Garand Bolt Question

[TenDriver]

I bought a SG Springfield in CMP wood last month. The only non-SA part on the rifle is the bolt (other than the stock). The bolt is HRA.

Is it worth the trouble in finding the proper SA bolt?

 

[dfariswheel]

No.
Since it isn't a collectors "Correct" grade rifle, a bolt won't add a thing to the value.
And if you did, you'd have to have the new bolt checked for head space.
If the head space wasn't right, you'd be out the money for the new bolt.

 

[Auto426]

Frankly, unless you plan on trying to find an original SA stock to go with it, replacing the bolt with an SA won't bring the value up much if at all. The serial number of the rifle will also influence value, as most people desire a WWII era serial number.

If you want a SA bolt, I do believe that if you were to purchase a HRA Garand from the CMP there's a high chance that it will come with one. I've heard that the CMP purposefully mixes parts so people don't buy the lower grades and try to flip them for profit. It's also a great excuse to buy another Garand.

 

[cfullgraf]

I bought a SG Springfield in CMP wood last month. The only non-SA part on the rifle is the bolt (other than the stock). The bolt is HRA.

Is it worth the trouble in finding the proper SA bolt?

If changing bolts rings your bell, go for it. It will not really add to the value of the rifle in the near term. There are too many M1s around these days. Maybe in 20 or 30 years.

But, you live close enough to the south store to go and search through the HRAs. As been said, you will probably find one, or more, with a Springfield bolt in it.

The CMP stores are worth the experience.

While you mush check the head spacing of the swapped bolts, there is a good chance no other work would need to be done. To check two rifles, the cost of the Go and No-Go gauges might be less than the gunsmith's cost to measure them. Lots of good info on the CMP web site and forum on checking the headspace of an M1.

 

[TenDriver]

Thanks for the replies. I bought it to shoot, so I think I'll leave it as is.