The M1 Garand may be the rifle for me?

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

Glock19Fan

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2004
Messages
372
Hello.

I have been bitten by the bug to get another rifle. I want a .308 or .30-06, with decent accuracy (2MOA or less if possible), preferably semi auto, rugged and reliable.

I was recommended the M1 garand on another forum, and found some for sale online. I was just wondering if these were any good. FWIW, I was looking at the "Service Grade" rifles, but I am not sure which manufacturer to get. $595 doesnt sound too bad (less than $700 to my doorstep with fees and all).

Are there any better, or cheaper options out there, or is this a match?

Any other advice/comments/suggestions/experience?

Thanks!
 
Run, Run, Run fast and far away. I got the Garand fever last year and bought 7 of them in a short period of time.

Most will agree that Springfield made the best receivers and they certainly made the most garands. Springfield also made recievers for International Harvester for a short period of time, although you won't find an IH for under $1200.00 these days.

H&R made some nice Garands. Keep in mind that H&R and IH were both made it the 50's. H&R's can be had off Gunbroker for a decent price.

Only Springfield and Winchester produced Garands during WWII. Winchester's can be a little pricey.

I'd probably start with a Springfield. After that, buy some of Scott Duff's and Joe Poyer's Garand books and good luck tracking down what you want.
 
Last edited:
I absolutely love Garands and I don't think you'd go wrong getting one, but I would say that 2 MOA or less is going to be difficult on a Service Grade. You have a chance of getting one that would do that but my experience has been that it'll probably not be a regular sub 2 MOA rifle as delivered by CMP. Of course I'm a terrible shot so take it for what it's worth. :)

The coolest thing about the Garands is that you are holding a piece of history. To get one from the CMP is pretty simple and you get good instruction on how the rifle works, how you should be shooting it and a pretty good time as well. If you're a history buff you can even request a receiver with a WWII or Korean serial number and most people that I've talked to have gotten what they've asked for.

Just my .02

Have a good one,
Dave
 
I would say that 2 MOA or less is going to be difficult on a Service Grade. You have a chance of getting one that would do that but my experience has been that it'll probably not be a regular sub 2 MOA rifle as delivered by CMP.
Click to expand...

Ditto....

I own MANY M1 rifles, most bought through the CMP program, and it is a fine rifle indeed that will hold 2 MOA @ 100 yards with M2 ball. You CAN help things a bit by shooting Match ammo or good handloads.

When new, the M1 rifle had to pass an accuracy standard of: 8 shots into 4.0 MOA @ 100 yards with M2 ball. If the rifle could not meet this it was downchecked and sent back for repairs. Most of the Service Grade and higher rifles from CMP will still meet this today, but some won't. With the lower grades having higher barrel wear readings, your chances for good accuracy diminish a bit.

Reasonable expectation for any Service Grade or better M1 rifle and M2 ball is somewhere in the 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 MOA range with the small ends of the bell curve going off either end of that.

Best,
Swampy

Garands forever
 
The only down side to owning and shooting a Garand might be... might, mind you, the ammunition choice must be managed as new commercial rounds tend to blow out of the barrel with a little too much oomph. So you need to either reload to WWII ammo specs, shoot surplus or modify a part or two in the gas operating system.

Having said that, heck yes you need at least one. Two is better than one and three is better than two.

You can put some money into one to the point where you've got a match grade 1-2MOA shooter if you choose to... but why? With open sights 3-4 MOA is still doing some good shooting.
 
modify a part or two in the gas operating system.
Click to expand...

The Schuster and/or McCann adjustable gas plugs are the only parts you have to change and they're easy to use. They are not permanent modifications and you cannot tell they are different from the originals unless you really know what you are looking at.
 
Garand

I've shot a couple of does with my Garand. I've used it in matches and other folks as well. I won the Texas Garand Championship this year with a rack grade that just happens to shoot OK. They are fun to shoot.

I think every firearms enthusiast ought to be familiar with and own a Garand. I hear the latest ones at the CMP are pretty good, though I would encourage you to get the best grade you can.

The CMP has millions of rounds of HXP Greek 30-06 ammo. It's about 55 bucks a can, unshipped. I seems to be pretty good ammo.

I'd buy one and find a couple of Garand Matches or take it deer hunting.
 
I was just wondering if these were any good.
Click to expand...

Nah, being the main battle rifle of the US military in a good chunk of WWII and Korea really doesn't give it a pedigree. Garands are cheap junk that makes a HiPoint look like a Perazzi

Are there any better, or cheaper options out there, or is this a match?
Click to expand...

This is a really hard question to answer...my first response would be "for what?" Are you buying the rifle for historical value? Hunting? Plinking? Target shooting? SHTF? Long range shooting? Just to have? All purpose? For each of these questions, I can come up with a rifle that is better suited than a Garand (except, for me, the "historical" category). Hunting? I'd rather have my Tikka T3. Plinking? I'd rather have my FAL. Target shooting? I'd rather have my M1A. SHTF? I'd rather have my Para FAL...and so on. It still doesn't mean you shouldn't buy a Garand. I have 3 but they aren't the be-all-end-all.
 
iamkris- I wasnt talking about the rifles in general. I was asking about the specific rifles that are being sold. As with many surplus rifles, you have to be careful, and I was wondering if the same held true.

I have my Bushy M4 for many tasks FWIW.

Thanks for the replies, and more are always welcome!
 
For those who tell you its an addiction, that is an understatement.

I bought my first one in January of this year, and bought 1 a month for the first 3 months of this year. I still want several more.

I'm not telling you to get one, I'm just saying to be prepared to buy several.

BTW, do yourself a favor and buy ammo from the CMP. The price is reasonable, and it shoots well.

Good Luck.
 
I was asking about the specific rifles that are being sold.
Click to expand...

Sorry, that wasn't obvious from your question. Again, a search of the many threads on this forum would have shown that the CMP is by far the best way to get a high ratio of condition/quality to price.
 
Last edited:
m-1s are neat rifles... i shot a clip through my friend's garand and i had never shot anything that kicked so d^mn hard!:eek::what: it had the metal butt plate and i wasn't used to shooting much more than a full house .357 handgun.. i had no idea 30-06s kicked that hard! i was under the impression that I-H made reicevers for the m-1 garand under contract to the military.. if i was ever to get one i'd like to an I-H made gun.. i also heard mattel toy co. made m-16s if true that's the kind i'd want..........................
 
Love...these great rifles...After getting mine...I saved some money and had them spruced up a bit.....

30-06 Garand....target shot at 50yds...eight rounds

M1target.gif


My 308 Garand....target shot at 200yds

M1200ydgroup.gif
 
Since everyone else is posting theirs.

My CMP Garands. 2 Service grades (both SA, one is 1939 and one is 1944 manufactured) and the other is a 42 "special".

52arn7t.jpg

specialwy2.jpg
 
never thought of the M1 as a hard kicker...

now I had a Ruger M77Mk1 in .30-06 that kicked like a mule. weight and stock fit makes all the difference.
 
IMHO.......

1) Find a "qualifying" club and join.......it's part of the requirement.*

2) Find a Match to attend.

3) Shoot the match.....it qualifies you.

4) Fill out the paperwork and apply to buy a rifle from the CMP.

5) Wait. The delivery will be made to your door. (or depending on where you live, you might have to p/u at the main office).

6) Now, you'll have a story to pass down and along, to your kids and friends.

*certain requirements can be waived........see the web site for details.

http://www.odcmp.com/

Aloha, Mark
 
If you are a former member of the Military, or Reserves, you do not have to qualify.
All you have to do is send a copy of your DD214 and join a qualified club. Grand Collector's is a good one to join.
I've got a Service grade and an Rack Grade Garand from CMP and they are both great rifles. As far as quality there is very little difference in the two rifles and they both shoot under 2 MOA at 100 yards with hand loads.
Best value in the world for a shooter that wants and very good mil-surp semi-automatic rifle.
 
Glock19Fan:

Just don't tell your M-4--it will get jealous.

The CMP will take good care of you--anything they sell will be as described and it isn't like dealing with some fly-by-night company; if it isn't right, they will fix your problem with the weapon.

And the Greek ammo--is a value we will likely not see again. The Greeks adored the M-1; they made ammo for it that was made with obvious care and packed to store for generations.
 
m-1s are neat rifles... i shot a clip through my friend's garand and i had never shot anything that kicked so d^mn hard! it had the metal butt plate and i wasn't used to shooting much more than a full house .357 handgun.. i had no idea 30-06s kicked that hard! i was under the impression that I-H made reicevers for the m-1 garand under contract to the military.. if i was ever to get one i'd like to an I-H made gun..
Click to expand...

You obviously have not fired much at all in a highpower rifle then.... Just take a try at just about ANY bolt action rifle of 30 caliber and you'll see what REAL recoil is like. As 30 cals go the M1 rifle is a pussycat, recoil wise. The gas system attenuates the recoil quite a bit over what you'd experience in a rifle without a gas system.

RE IHC M1 rifles..... IHC made complete rifles during the period 1952-1955. Approx 400k's worth.

Best,
Swampy

Garands forever
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
  • Locked
A couple M1 Garand ???'s
Replies
3
Views
509
SquirrelNuts
S
B
  • Locked
M1 Garand vs. FAL and AR10 for Combat?
Replies
12
Views
4K
Jim K
J
P
  • Locked
m1 garand
2
Replies
26
Views
1K
USMCRotrHed
U
M
  • Locked
M1 Garand, or Dragunov Clone?
2 3 4
Replies
75
Views
4K
shep854
S
B
  • Locked
M1 Garand in .308 Win?
Replies
21
Views
5K
hpg
H
Back
Top