Is this Garand worth it???

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redneck2

redneck2

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Local shop has an original Springfield Garand in better than usual condition listed for $395. Now, that seems like a pretty good price, but the catch is that the barrel is shot out (dealer is exceptionally honest and tells you that right up front). I could get it for $350.

Dunno how the barrel could get shot out with so much with so little visible wear.....mebbe they overheated it......

So...

(A) what would it take money wise to drop on a new barrel and

(B) what would be the value??? Is it worth it???

I was thinking of a match grade barrel. I'd try to make a good shooter.

Also, if anybody's interested, he's got an original in probably 95% condition with original matching parts for $1,000.

TIA
 
I'd say that's a reasonable price - not great, but reasonable. You can re-barrel it for as little as $200 to $250, although match barrels may cost rather more. That would give you a total investment of $550 to $600 in the rifle - not too bad.

I'd try to negotiate the dealer down to the $300 level, and see if he accepts. Hey - if he meets you halfway at $325, you've still saved a bit!
 
Barnett NM barrels are just under $200, wholesale, from Brownells. Krieger makes a barrel also, but Brownell's doesn't sell it. You need to be careful about barrel contour if you shoot matches, as only those barrels that maintain GI contour are approved.
 
Sounds like a reasonable price as a barrel is going to run you around $200-250 which puts right up there into reasonable Garand price.
 
Ayup. Snatch that thing up. even for $350 as long as the receiver, op rod, bolt, gas cylinder & trigger housing are in good shape you've got a deal.

To give 1 example, Smith Enterprise will throw on one of their USGI standard barrels for aorund $250. Their medium heavy match will run $375 installed.

Here's the link for their shop services:

http://www.smithenterprise.com/m1_garand_service.html

You might be able to find a gunsmith near you that'll do it cheaper; just make sure they know their way around a garand as there are too many gunsmiths who do a lot of Garand work at decent prices to try to save a few $.

One more thing: a lot of times those shot out barrels can be restored if ya just clean 'em! It's not always the case, but I've heard of people who just remove the copper fouling from a barrel that was supposedly shot out & they find it's still got a few thousand rounds of decent accuracy left in it.

But if it is shot out & copper cleaing doesn't help, odds are it has a damaged crown. Ya have to clean Garands from the muzzle & this makes damaging the crown easy. & a crown will affect accuracy moreso than any other single part of the barrel.

Another thing with Garands is the stock will affect accuracy. If the stock around the trigger housing & floorplate is compressed, then it won't lock up the action tight & groups will suffer. The trigger guard bein worn will do this also. If it doesn't take much effort to pull the trigger guard down from the stock then check the trigger guard pivot pins & if they're o.k. think about a new stock.

BTW, did he say how he knew it was shot out?

So buy it & clean it then see if the barrel will be alright or not. If it gives you 2" to 3" groups then it's doing what an off the rack battle rifle is supposed to.
 
I'd say that $350 is an okay price but will second the suggestion(s) to try to get him down a little more. Maybe take C R Sam's advice and carry cash if you can.

You may want to visit www.jouster.com and check out their references on the Garand. Lot's of questions to be answered. Is the barrel really shot out, or just kinda? (oops! Publicola already covered this) How well do part numbers match? (more important from a collector POV than for actual shooting purposes) How is the wood?

As with all guns, many questions about the various parts which might make this a better (or worse) buy than it seems. But IMHO this is something you should seriously consider getting.
 
Dunno how the barrel could get shot out with so much with so little visible wear
Click to expand...

In addition to what has been said.... You said "original Springfield" so that means USGI, and the original ammo for this rifle was corrosive. Easy to wear out a barrel, if not cleaned properly. Also, it could have had a rebuild or refinishing in its lifetime, without the barrel being replaced.

Lee
 
I'd have to look..

at the numbers for a "match"

not sure how important that is if the barrel has been replaced....as you can tell, I'm not a collector.

Reason I was thinking about the barrel replacement... I have a very good friend who used to work in Kreiger's shop and can help me get the work done. I believe it's original WWII vintage

On the $1,000 rifle...all numbers match, it's GI, and in beautiful condition, nearly unused. A local collector looked at it and verified the numbers and condition.

Thanks for the heads-up about the cleaning. I was kinda in a rush and didn't even look down the barrel. Dealer said he looked down the barrel and it's ugly. They know their wasy around guns real well, so I took them at their word

Got to thinking about the rifle on the way home. Mebbe I should spend a little time there with some solvent.
 
Redneck,
Keep in mind when looking at the parts for matching numbers that M1 parts were not serialized to the receivers. The number on the parts (that have numbers) are the drawing numbers that the parts conform to. It's not as easy as checking them to see if they match each other; they probably won't.
M1s were routinely re-barreled during the course of their lives. While not all of them had this done, it was a common practice during an Armory rebuild, if required. Armory re-barreling generally does not reduce the value. (in fact, the Danish VAR barrels are sought after for their accuracy). The date of the barrel on an M1 is usually 3-6 months prior to the listed production date of the rifle's serial number, due to the parts pipeline (unless it was re-barreled, of course).
Scott Duff's M1 books (WWII and Post-War) contain all the information on what part drawings were used during what time periods. Even this is not iron-clad, as some stocks of parts could creep into the next time period. So, a "highly collectable" M1 won't have "Matching" part numbers, but will have "Correct" part numbers.
Functionally, though, it doesn't make a big difference with most parts. An early part should work just as well as a later part in most cases.
As to your question - the CMP price for a Rack Grade is $425 for a Winchester, $400 for the other 3 brands. Rack Grade generally means the barrel is worn, pitted, etc.... i.e. shot out. The wood on Rack Grades is usually rather beat, also.
If you can get it for $350, you're ahead of the game already. Several of the sponsors over at jouster.com do some marvelous work both cosmetically and mechanically.
Get it, clean it, learn it, see how it shoots, and above all... Enjoy!
LostCajun
 
All of the above sounds good to me. Even a CMP rifle is $500. And you can even have an "original" barrel installed. I'd like to suggest thes guys:

http://www.m1garandrifle.com/

These guys are top shelf, move stuff quickly, and have really great prices.

Jump on that puppy. Retail Garands here in New England start at $650 and you can easily be asked $700 for one now.

Rome
 
Yep...

suppose I ought to jump on it. Wood is probably in the top 20% of the ones I've ever seen. Has some "battle-rifle" marks but not beat up at all. It'd be kinda neat to have something "new" that is a little scarred and you wouldn't have to baby.

I could get it re-barreled later. Mebbe I'd see Steve Smith at a high power match some day :)

The WWII collector's grade he has could probably be had for mebbe $800-850 cash money. They're neat guys and just trying to turn some money.

I'm just trying to learn. I appreciate all the help on the basic questions
 
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