Nice looking Garand. From appearances it seems to be a late war rifle that may have been rearsenaled. The stock appears to be a USGI stock that's been sanded down where the original cartouches were, not uncommon.
Check how tight the trigger assembly locks up - the pins are often worn or the stock is loose - then get that bad boy out to the range where it belongs! Look at
www.odcmp.com for dissasembly instructions and also the schedule for JC Garand matches in your area, they're a ball!
The USMC had an interesting experience concerning the Garand, according to Hatcher's Book of the Garand. The U.S. Army adopted the Garand officially in 1937. The USMC conducted a service rifle competition in late 1940. This competition received far more attention than usual because the choice of the Garand was being questioned in Congress due to reliability concerns.
The USMC Brass officially selected the M1903 Springfield, noting that while the Garand was the best of the semi-autos and displayed excellent accuracy, the Springfield was lighter and had fewer stoppages. Previously, the Navy and USMC had declined to help fund the rifle in any way. With war on the horizon, Ordnance Corps thus geared up to produced additional M1903's. The Marines positive impressions of the Garand helped quell the concerns about the rifle.
This all changed once Army units equipped with Garands hit Quadalcanal. Marine grunts began writing home, asking why they weren't being equipped with the more combat-effective Garand. They also set about to trade, borrow, or steal them from the National Guard units sent there.
Until very late in the war, most soldiers and Marines trained on M1903's and were only issued Garands when they went overseas. The USMC complained bitterly throughout the war that theywere being given short-shrift in supply of Garands, despite frequent protests to the contrary.
One of the units that did insist on Garands were the Raiders. Shooting Legend and Medal of Honor winner Merritt Edson, commander of the 1st Raiders, was one of the board of officers. An interesting note is that when Edson won the MOH on Quadalcanal in 1942, he was 45 years old. One hard-core but thoughtful man. Another interesting note: both Edson and Evans Carlson, 2nd Raiders commander, were natives of Vermont - as was Colonel Robert Rogers, the father of U.S. Rangers. All Rangers, course graduates or Battalion are required to learn Roger's Rangers Standing Orders to this day.
another gun?! I will post pics if I can figure out how!
