Field Or Service M1 Garand?

[dscottw88]

If you were to purchase a Garand from CMP, and had to choose between the Field Grade (Fair to Good) or Service Grade (Good to Very Good), what would your choice be?

Mind you that although the Field grade is 100 bucks cheaper ($495) than the service grade, it is quite possible that the rifle will come with considerably more nicked wood, pitted areas, and worn parts. do you consider this a good investment? I would plan on shooting it quite a bit and dont want something that I am gonna have to fix up just to function properly.

Anyone with First hand experience ordering from CMP stating their thoughts/experience with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Library Guy]

I went with the service grade last year and have no regrets.

If you're worried about function, I suspect both should function well. The advantage of the service grade is that the bore will exhibit less wear. My service grade rifle came with a 8-65 barrel with almost no wear.

I don't think you could replace the barrel of a field grade for less than the $100 difference.

So, if you want a wall hanger or just a piece of history- go for the field grade.

If you want the fun of rebuilding a Garand, possibly rebarreling to .308- go with the field grade.

If you want the best shooter out of the box- service grade.

I hope this helps.

LG Roy

 

[HorseSoldier]

If you can get into the North or South Stores (or to an event where CMP has Garands for sale), so you can cherry pick a good one, then go with Field Grade. (I've been pretty happy with both mine -- a Greek and a Dane -- and the only thing needing replacement was an elevation knob for the sights on the Greek.)

If you can't cherry pick your specific rifle, and are going via mail order, go with the Service grade. Top end of the Field Grade category can be real winners, especially for the price, but the bottom end can be pretty rough.

 

[30Cal]

I agree. You won't regret buying the best one you can.