Anyone ever built their own Garand?

[Norton]

I've been toying with the idea of buying another Garand sometime this summer and was browing the CMP website.

The idea of getting one of the stripped receivers and building up a rifle (perhaps in .308 this time) sounds like a good long term project.

Question: What would it cost me to do the build beyond the cost of the receiver? It doesn't seem as if there are sources for complete kits the there are for, say, the FAL.....

Is this a practical project to undertake or should I just go ahead and get a rack grade (my current Garand is a VERY nice SA service grade) and re-build it a bit at a time?

 

[Swampy]

Norton,

Building an M1 can be a rewarding project from an experience standpoint, but NOT from a point of economy.

You will spend a LOT more for individual parts than you will for a Rack Grade Greek @ CMP..... and as you've already noticed, parts kits are not very common for the M1. Most go for $250 and up and some of those don't even have a barrel.

Installing and headspacing a barrel requires certain "Garand specific" tools as well.... Receiver wrench, barrel clamp, pull through chamber reamer, and a set of headspace gauges. All told, over $300 in equipment just to do the job. Not practical unless you plan on doing a number of them. Better to let somebody who already has the stuff do it and pay them their fee.

I've had two of my CMP M1's re-barreled to .308 (by gunsmiths) and built up as Match Grades. One was built up by the 'smith who put on the barrel, on the other I did all the bedding and conversion work after the barrel was already installed. Both are great rifles and I enjoy them both.

Just depends on what you want to do.....

Best regards,
Swampy

Garands forever

 

[ScottsGT]

Just buy a rack grade and have a new barrel installed and do the rest by yourself. You'll save a lot of $$$$ by going that route. Even if you replace the stock with a Boyds or Wenig, still cheaper. Just start pricing all of the metal parts that go on the stock and the op rod, gas chamber/piston, the trigger group and a bolt seperately. You'll see what I mean.