of issue on the parts will not match the date of the receivers issue... although many people will try to rematch the rifle parts with all dates that match and pass it off as original issue.
 
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Going rate at CMP is $750 for a decent M1. Going rate on the street is more like $900. Beyond that it’s more (sometimes a lot more) for a less common variant like an International Harvester, or one that’s “correct” or not rebuilt.

If they want to sell it to you for “just under market,” sight unseen, I think $700 would be a fair number. After all, buying one from CMP is generally sight-unseen too. People pay the higher secondary market price for the luxury of getting a “known quantity,” because the CMP is a mystery -all you know is that it’s put together right and functional.
 
Thank you all for your comments. I loved that ole rifle. Had the 14 too and was a good weapon. I was in Nam during TET an issued that 16, After a month I wondered why we got stuck with them. Got to understand it though. That was 68-69. I just bought an ar-15 three years ago - took a few years eh?

To all you Nam vets. Welcome Home. Everyday I have a flashback of another day, another time, another story... Ready for that M1 though. Not for that “M1 thumb though. Semper Fi. (Sorry Army you were a profession not a calling.)
 
Mosin77 said:
Going rate on the street is more like $900
Click to expand...
I want to live on your street [:)]
Here in DFW prices are stuck in the $1200-1300 range and that's for Blue Sky and FedOrd beaters with stocks the color of used motor oil, and metal more grime than finish. I've never been brave enough to even ask to look down a bore.
 
CapnMac said:
If it's any help, or for perspective (your choice) today I saw a very clean, in an way-too new stock, Garand with a price tag of $1895 on it. For two grand it was not worth my time to pick up to see if it was SAI or the like.

Certainly not when with a DD214 and $800 you can have DCM ship one to your door.
Click to expand...

Cap -

I also carried an M1 and always wanted to get another. Can you tell me what DCM is and do you think that it is a good place to get an M!? And Semper Fi.....
 
gifbohane said:
do you think that it is a good place to get an M!?
Click to expand...
To expand on @Bwana John, DCM is a government run operation that is meant to encourage firearms marksmanship training. Their focus is in surplus military arms.

Unlike other sources, they area, at heart, armorers. All of the arms they take in are stripped down and gauged individually. If any substandard parts are found, they are replaced (and the ticket annotated, as this affects the Selling Grade). Since an Armorer has sat down with each arm sold, there's a pretty detailed and considered amount of info per each.
Any particularly fine examples are pulled off and auctioned. The rest are sorted by Grade (Correct, Rack, Field, Service--that list is best read on the DCM page). Those grades are more about Price than the more familiar "NRA" grading. A Field Grade from DCM might have a number of replacement parts, but, they'd all be Better to New. So, the least expensive DCM arm would, honestly, be an NRA 90% or better, if less "historic."
(If you have a Garand on a legit, non re-weld, in-spec receiver with a brand new, milspec, stock and a brand new Criterion barrel, it might not be historically pure, but that is going to NRA-Grade very high.)

If you are willing to make the drive, they have a North Store at Camp Perry in Ohio, and a South Store in Anniston, Alabama, and you can pick one up directly (read the website for what you have to have with you). Or, you can order through DCM directly, and they will ship, in a hard case, in a plain cardboard box, direct to your door.

It's a far cry from trying to pry Bubba's fingers off of the beater he's flogging on Armslist, that's for sure.
 
1942bull said:
I share your love of the M1. I dis Boot at MCRDPI in the fall of 1959. Over ten years I carried M1, M14, M16. M1 is hands down the best of the three.
Click to expand...
If you are left-handed, loading the M1 is nettlesome. Camp Geiger-NC at Infantry Training Regiment 1964
 
Looking at the CMP store website, I see lots of "Sold Out" listings. $1000 for an M1 and good bore would be a valuable steal in my opinion.
 
herrwalther said:
Looking at the CMP store website, I see lots of "Sold Out" listings. $1000 for an M1 and good bore would be a valuable steal in my opinion.
Click to expand...

CMP Rifles have to be graded and processed.

This Ebola Hoax has messed up lots of stuff, including the CMP.

Wait 'till it clears... and then rifles will come back on line.




GR
 
I’m a littles surprised, that with you having been issued the M1, M14 AND M16...during Vietnam... that you would still choose the M1. But then, I then, maybe you were issued one of the earlier “suspect” ARs?

My Father was in the Corps, and served in Vietnam ‘69-‘70...among some of the worst combat. His Batall was among the last who were issued AND went into the jungle with his M24, then swapped out to the M16. And like pretty much every Vet I’ve ever heard from, he was very skeptical of the “Mattel Toy”. But he has told me on many occasions, how all the worry & skepticism went away the FIRST firefight he was in! From them on he LOVED his M16, and at least at that time, every other Marine he heard from sounded off the same.

As with al things, weaponry has advanced. The M1 served its purpose, and so very well. Although, I will say that we are quite lucky that Germany never got its act together with the STG44 Sturm Gewehr. Had ALL German troops been issued one of those against our M1s....we would have been in trouble.

Arm one group with M1 Garands & another group with M16s, and the ones armed with M16s are HEAVILY favored to victory.
 
David Hoback said:
I’m a littles surprised, that with you having been issued the M1, M14 AND M16...during Vietnam... that you would still choose the M1. But then, I then, maybe you were issued one of the earlier “suspect” ARs?

My Father was in the Corps, and served in Vietnam ‘69-‘70...among some of the worst combat. His Batall was among the last who were issued AND went into the jungle with his M24, then swapped out to the M16. And like pretty much every Vet I’ve ever heard from, he was very skeptical of the “Mattel Toy”. But he has told me on many occasions, how all the worry & skepticism went away the FIRST firefight he was in! From them on he LOVED his M16, and at least at that time, every other Marine he heard from sounded off the same.

As with al things, weaponry has advanced. The M1 served its purpose, and so very well. Although, I will say that we are quite lucky that Germany never got its act together with the STG44 Sturm Gewehr. Had ALL German troops been issued one of those against our M1s....we would have been in trouble.

Arm one group with M1 Garands & another group with M16s, and the ones armed with M16s are HEAVILY favored to victory.
Click to expand...

The original 20" 1:12 twist rate A1 would really set a M193 bullet to tumbling.

Not the same animal as a 1:9 twist rate Carbine using green tip ammo.




GR
 
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