Garand advice requested

[Elkins45]

I stumbled across a Springfield Armory M1 Garand in a pawn shop today. The serial number is 235xxx and the receiver has a bit of pitting. The wood looks original and somewhat matching, but there is a bit of wiggle where the back end of the receiver meets the stock.

The price on the tag is $825. My question: how bad does a Garand have to be before it's not worth $800?

 

[dogmush]

Depends, Are you eligible to purchase from the CMP?

If you are, that Garand ain't worth 8 bills.

If not, judging by what I see at gun shows and shops, $800 will get you into a Rack Grade rifle. Defined as:

Rack Grade Rifles. Most of these rifles have been refinished or rebuilt at least once while in military service and will likely have some parts from other manufacturers. Rifle wear will be exhibited by worn and mixed colors of the finish; there may be some minor pitting on the metal parts; wood will be basically sound but may be well used with minor hairline cracks, poor fit, and many digs, scratches and gouges; wood may not match in color, type of wood or condition. These rifles may have some foreign parts and wood may be Walnut, Birch, Beech or other variety. Rifles do not have import marks. Bores will be generally good with only minor imperfections; the barrel crown may be nicked, and the muzzle may gauge more than “3” on muzzle gauge. The Throat Erosion will gauge more than “5”. The overall appearance and condition of the rack grade will generally be rougher than any other grade. Fair condition.

Which sounds a lot like what you describe.

 

[chris in va]

Nice thing about the CMP, they will use their muzzle and chamber gauge to show how much life the barrel has left. They also go over all the mechanicals as a basic safety inspection.

Buying blind in a pawn shop is taking a big risk.

I paid $495 for my Field Grade a few years ago at the North Store in Ohio.

 

[Orlando]

A person who doesnt know anything about Garands should buy from CMP

 

[Maj Dad]

S.N. puts it in the 1940-41 era. That's a plus, depending on the overall condition of the receiver (pitting, condition of mating surfaces, etc.). Many factors influence value, but starting with an early receiver is not a drawback. It needs to be checked out by someone who is familiar with them if you are really interested in getting it. You can't value it without examining it, and Garand prices just keep climbing - yesterdays price is not today's. I have several, and all are service grade or collector grade, from the mid-80's or 90's, and I wouldn't take less than $1000 for the lowliest of them all. Caveat emptor...

 

[P5 Guy]

Many M1 rifles were cut apart and scrapped. If you cannot identify a "reweld" receiver then walk away.

 

[Devonai]

In my experience, the only way to know if a non-CMP M1 rifle is any good is to take it to the range. Even if you have your own throat erosion gauges and go/no-go chamber gauge, that's only telling part of the story. The fugliest M1 might run like a Swiss watch while a seemingly pristine specimen might be full of problems.

I may buy another non-CMP M1 rifle in my lifetime, if the price is right, but I won't expect anything from it until I've put a couple hundred rounds through it.

 

[Dave P]

"Many M1 rifles were cut apart and scrapped."

That's news to me. I know it was done on M-14's, but never heard of a cut Garand.

 

[cfullgraf]

A person who doesnt know anything about Garands should buy from CMP

Good advice for a novice Garand enthusiast.

 

[rondog]

"Many M1 rifles were cut apart and scrapped."

That's news to me. I know it was done on M-14's, but never heard of a cut Garand.

Oh hell yes there were cut Garands! There's been a problem with rewelded M1's out there for years. 03's and 03A3's too.

 

[P5 Guy]

Captain Crunch

Beware of the welded receiver! If you bought your M1 Garand from the CMP or its predecessor the DCM then you can skip this section. If you bought your M1 Garand from someone else, you'll want to inspect your receiver carefully. Sometime during the 1960's and 1970's de-milled M1 Garands were purchased as scrap. The two cut halves were welded back together. Some of these receivers are still in circulation today and should be considered wall hangers, and never fired. The image below, highlighted in red, is the area you want to pay particular attention to. The receiver shown below is NOT a welded receiver but shows the normal type of machining marks you should see. Below is a quick list of things to verify.

http://www.garandgear.com/m1-garand-inspection

Either the receivers were too worn out of spec to be useful and was scrapped at the arsenal doing the refit. Or the Clinton administration ordered them destroyed.

 

[Flatbush Harry]

I have bought exclusively from the CMP. Their customer service, should you need it, is the best in the industry. Their rifles are as described and they stand behind them. If you're a citizen and can demonstrate firearms competence, you can qualify by joining a qualifying club.

I have bought two correct grade, two service grade specials and built a Special Grade at their Advanced Maintenance Class...my favorite. It's the only way to go!

Harry

 

[lemaymiami]

Here's a link to the CMP's current auction for garands (at 0834 Eastern). I've never bought from CMP - but hear nothing but good things about them... They have garands in each store (one north the other down south - Anniston, Alabama) that you can handle, inspect, etc (but good ones go very quickly....). The auction have a range of weapons and are on-going....

http://cmpauction.thecmp.org/catalog.asp?catid=362&n=M1-Garand

 

[Reloadron]

I would be in the group suggesting the CMP while they still have them available. When considering the purchase of a M1 Garand there are a number of things you want to look at and be familiar with. In a nutshell the CMP does all the work for you, you get a good rifle at a more than fair price and if on the off chance there is a problem you have support after the sale.

Ron

 

[rondog]

Don't buy a Garand from Cabela's. You could buy two from the CMP for the price of one from Cabela's. Their gun prices are disgusting.

 

[HankB]

For $1030, here's what you can get from the CMP:

CMP Special (.30-06) M1 Garand. This is a completely refurbished rifle consisting of an original M1 Garand Springfield or HRA receiver, new production Criterion barrel, new production American Walnut stock and handguards, and new web sling. Receiver and most other parts are refinished USGI, but some parts may be new manufacture.

For $730, you'll get this:

Service Grade Rifles show less wear and better appearance than Field or Rack Grades. Good to very good condition. Rifle wear will be exhibited by worn and mixed colors of the parkerized finish. There may be some minor pitting on the metal parts. Wood will be either Walnut, Birch, Beech or other variety and will be basically sound but may have minor hairline cracks, dings, scratches and gouges. Wood may not match in color or type of wood. Wood may be of new production on Service Grade Garands. Bores will be generally good with only minor imperfections. The barrel crown may be nicked, but the muzzle will gauge "3 or less" and the throat erosion will gauge less than 5.

Manufacturer selection only guarantees the receiver was produced by the manufacturer listed. The barrel and the other parts may have been produced by other manufacturers.

I'd pass on the pawn shop rifle.

 

[carbine85]

From my experience the Pawn Shops have 25%-30% extra margin to work with.
The one around here normally come off the price by that much or have "sales" equal to that amount. They typically loan or pawn just under 1/2 of the actual value.

 

[Sunray]

"...The price on the tag is $825..." Prices in pawn shops are usually negotiable. That $825 is 'retail' price. Retail will always be higher. Rifles are usually in worse condition too.
As mentioned, the CMP is your friend. Start here. http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/rifle_sales/eligibility-requirements/
What does the barrel look like?

 

[Vern Humphrey]

"Many M1 rifles were cut apart and scrapped."

That's news to me. I know it was done on M-14's, but never heard of a cut Garand.

A hell of a lot of M1s were cut and sold for scrap. About 30 years ago, someone developed a jig to hold the parts of a cut receiver together for welding.

 

[Maj Dad]

You simply cannot go wrong with the CMP. They are absolutely honest and straightforward - and you will get exactly what you order. Never less, and often better condition, but it will be a shooter, and you won't have to wonder when it will let go in your face...

 

[eastbank]

i played with a rewelded recieve m1 many years ago when they were like hen,s teeth to get. it was hard to tell it was a welded reciever ontill you took the stock off and you could see the weld lines very well. but the rifle shot very well and worked with out any problems. all the firing pressure is taken up by the front half of the reciever and bolt lock up. but i bought four m1 service grade rifles in 2004, the man i talked at cmp was very nice and ask if i wanted any thing special and i ask for a good bore and walnut stocks and boy did i get what i wanted. eastbank.

 

[agtman]

CMP all the way ...

For $1030, here's what you can get from the CMP:
Quote:
CMP Special (.30-06) M1 Garand. This is a completely refurbished rifle consisting of an original M1 Garand Springfield or HRA receiver, new production Criterion barrel, new production American Walnut stock and handguards, and new web sling. Receiver and most other parts are refinished USGI, but some parts may be new manufacture.

* * *. I'd pass on the pawn shop rifle.

Agree with HankB.

Forget the pawn shop re-weld junk, and skip the M1s you see on gunshow tables. Shot-out barrels married to out-of-spec parts.

The quoted passage from the CMP above refers to what they were calling - 2 years ago anyway - the "Special Receiver M1s," which were built starting with USGI, in-spec S.A. or HRA receivers. You then had the option of choosing one chambered in either the traditional 30.06 or in .308/7.62.

As I already had several S.A. SG Garands (and one SGS) in '06, I bought one of the HRA SRs in .308 as a pure shooter, and haven't regretted it. That Criterion barrel is very accurate and, as far as I can determine, CMP used all USGI parts in my build. The rifle was loving assembled by CMP armorers who know what they're doing. The new wood is beautiful too.

IIRC, I believe I paid just under $1K OTD. Again, this was from 2-yrs ago when I bought it at the NS during the Nat'l Matches.

I can highly recommend this type of CMP "Special." It shoots way better than I can hold and has run flawlessly regardless of what particular make of FMJ is stuffed in the clip - from old surplus 7.62 to recent commercial IMI product. Get one while you can ...

Obligatory range pic:

HRA SR M1 in .308.

 

[Jeff H]

Depends, Are you eligible to purchase from the CMP?

If you are, that Garand ain't worth 8 bills.

If not, judging by what I see at gun shows and shops, $800 will get you into a Rack Grade rifle. Defined as:


Which sounds a lot like what you describe.

To the OP: If you don't know if you are CMP eligible, you should look deeper into it. It is pretty easy to get qualified.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I've got a CMP. "Special" in '06. I got it to shoot Garand matches.
It's nearly as accurate as a match prepped M1 I inherited.
With the hooded rear aperture and NM front, it would be just as accurate. (But wouldn't be eligible for the matches).

Join the Garand collectors association. It's just $25/yr and the quarterly magazine is worth more than that. You'll then be CMP eligible.
I walked in the CMP south store with completed forms. Walked out 55min later with what amounted to a "new" M1 Garand. 1943 SA receiver, but new barrel, stock, and everything else refinished to new condition.
I shot a 265/300 with it in last Garand match at Talladega.
I've done nothing to it but shoot and clean it! The trigger "might" could use a little work, but it ain't bad!. Otherwise it just begs to be shot!
It even "likes" the inexpensive Hornady 150 fmj's.

 

[Elkins45]

Well, it's a moot point because when I stopped in yesterday it was gone.

I applied for membership in a CMP affiliated club before Christmas but it looks like my application was lost in the mail. I will try again and hope they let me in.