M1 Garand Self Defense Rifle?

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BluedRevolver

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I heard a guy in the gun store the other day talking about how he uses a tanker Garand for home defense. He said he uses reduced power loads with fast expanding bullets and that the penetration isn't much more than comparable self defense hand gun bullets. He also said he lives out in the country.

Got me thinking... would an M1 Garand tanker (18" bbl) really outdated as a rifle for "Self Defense" applications such as home defense, property defense, "Katrina" scenarios, and a truck gun? A lot of people have 10rd SKS's as their "go to" rifle. The SKS is decently heavy and long and only holds 2 more rounds with stock mags.

Sure, an AR15 might be more practical, but wouldn't 8 rounds of low penetrating 30-06 in a 18" barreled Garand be a pretty good "go to" rifle?


EDIT: The guy said his loads were 150 grain JHP's going 2600 fps. He said he had over 1k rounds reliably through the rifle with these loads, apparently thanks to some gas adjustment thing. (Honestly, the guy could be full of BS for all I know, but it's interesting nonetheless.)
 
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If its country , all bets are off. Make sure your neighbors is a mile away buffered with trees in between. Always be aware the possibility of friendlies being hit not only the bad guys. We owe that responsibility as good guys.
 
The Garand has pretty unique load and ammo requirements, as referenced above. While in theory the platform that he discusses sounds a good one, finding a powder and bullet combo mentioned above that will work reliably may prove a challenge.
 
best of the 1930 tech...

I like shooting the old Grand as much as anyone but it would not be my go-to home defense rifle. Yes Mr. Eastwood character in Gran-Torino did a great job of yard defense with a beautiful M1.

A M1 Carbine would be a better in the house home defense rifle.

A M1A would be a better weapon for home defense for all the reason that US Army developed the M14

Yes it would do the job/// there are just better rifles now
 
Garands don't function with reduced loads. They were designed to operate with a 150 grain bullet at approximately 2700 fps. The guy at the gun store is sadly mistaken.
 
But there is NO better rifle for a butt stroke to the chin while singing;
"and the teeth go 'round and 'round and they come out here."
If thats what you got, use it; just be aware of your backstop.
 
Two problems -- tanker version (these are all chopped originals -- there never was an official "tanker verrsion and only a handful of experimental short rifles) and low velocity loads. Neither one makes for the kind of reliability I'd want in a self-defense situation.

I'll stick with my Ithaca 37 with a 20" barrel.
 
Garands don't function with reduced loads. They were designed to operate with a 150 grain bullet at approximately 2700 fps. The guy at the gun store is sadly mistaken.
Click to expand...

I have nothing vested in believing the fellow, but he did say that he has some kind of gas adjustment thing from Fulton Armory that makes his loads cycle reliably. He said he had over a thousand rounds through it with those loads, no malfunctions.

I too live out in the country, my nearest neighbor is about 3 miles away. I'm about 10 miles out of town.

As of right now I use an AR15 for home defense, though a hard hitting .30 caliber like a 30-06 would be pretty comforting to grab when I hear a bump in the middle of the night. I know most recommend shotguns, but I'm just more of a rifle guy.
 
i have a 1934 m1 garand. i reloaded some light loads for a younger shooter that wanted to try my trusty ol garand. it didnt have a issue, but i only shot 8 rounds out of it. i think they were 125 grain fmj's
 
I'd also rather use an M1 carbine for home defense. With 110gr Speer Gold Dot, the .30 carbine is a serious contender for that purpose.

However, if I chose to use a Garand for home defense, I would research whether I could replicate appropriate operating pressures by handloading some rapidly expanding bullet in the 110gr - 125gr range. I do believe such rounds would do some crazy sick amounts of tissue damage/blood loss.
 
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Other than the length of tbe weapon, why not? The catridge is just a couple hundred fps faster than the. 308 and with the correct loads, less.

It seems that .308 entry length rifles are the craze with the Socom, Scout and DSA Para Fals leading the way. Manufacturers are also offering 16" barrel
308 ARs as well. Load some good frangible ammo and you have a decent HD weapon.

The other thought is that the Garand Era shooters are "gravel bellies" and not spray and pray. Accuracy was at a premium in those days, hence the decreased risk of an errant shot
 
The other thought is that the Garand Era shooters are "gravel bellies" and not spray and pray. Accuracy was at a premium in those days, hence the decreased risk of an errant shot
Click to expand...

It would seem to me that 8 shots of 30-06 would be more than enough. Many people use 1911's for their main home defense weapon which holds 9 rounds at most (unless you bump up to 10 round mags), and most shotguns hold 8 or less.

Plus, a reload is a cinch with the en bloc clips, though you can't do "+1".
 
Not my first choice, but there's nothing wrong with it so long as it functions. Loading those en-bloc clips in a hurry can be done, but it takes practice.

I'd want detachable megazines, lighter weight, higher capacity, and I wouldn't worry about anything past 100 yards (hell, past 50 is pushing it) ... so essentially I'd want an M1 Carbine ... ...
...
... Hey, wait ... I am using an M1 Carbine for that job! Loaded up with soft points from PPU, mine functions perfectly and I even have a stabby handy next to it if the mood should strike.

But I've always wanted a Tanker Garand, the original configuration is just a bit overly heavy and long for my preferences, whatever purists think about it, it is a great infantry rifle but a less-than-ideal personal weapon.
 
I would sleep soundly at night having this as my primary defensive weapon. it worked well in the 1940s and I am sure it would work just fine today as well.
 
From an 18" barrel, a 150@2600 isn't much reduced from the load the M1 was designed to work with - whoever built the "tanker" could easily have set it up to work with that ammo. Though I don't know off the top of my head who makes a .30 caliber 150 JHP, at 2600 there's plenty of power for dealing with two legged predators.

In competent hands, eight rounds will suffice for 99.99+% of self defense situations.

An M1 tanker wouldn't be my first choice - muzzle blast indoors would be damaging - but I'd take it over an M1 carbine with ball ammo.
 
It's funny how these days folks equate home defense to high capacity magazines. My nearest firearm in the house is a Ruger Security Six. It never occured to me that I might need to fire more than six rounds.
I wouldn't hesitate to use the Garand, and if I were on the business end when someone began shooting, I wouldn't hesitate to leave.
As someone once said, large capacity magazines are really only necessary if you plan to miss alot.

35W
 
M1 as a home defense rifle. BAD idea. The bad guys would just wait
until they heard the "PING" of the clip being ejected & then rush you.
:D

Roger
 
Sure, there are handier weapons, but for a rural residence, a full-size Garand oughta work pretty much as well as anything. And I've never found mine to be unduly awkward in my pickup. About the only reason I prefer my GI Carbine is the weight, not the length.
 
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