CMP Garand

As some further trivia, the "bend" in the OpRod, which wanted the relief cut, was direct result of changing from .276 (7x53) to the .30-06. The chamber on the latter was of a greater diameter, so the op rod had to change geometry to pass beside it.

Very interesting M-1 trivia. I recall researching op rods in the pre-internet days because I too have an uncut op rod around here that came off one of those beat up M-1's that were being imported from Korea in the latter 1980's or so. That's how it probably escaped getting that relief cut. It's not exactly in pristine condition, just like the M-1 it came off of. A couple areas have what appear to be pitting and it may have been re-parkerized at some point right over the pitting. The gun it came off of was also quite rough but had a Springfield receiver in the 5 digit range.... 112XX; that's the lowest numbered M-1 receiver I've ever seen. But sadly the barrel was totally shot out, the chamber was badly pitted and it had numerous other problems so it was traded off in 1997 for $150. cash and a nice K-98 Mauser that I still have. Now in retirement I should find a new home for this but I have no idea of its worth due to that pitting.. ... ..Or if anyone would even want it in that condition.

This is my "Betty Boop" Service Grade M1 Rifle.


Six-digit Springfield with a 2/3 '44 Bbl and lots of Winchester parts.

Judging by her muzzle and furniture...


...she had some interesting dates.




GR

Nice score! That's a fine looking WWII-service gun for sure .

Mine, too came in the cardboard box...which a rat peed all over when one invaded my garage at my old house may years ago. The little creep ruined all of my original paper gun boxes (S&W's, Uberti, Taurus, CMP, Winchesters, etc.) The only plus was it also peed all over my ex-wifes wedding dress. Man did I love sending THAT back to her house after she moved out .

Let us know how it shoots for you .

Stay safe.

mgmorden:

Having a Garand built during the war--for me--would be nothing less than the best example of living history in my hands.
And in such good condition!

Maybe you also have a WW2-vintage 1911?
Being from such a period, or earlier. would be a rewarding for having a 1911 handgun.

22250Rem said:

Very interesting M-1 trivia. I recall researching op rods in the pre-internet days because I too have an uncut op rod around here that came off one of those beat up M-1's that were being imported from Korea in the latter 1980's or so. That's how it probably escaped getting that relief cut. It's not exactly in pristine condition, just like the M-1 it came off of. A couple areas have what appear to be pitting and it may have been re-parkerized at some point right over the pitting. The gun it came off of was also quite rough but had a Springfield receiver in the 5 digit range.... 112XX; that's the lowest numbered M-1 receiver I've ever seen. But sadly the barrel was totally shot out, the chamber was badly pitted and it had numerous other problems so it was traded off in 1997 for $150. cash and a nice K-98 Mauser that I still have. Now in retirement I should find a new home for this but I have no idea of its worth due to that pitting..View attachment 933128...View attachment 933129..Or if anyone would even want it in that condition.

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That gun might have been a treasure trove of hard to find parts. It started life as a type 1 gas trap rifle. It was doubtless re-barreled and converted to a gas port gun before it went overseas. But many of the hard to find small parts would have been deemed serviceable and might have been left on the gun. Parts from any of the early gas trap guns are expensive and in great demand by the restoration crowd.

Parts, like the follower rod, evolved over time, from a one piece milled part with short forks....to a stamped and riveted part with long forks. This was done to speed up production, lower costs and improve efficiency. Barrel bands went from milled and arched to stamped. The change from the milled trigger guard to a stamped one is another example. Trigger housings went through many evolutionary steps. Early ones are hard to find and bring a hefty premium.

The lowest # M-1 receiver I have seen, other than this one at the Museum, was when I worked for Springfield Armory back in the early 90s. Bob Reece had scored on 500 stripped M-1 receivers. I have no idea where he got them. When they arrived, we were all over them like flies on you know what. We found one three digit receiver and five or six four digit ones.

Before anyone asks, #1 resides in the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Springfield Mass.

Tark; with a serial number in the 11 thousand range that M-1 surely started life as a gas trap gun. But it still had a milled trigger guard IIRC and some other early parts. Who knows when Korea got hold of it but by the time it came back to the U.S. in the 1980's it was pretty well trashed with a broken op rod spring, a barrel almost devoid of rifling and a badly pitted chamber and the rest of it didn't look much better either. It was one of those "Blue Sky" M-1's, as they were called after the company that imported them from Korea was called "Blue Sky Productions" . The guns had a reputation for being worn out.. Had to have the chamber reamed out a bit so it could fire and eject instead of the cartridge sticking in the pitted chamber, which also put the brass way oversize so reloading was out of the question. Never even bothered testing it for accuracy and in 1997 I traded it off at a gun show to an FFL / Gunsmith who had a brand new barrel for it just sitting around doing nothing. He said it was gonna be his winter project. Never ran into him again. He retired and someone else took over the shop. It's not near me so I don't get down there very often. Wonder what that low number receiver would be worth today? Somebody out there has M-1 number 11250 and I wonder what it looks like today. I assume it got that new barrel and other needed stuff years ago. Wish I had some pictures of it especially that serial number.

When I ordered mine, I had no idea what to put on a "sticky", so I just crossed my fingers. Mine showed up with tons of dings in the stock, a little patina on the metal, and ME and TE of 2, IIRC. I wasn't sure how I felt, until I started dating parts. I don't have a book, so it has all been informal internet searches, but my 1954 receiver appears to have the original barrel. The GAW stock, identifiable parts in the trigger group, bolt, and the gas tube lock are all dating 1940-1944. So, my metal will last me a long time, but the wood and small parts carry scars from the battles that they have certainly seen. VERY happy with mine!

Anybody know what kind of stock they have available? Will they have a few more months or years before they’re completely sold out?

Right now, I think they are sold out of everything except field grade SA and H&R for $650. They are accepting applications for Service Grade, SA and H&R for $750; as well as Rack Specials, which are the worst receivers with brand new stocks and barrels for $650. They have an agreement with the Phillippines to have the lease/lend rifles all returned over a 10 year time frame, not sure where they are in that, but they should have another shipment in the future, as well as subsequent ones in the coming years.

https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/m1-garand/

Cool. I just didn’t know of what they have in stock now was all that would be available. Good to know more could be coming from the Philippines. I hope to grab one this year.

badkarmamib said:

When I ordered mine, I had no idea what to put on a "sticky", so I just crossed my fingers. Mine showed up with tons of dings in the stock, a little patina on the metal, and ME and TE of 2, IIRC. I wasn't sure how I felt, until I started dating parts. I don't have a book, so it has all been informal internet searches, but my 1954 receiver appears to have the original barrel. The GAW stock, identifiable parts in the trigger group, bolt, and the gas tube lock are all dating 1940-1944. So, my metal will last me a long time, but the wood and small parts carry scars from the battles that they have certainly seen. VERY happy with mine!

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They all tell a story.

Like to think mine was parachuting into Sainte-Mère-Église.






GR

And don't rule out a trip to Anniston to look at what they have in the store. I just got back, they had M1917s, M1903's, M1903A3's, and a good mix of Garands. I would not expect the bolt guns to last past August.

But speaking of 6 digit Garands, this is the one I picked up, 24xxxx:



I was happy with it, especially after shooting 8 in the black at 600 yards at Talledega. Then I opened it:

I was even happier.

22250Rem said:

what that low number receiver would be worth today?

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Not really all that much, 22250Rem, especially if they haven't been modified to eliminate the seventh round stoppage. A dedicated restorer might want one, but as a general rule the later receivers make a better platform to build a gun on.

Tark, Thanks for the receiver evaluation... I always wondered if I should have just hung onto that rifle for a few more years and sold it for more. AFAIK the low number receiver was the only thing that might have been valuable, other than maybe a milled trigger guard. Then I wondered why, in 1997, that guy offered me 150 bucks and a nice K-98 Mauser, ( WW2 , rebuilt by Yugoslavia after the war, markings scrubbed, replaced by Yugoslav stamp indicating which factory did it). Sadly, the M-1 was in sorry shape and I was surprised at how much he offered for a rifle that was basically junk although operable. Made me think perhaps he wanted that receiver for its low number and left me wondering who got the better end of the deal. Perhaps I did; I still have the Mauser; barrel is mint, (it was rebarreled in the Yugo rebuild), has one of those WW2 laminated stocks, and shoots great. He had a new M-1 barrel but he was gonna do all the work himself. Back then that Mauser may have been worth $350. (?), plus the $150. cash meant $500. for an M-1 in very poor shape and needing a new barrel. I always wondered about him offering that much for an M-1 in such sorry shape.

maxxhavoc said:

And don't rule out a trip to Anniston to look at what they have in the store. I just got back, they had M1917s, M1903's, M1903A3's, and a good mix of Garands. I would not expect the bolt guns to last past August.

But speaking of 6 digit Garands, this is the one I picked up, 24xxxx:
View attachment 933656
View attachment 933657
View attachment 933658
I was happy with it, especially after shooting 8 in the black at 600 yards at Talledega. Then I opened it:
View attachment 933659
I was even happier.

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The LEAD rebuilds are sweet.

Is that stock stamped w/ a triangle on the grip as well?

Looks like a USGI birch, which a lot of the LEAD rebuilds got.

How about the Bbl markings?




GR

Garandimal said:

The LEAD rebuilds are sweet.

Is that stock stamped w/ a triangle on the grip as well?

Looks like a USGI birch, which a lot of the LEAD rebuilds got.

How about the Bbl markings?




GR

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It has a '51 Barrel, so nothing special there. I guess it was good enough. No triangle on the stock that I can see. But very consistent LEAD park inside and out, which I have decided I like.

maxxhavoc said:

It has a '51 Barrel, so nothing special there. I guess it was good enough. No triangle on the stock that I can see. But very consistent LEAD park inside and out, which I have decided I like.

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Looks like this...

And is the Bbl. by any chance an LMR?
GR

badkarmamib said:

Right now, I think they are sold out of everything except field grade SA and H&R for $650. They are accepting applications for Service Grade, SA and H&R for $750; as well as Rack Specials, which are the worst receivers with brand new stocks and barrels for $650. They have an agreement with the Phillippines to have the lease/lend rifles all returned over a 10 year time frame, not sure where they are in that, but they should have another shipment in the future, as well as subsequent ones in the coming years.

https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/m1-garand/

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What do they mean by "accepting applications"?

Im looking to buy a Garand in the next few weeks.

I love Garands & I would love to own that rifle. Congratulations!
How do you get a CMP rifle?

Charlie Martinez said:

I love Garands & I would love to own that rifle. Congratulations!
How do you get a CMP rifle?

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GR

Reloadron said:

From our friends at CMP which runs with what I have read.
"The relief cut is made to relieve stress on the metal at the point of angular connection. This cut is especially critical when firing grenades so as not to crack the operating rod". I also recall reading that while the relief cut was adopted no M1 Garand ever had a fracture at that point. All WWII operating rods were manufactured without the 5/16" cut. They were modified with a 3/16" relief cut. The 5/16" cut were manufactured that way all post WWII.

Ron

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Actually, this simply establishes that inaccuracies can be found even at the CMP website. The 90 degree angle is a stress raiser which can and did cause oprods to fail in normal use, often causing severe injuries. The stress relief cuts changed that tendency. The M7 series of grenade launchers was the only launcher system adopted for the M1, and as they require a venting gas cylinder lock screw to operate, they put no stress on the oprod. The only part changed on the M1 due to grenade launching that I am aware of, other than the lock screw, would be the elimination of the short fork follower rod from most rifles.

If Garands could only talk. My first Garand was built in October, 1941, or November, 1941.

I'd like to believe that it went to Guadalcanal and served it's soldier well. After Guadalcanal, it returned to the United States, was rebuilt and sent to Europe for the liberation of France.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

maxxhavoc said:

But speaking of 6 digit Garands, this is the one I picked up, 24xxxx:

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Letterkenny Army Depot (LEAD) rebuilds are one of the more sought after rebuilds.

Mine was rebuilt by Red River Army Depot in the early 1960's.

There are folks that collect Garands with rebuild markings on the receiver.

LavaTech said:

Actually, this simply establishes that inaccuracies can be found even at the CMP website. The 90 degree angle is a stress raiser which can and did cause oprods to fail in normal use, often causing severe injuries. The stress relief cuts changed that tendency. The M7 series of grenade launchers was the only launcher system adopted for the M1, and as they require a venting gas cylinder lock screw to operate, they put no stress on the oprod. The only part changed on the M1 due to grenade launching that I am aware of, other than the lock screw, would be the elimination of the short fork follower rod from most rifles.

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Sounds reasonable to me but figure the rifle went all the way through WWII with uncut operating rods as far as I know and that is covered in Scott Duff's book the M1 Garand of WWII. I also read where the relief cut came about during WWII which leaves me wondering when it actually came about?

Ron

A page on Fulton Armory's web site says that the stress relief was cut in the op rod post WWII. Existing rods used in rebuilds were cut and all new production post WWII were made with the cut.

https://www.fulton-armory.com/faqs/M1G-FAQs/OpRod.htm

Walt Kuleck and Clint McKee are pretty knowledgable on Garands.

Scott Duff's is one of the main authorities on Garands.