Picked up first M1

[alaskan9974]

I'd been looking for another WW2 era rifle to buy for recreational shooting and hunting, and after owning a few mini's I figured I might as well try the original. I bought an M1, I don't know much about these other then this dates to late 1944, early 1945 and the serial numbers on parts I see match that timeframe.

Barrel is stamped 3SA145, clean but I am not sure if it was re-barreled?

Never owned one, and am not a collector, I do reload, and just ordered dies and already have a lot of 140-165gr bullets for my ar-10's.

 

[Frostbite]

Enjoy!

 

[alaskan9974]

Enjoy!

I was in a rush...and completely forgot to add, is there anything I need to look for or check, besides headspace before using?

 

[22250Rem]

Nice!...... Enjoy it!..... If you plan on reloading just read up on the recommended powders for use in M-1's. The gas system is set up for powders of a certain speed and using powders that are too fast or slow can damage an M-1. Nowadays most of my M-1 reloading utilizes IMR-4895 and IMR-4064 but there are other suitable powders.

 

[Frostbite]

I would really like to help you, but I am not qualified. These questions I would ask to a competent gunsmith myself, so, others here will definitely be more helpful. Still, I mean it: you have a new gun, I wish you to enjoy it.

 

[cheygriz]

Congratulations. I love the M-1. I have a "service grade" that's originaal, and a "Match grade" that's rebarrelled to 7.62X51.

Gotta admit, I like the 7.62 much better for shooting.

 

[tark]

I am a collector and I see a lot of period correct parts on your gun, especially the rear sight. Your barrel appears to be original. It is dated January, 1945 and that was when the rifle was made The stock is either a replacement or it has been re-finished. The cartouche is missing. But hey, you bought it to shoot so shoot the snot out of it.!!

Good advice from 22250Rem , but don't try any maximum hot rod loads. The gas system is designed around a 150 gr bullet @ 2700 FPS.

 

[edwardware]

When reloading, you want to pay attention to:

1) How far you're setting the shoulder back. Aim for 0.002-0.004" shorter than the chamber; note that's not necessarily 0.002-0.004" shorter than the fired brass. You'll should actually measure this with incrementally sized brass, remove the mainspring, etc. If you blindly 'just full length resize' you'll likely blow head separations by the second or third firing. My property sized brass dies from extractor wear on the rim at 15+ firings.

2) Seat the primers below flush, really. An out of battery ignition will be memorable.

3) Adequate neck tension is important. M1 bolt cycling is among the most violent of all semi-autos. Crimping will never substitute for correct next tension, but overcrimping can make it worse.

Other than that, follow Master Po's guidelines, or an M1-specific chapter from your reloading manual, and enjoy the 'ping'.

Also, skip the Collector's Edition grease, and use plenty of any non-moly modern automotive grease. Today's basic grease is generations ahead of the original Lubriplate spec.

 

[alaskan9974]

Nice!...... Enjoy it!..... If you plan on reloading just read up on the recommended powders for use in M-1's. The gas system is set up for powders of a certain speed and using powders that are too fast or slow can damage an M-1. Nowadays most of my M-1 reloading utilizes IMR-4895 and IMR-4064 but there are other suitable powders.

Thanks, I have a bit of both of those on hand already, good to know.

I am a collector and I see a lot of period correct parts on your gun, especially the rear sight. Your barrel appears to be original. It is dated January, 1945 and that was when the rifle was made The stock is either a replacement or it has been re-finished. The cartouche is missing. But hey, you bought it to shoot so shoot the snot out of it.!!

Good advice from 22250Rem , but don't try any maximum hot rod loads. The gas system is designed around a 150 gr bullet @ 2700 FPS.

Thanks, I wasn't too sure what I was getting but it looked like it was in nice shape and took a chance. The only markings on the stock are a D2 and a P in a circle on the upper tang and a 9D behind the receiver.

 

[az_imuth]

That is a great looking rifle and should be an awesome shooter. Love the look of the lockbar sights, too. I have a few of them and while I love shooting them all, I do shoot the one I had built up in 308 the most. Mainly because I don't reload and it's easier and less expensive for me to feed. One word of caution, though...these things really do have a tendency to multiply.
Congrats, and good luck with your new shooter!

 

[theotherwaldo]

Thanks, I have a bit of both of those on hand already, good to know.



Thanks, I wasn't too sure what I was getting but it looked like it was in nice shape and took a chance. The only markings on the stock are a D2 and a P in a circle on the upper tang and a 9D behind the receiver.

-I believe that the circle-P stamp means that the rifle has been proofed a second time, meaning that it has been through base-level repair. That's probably the source of the replacement stock.
Nice!

 

[1KPerDay]

Get a wilson case headspace gauge and size to the lower step. Seat primers below flush. Use approved M1 powders and bullet weights. Have fun!

 

[tark]

-I believe that the circle-P stamp means that the rifle has been proofed a second time, meaning that it has been through base-level repair. That's probably the source of the replacement stock.
Nice!

The circle P was stamped on the stock after the original proof test. That stock, whether original or not, has been re-finished The GI stocks did not have a glossy finish. Only two manufacturers during WW II. Winchester stamped the circle P close to the trigger guard, while S.A. stamped their stocks further back toward the end of the grip. This is a general rule, not an absolute one.

An absolute rule is the rear support ring on the gas cylinder. Winchester left their's round on top, all others have a flat machined in that location.

 

[cheygriz]

Should you ever decide you want to use factory ammo, or heavier bullets, or slower powder, you can get an adjustable gas valve for the M-1.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...s-plug-with-wrench-m1-garand-steel-parkerized

 

[Random 8]

Enjoy your new rifle. They do best with IMR 4064 or IMR/H 4895 and 150-168 grain bullets. Varget, R15 and VN140 are also in the correct burn speed and used by many M1 shooters. The standard load is +/-46 grains. Do not use "ball" powders in colder weather. Bent an op-rod with a Hornady "Garand" load of BL-C2. Do not shoot max 30-06 loads, they are too hot for the M1. Not really dangerous, but will generate too much wear and tear and may wreck your operating rod$$ with repeated use. The Hornady manual has a good section on Garand Specific loads (except their Bl-C 2 load). They are tough on brass. Expect frequent trimming, and 3-5 firings max. I would stock some military brass, either LC or Greek HXP commonly found on the internet for reasonable prices, it seems to hold up better than commercial brass. As above, make sure your primers are good and well below flush. 7.62 or Wolf primers are a safe bet as they are a bit harder than others, but any commercial LR primer may be used with care. Check out the CMP forums archive for endless conversations about the finer points of these rifles.

 

[Pat Riot]

Enjoy your new M1. I used to reload for mine with IMR-4895 at around 2700 FPS and had lots of fun with mine. I don’t have the load specs handy or I could give you the exact load but there’s lots of info out there to reference. I no longer have my M1. I gave it to my daughter. It’s her favorite rifle.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I was in a rush...and completely forgot to add, is there anything I need to look for or check, besides headspace before using?

The CMP has a great article on inspecting and lubricating the M1 on their website. Garandgear.com is another good site for M1 accessories and tips. I use their ported gas cylinder plug to safely fire factory ammo in mine. Has worked fine so far.

 

[bbqreloader]

The Garand is fun to load for. Will tell you know that Hornady as published data for it. I use H4895 and works well. I get the 150gr FMJ from Everglades and picked up some 147gr FMJ from RMR on a sale. Have fun!

 

[Flatbush Harry]

go to NRA recommendations by Master Po or the John Clarke article. My load is 47.0 gr IMR 4064 under a 168gr SMK bullet with a full length resized small base .30-06,.

Good shooting

 

[HankC]

Since you reload, be prepared to catch brass ejecting straight forward.

 

[If1HitU]

Congratulations,enjoy shooting it.

 

[kBob]

Re shiny stocks.

Do keep in mind that over its service life an M1 might have been through a lot of units of a lot of types.

In my High School JROTC unit there were rifles that came down to us that had several different types of refinish right up to a hard gloss. These rifles were in every condition from CMP Field grade to un issued. We swapped these out with rifles picked for the drill team and did hard coats our selves until we had 20 rifles with that sort of finish and then out fit them with Myer's white canvas slings with shiny brass fittings That's 16 for a 4 square team, two spares for the Supes and two for the flag detail.

The two other high schools in the county also set aside some high gloss hard coat for their public relations use.

At state and regional drill meets I saw plenty of others.

Many of the rifles in our racks had shinier than GI finishes and these were prized by the Cadets that got them.

Despite common beliefs I can not recall seeing ANY murdered Garands used by High schools in the 1960's here in the South East at least and when those were turned in during 1970 to 71 they lacked only the removed bolt parts to be fully functional (these were removed at the schools after delivery and stored in ammo cans in the ammo cage of the arms room or in the unit safe) , and some had those parts still in them when they were turned back in as they had been in use by various schools "Tactical Clubs" (the run around in the woods popping blanks kids)

As a result it would not surprise me in the least if folks were getting "GI" guns from CMP that had various "not standard" finishes on them, finishes that WERE used on them while they were in service, whether an expert thinks so or not.

BTW in my high school they were replaced with M14 rifles with semi auto only lock outs, again fully functional. Want to guess what we did to 20 of the wood stocked rifles? We also played with gloss white and gloss Orange and Gloss black paint on the fiberglass stocks and decided all looked to tacky for the Fighting Tigers Drill Team. Some of the Wood stocked rifles BTW had Fiberglass repairs to them and were ugly as all get out and certainly NOT selected for Drill Team/Honor Guard.

-kBob