Buying a Garand as a shooter: good investment?

Garand: a good investment for shooting, or buy something else?

  • Get the Garand, doofus!

    Votes: 66 93.0%

  • Skip the Garand and get ___________ instead

    Votes: 5 7.0%
  • Total voters
    71
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Quoheleth

Quoheleth

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Messages
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Location
The Land of Bowie, Crockett, Travis & Houston
I have a few dollars that I'm being allotted from our tax return. While I toy with ideas, I keep being drawn back to a CMP Garand. Their classic look, their historical presence, and "cool factor" put it up high on my "TO BUY" list. But, a little voice in the back of my mind says, "Bad investment."

If I buy a gun, I want it to be a shooter. I don't buy collector guns (yet - maybe some day.). But, with milsurp ammo becoming more & more scarce (what will happen when the CMP/Greek stuff dries up?), will the Garand be extinct for lack of ammo? I know a new gas port can be purchased to shoot standard, commercial ammo, but I can't help but wonder if that's really a good idea. Reloading is an option, but after reading the thread in the reloading forum on how picky a Garand is, not to mention the primer shortage, I don't know if I want to mess with all of that.

I guess the question is, for a fellow looking for a shooting gun, is the Garand a good choice, or would the $600 be better spent on other, easier to feed guns?

Thanks,
Q
 
I hardly think 30-06 is going to just dissapear. Save your brass and reload it. With that being said, buy it and don't look back, great weapon!!
 
Get a Garand while you still can and don't look back! And as for the above links...all the more reason to stock ammo for any caliber you intend to use.
 
I always try to discourage people from buying Garands...because I don't have one yet and I don't want you guys buying all the good ones!

I would be willing to bet that when the current milsurp ammo is gone, CMP (and/or somebody else) will offer an inexpensive, Garand-safe, factory ammo option. It won't be discounted-milsurp cheap, (which is a relative term now) but there will be something around. That's the beauty of the capitalist system we have for the time being.
 
Get it, why uhhhh because it's a Grand, and then buy every other gun that you want, and when you get tired of the Grand because of ammo avalibility, I'll greatly take it off your hands:):):)
 
a little help with your decision.

this is a service grade springfield from the south cmp.

we made the trip and picked out two like this one.

595.00 each

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If you want a "historical" piece, get the Garand! But it will be a safe Queen and cleaning it after a shooting session is a pain. It will be more difficult to maintain accuracy and consistency over time and the recoil is more difficult to master. Depends on what you want it for.
However, if you want to go shooting, and improve your skills, get an AR like the RRA National Match and go shooting. The recoil is a lot less and the rifle will retain its accuracy for as long as the barrel does.
 
I sold my first one and regretted it, so I finally was able to get another. However I have performed what some may describe as a sacrilege against it. But I believe what I did to it made it a much more versatile and effective weapon. I added the mini scout mount from Fulton Armory, an Aimpoint CompC3 2X 1moa and a Streamlight TLR-1 light. In my hunting experiences, these additions have made it much more useable and enhanced.

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lol, thanks 1k!!!


paraelite,

If you want a "historical" piece, get the Garand! But it will be a safe Queen and cleaning it after a shooting session is a pain.
Click to expand...

i take mine more than i take my ar. yes, it is a historical piece. but its easier to clean than my ar. the bolt lockup is out in the open vs. obscured and hidden up inside the receiver. when you take it down, the entire fire control group comes out first leaving a completely open receiver. its far easier to clean than my ar actually.

It will be more difficult to maintain accuracy and consistency over time and the recoil is more difficult to master.
Click to expand...

our m1's are impressivly accurate, easily as accurate as our ar15's, but you know, they are only 66 years old. ive got terrible eyesight and have no problem shooting 1 1/2" 8 shot groups. they do have more recoil, but nothing like a 30-06 bolt gun. maybe half. less then my 12 gauge shooting mild field loads. but after all, you are sending a bullet 3 times the size of a 223, but at similar velocities.

the ar is a great rifle no doubt, and i love mine, but so is the garand. i did a poll here while back, check it out, its more along the lines of your point here.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=431490
 
Well, the funds weren't "authorized" to get the mini scout mount when I wanted to mount the light, so I found a screw-in rail section from MidwayUSA I believe and attached it to the forward end of the stock.
I later bought the Daniel's Defense offset light mount and attached it to the mini scout mount but found that the location of the light mount on the right forward side was more practical for me.
 
Get one now

I bought my first Garand last year, and fell instantly head over heels in love. In the warmer months, I shoot her every few weeks. Her booming report and the ping of that clip hitting concrete are my serenade. In the winter months, I take her out every so often to caress her smooth wood, oil her in all the right places and hold her easily in my arms.

:)

Yes, I'm a total geek over my Garand. I whole-heartedly suggest you get one for yourself. You won't regret it for a second.
 
my garand

mine is a short garand,as it does not have the very foward handguard and is mch shorter than most i have seen, somebody told me it was a tanker type.it hasent been altered and is a great shooter,but does anyone know if tanker is the right designation.its a h&r 1953 as far as know.
 
Quoheleth,

You can't get a "collector" Garand for $600 so don't worry about it. Go to CMP South or North and pick through the guns there and get one with the best crown you can find. Spend the rest of your money on the ammo they have there and count yourself lucky. If you ever get tired of it you'll be able to sell it for a profit.

hk lover,

The "tanker" Garands were chopped down guns so, sadly, your '53 H&R is an altered gun.

On the bright side, many of the shortened Garands didn't work well and the fact that you have one that does is impressive. Start looking for a gas system and handguard so that when something breaks you can put it back in issue condition. Might want to look for a barrel too, but it will be cheaper to get a new one than a like-new military barrel.
 
Buy as many as possible. They're awesome shooters, and while you may intend to buy a shooter, if you go with the CMP you're getting a gun with history built into it, to boot!

You can't really lose out if you buy a Garand.
 
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