Bought my first Garand today

Oh boy...... you think 1911's are bad. Hope you don't plan to retire soon!

*ping!*



-Nick

Congrats on the Garand purchase. I got mine years ago through CMP and it's one of my favorite rifles to shoot.

Heck, I got my CMP less than a month ago, and it is already tied for favorite.

Just got my second one today, one is simply not enough!

At a hundred yards 5 shot groups were touching...

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Not sure I understand - the 5 shot groups touched (still don't understand this) or all 5 shots in a group were touching each other at 100 yards?

You have yust started your journey twoard the truth. The 30cal M1 Garand is the perfect rifle, rugged, powerful, historical, accurate. ALL others will pale in comparison.

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas
(with 5 Garands)

Woohoo, I actually got my Garand before somebody else! See what you have been missing! And I waited a few years too.

So where are the pics?

I just got my second one about 20 min. ago. Thank You CMP!
Looks like late March '44 production. Barrel is stamped 1 SA 4 44. Front handguard is an obvious replacement (color not even close). It has some cartouches on it, does anyone have a reference for them? The Parkerization is almost completely gone, and the lower sling swivel is loose in the stock. Those are the only things that appear to be "wrong" with it.

I gather a cartouche is some sort of symbol stamped on the stock or metal parts by a manufacturer or repair facility?

car·touche or car·touch

n.

1. A structure or figure, often in the shape of an oval shield or oblong scroll, used as an architectural or graphic ornament or to bear a design or inscription.

2. An oval or oblong figure in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that encloses characters expressing the names or epithets of royal or divine personages.

3. A heavy paper cartridge case.

US military firearms built in the days before the M16 often had markings applied to the firearm after final assembly (or reasssembly following rebuild). On rifles, this was typically on the stock. Most often, they consisted of some sort of initials of the senior military officer in charge at that facility at the time. Later on, they went to a standardized type of nomeclature with initials of the depot or the like. There is a whole subcult of followers who track cartouches on US martial firearms.

How'dya like that *PING!*????

Cartouches
The Acceptance cartouches went on the left side under the windage knob. Up till the end of the war, they consisted of an ordnance wheel (crossed cannons in a circled belt w/ flame at the top) and an inspectors mark (boxed, with mfr initials over inspector initials i.e. WRA/GAW for Winchester/Geo. A. Woody). Post war used only the Defence Acceptance Stamp--boxed eagle grasping 3 arrows under 3 stars. The only time a rifle got these stamps was at acceptance--when it originally rolled off the assy line and the government inspector agreed to purchase it.

Proof marks went on the grip--P's circled or boxed. Anytime the stock was on a rifle that fired a high pressure proof round (initial build or rebuild), it got one of these.

Also, during rebuilds, the different arsenals might apply their own stamps. The original acceptance stamps more often than not got sanded off during rebuilds.

See articles at www.jouster.com for more info.

Post war used only the Defence Acceptance Stamp--boxed eagle grasping 3 arrows under 3 stars. The only time a rifle got these stamps was at acceptance--when it originally rolled off the assy line and the government inspector agreed to purchase it.

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Not quite.
According to Canfield, DAS stamps were also applied to the stock on Springfield Armory rebuilds during the 1955-1960 time frame.

Thanks for the info., I'll check my CMP Garand for those. Funny, I didn't even think to look for those but I was checking all over my Luger & 98K. They don't seem to call them cartouches much on those forums, usually "markings, "symbols" or "stamps".

Sorry, I meant that the bullet holes were overlapping at 100 yards grouping at just over an inch.

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Congrat's - you have the 1 in 7 million or so Garand's that will shoot MOA - with iron sights and MilSurp ammo no less...

Pick up some match ammo - it ought to shoot one hole for you...

I thought cartouche was Spanish for "cartridge".

Best I can do is 2" groups with mine at 100 yards.

Looks like late March '44 production. Barrel is stamped 1 SA 4 44. Front handguard is an obvious replacement (color not even close). It has some cartouches on it, does anyone have a reference for them? The Parkerization is almost completely gone, and the lower sling swivel is loose in the stock. Those are the only things that appear to be "wrong" with it.

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I've got a 5/44 Springfield myself. What cartouches are on your stock?

As for the parkerization, there are a lot of variables involved. The late war rifles seem to show a somewhat lighter gray park than do the earlier ones. Mine is pretty light

Way to go! This one wont be your last for sure.

Now, you say that you shot soem Middle Eastern ammo? I would immediately scrub your bore with an ammonia based cleaned to make sure you didnt use corrosive ammo.

There are threads here that detail what needs to be done.

Enjoy!

jrhead75:
Let's see here, there is one on the tang(?), below the serial number there, looks like an "8"
There is the "P" , on the grip, also one has been stamped into the barrel.
On the bottom of the pistol grip there is something unrecognizable. It is roundish though, an "8" or a "g". Then there is something that looks like a diamond, and then "18" below that.

All this talk has got me interested in one! I just found CMP and it says $500 for the "Service Grade." What's the difference between the Service Grade from CMP and the $1k Garands in the Springfield catalog?

Best I can do is 2" groups with mine at 100 yards.

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If that is an 8 round group with milsurp ammo that's phenomenal.

The best shooting Garand I've owned (of 10 or 12) shot one 2.33" 8 round group with Danish ammo. None of the others do as well. I'm about to send my Dane/VAR off to DGR to get it tweaked so we'll see what that can do.