What got you into collecting the M1 Garand

[eclancy]

Gentlemen,
What got you started into collecting the M1 Garand Rifle. Was it the CMP, Gun Shows, Gun Shops, seeing them at the range or in a paper/NRA etc., The M1 Garand only comes by only 4 US Military makers but with many different types of spec's to each what would be your favorite to collect?





Season Greetings
Thanks again for taking the time and effort to read this data. I hope you learn some data on the M1 Garand.
Clancy
ps could use some hits
NRA Life Endowment
NRA Training Counselor
NRA Instructor
FSS 90% / BW X Speed Div by 1000 = PF

 

[kBob]

One does not a collection make....but it is my third. First turned out to be a reweld ages ago, traded it for an 1903 spring field with "musket" stock. Second was a Bluesky from Korea when those first came in that I held the gas piston rigid on the barrel with broken match sticks with and took it back to the folks that sold it to me and he made it good by taking it back and giving me an 03A3 that shoots still like a charm.

ANd speaking of charms I hope three is for I got one this past year from CMP, one of the lower grade Danish guns in about the ugliest and loose european something wood stock I have seen (though it currently resting in a GI stock that seems tight but I have not fired it since re stocking.

I would love to have more and better Garands.

What got me interested in Garands?

A rich old Uncle let me play with one a few hours a week. I learnd about its mechanical operation and care, and fired a bit of black tip AP ( and a lot of blanks) from it and was hooked. Oh and the Uncle was Sam and I was in High school JROTC in 1968. Yes we ( and by we I mean myself and two of the instructors who did between us 220 rifles) did strip the firing pin, extractor and ejector and the springs for the last two from the bolts......of all but 20 rifles. Those rifles were used for salutes and for field training with blanks and one of those was "issued" to me. Odd how twenty of us having "full access" to a semi auto, high powered combat rifle at a public school a couple of times a week did not lead to mass shooting every week.

I was and remain bitten by the Garand bug and only responsible handling of family funds prevents me from having more.

-Bob Hollingsworth

 

[Chipperman]

I've only got two. Bought both from gunshops.

I've been interested in them since watching WWII movies as a kid.

 

[akolleth]

Got interested in getting a Garand from my love of history, and the WWII time period specifically.

Actually purchased one from CMP because of the price, a heck of alot cheaper than getting one from a private dealer.

 

[Nicky Santoro]

I don't collect per se. I only have two. That being said, I've wanted one since I first shouldered one. They just feel "right".

 

[critter]

I liked history as a kid, especially of WWII. I always wanted an M1 (AND a Thompson AND a BAR!!!!!!!), but the M1 was the best I could do. I borrowed one for a time from a relative and that sealed it.

I finally was able to buy one through the old DCM program. Still have that wonderful piece of engineering and history.

Another followed later. Mainly cause I LOVE to shoot them too! Boom X 8
-------> PING!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I trained on it, carried it in combat, and came to love it.

 

[H2O MAN]

The 1st rifle I learned to shoot was the Garand.
Memories of that experience eventually lead me to collect M14 type rifles.
I don't own a Garand though.

 

[Vaarok]

Bought one to have one, it sucked. Then posted a 1879 Trapdoor I got at an auction for $480 up on a trader board and got a TE2 ME2 Danish offered at me, and then went to an estate auction and somehow got a beater for $440 alongside a bringback K98 for $350 and a M-24 Mosin for $90.

 

[Detachment Charlie]

Collection?

No, no Garand collection (yet). I started with buying C&R WWII rifles -- K98, Mosin, SMLE. I couldn't find a reasonably priced and SHOOTABLE Arisaka. But, I'm still looking. The Garand was the the most costly of all these WWII battle rifles. Actually, even a CMP Garand costs more than all of the others combined.
But, what good is a WWII battle rifle collection without the King? So, I sold some of my other guns to get the cash for a good Garand shooter.
My Garand, a service grade Springfield, is on it's way to me from CMP.
I trained on an M1, then was issued an M14. That was taken away from me before I fired it in combat and was given an M-2 carbine, only to find myself out of ammo with the closest .30 carbine rounds about 200 miles South of me. Ditched the carbine and grabbed a Matty Mattel special (3-prong flash-hider) and toted that for most of the tours.
But, there's nothing like an M1 Garand. It is very serious ju-ju.

 

[Oohrah]

First one issued as a Marine Reservist while a senior in high school. Activated
10 days after high school I was issued a new (1958) Garand that I kept until
issued a Win. Model 70 before being shipped over. First love that continued
until I got my own through DCM, and had family members (two) shoot to qual-
ify for two more, that I bought from them. Turned a Bluesky with a bad barrel into a Tanker, and picked up a Match Grade in 308 to round things
out.

 

[ROMAK IV]

I collect battle rifles, and a Garand was part of that. If you like battle rifles and have as limited budget, (who doesn't?) a Garand is a good choice, and if you miss out on getting one now, or on the relatively inexpensive surplus 30-06, you will hate yourself at some time in the future, like I should for missing similiar opportunities years ago. I paid about $700 for a fine, late manufactured H&R before the Government started importing rifles again. I can seriously and truthfully tell you that the market for Garands has changed, and they are probably as cheap now as they will EVER be again. A Garand is still quite a rifle, and even rebuilt, is a piece of history. The only blemish is the short time Garands had to be dismantled, imported, and rebult on legal or new manufactured receivers. The new ones from Springfield are okay, because they didn't involve the destruction of historic rifles. At this time, Garand parts and gunsmithing remians relatively cheap, much less than a similiar M1-A.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

In 1990 they were going for $300.00 re-imported from S. Korea. I wanted a new m1a; they cost 800 bucks. It was what I could afford at 19 years old.

I did a lot of things when I was younger I would do differently now; getting involved in the M-1 universe isn't one of them.

 

[homeka45]

First memory of one is seeing them as a kid on "Combat." I only have two, an SA and HRA. I know of a M1D WRA from the CMP that's for sale and it'll probably be my next acquisition.

 

[Dienekes]

Have always been interested in the WWII era--probably due in part from my father having been an ETO veteran, and that most of his contemporaries were of "The Greatest Generation" as well. Caught the last of the big band era's music as a little kid, and instead of schoolbooks I read history books.

Got hooked on guns generally about age 17. All male students at my college were required to take 2 years of Army ROTC, and that's where I learned the manual of arms with the Garand and how to field strip it. (Also watched "Combat!" religiously each week...)

Shot borrowed CMP rifles off and on, finally got my first one back around 1985 when it was one per customer per lifetime; cost, $165.

Now have enough to equip a rifle squad, (one of each mfr.) which I guess is almost enough. Can still use the irons but have an Amega Ranges scout scope mount standing by just in case.

I like a lot of good guns, but the Garand has always been a part of my world.

Happy New Year, Ed!

 

[davera]

For my collection of one? (1955 SA .. 5million-ish serial number)

1.) History - I have always been a WWII buff, just look at my bookshelf
2.) Fun to shoot - several years ago I shot one belonging to a friend of a friend and knew then I had to have one.
3.) TEOTWAKI scenarios - it will still do today what it would do 50 years ago, put accurate high power rifle fire downrange. I have carbines and handguns for your average SHTF scenario but when the barbarians are coming over the crest ... ya want yer 30-06 rifle at hand.

 

[foghornl]

Great battle rifle...or as Gen George S. Patton called it "...The greatest battle Implement ever devised..."

BLAM! x 8, then Ping! What else could you want?

"..It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that Ping!"

 

[BsChoy]

I have one so far....almost bought another this Christmas with gift money but got a G26 for carrying around....Im sure I will add at least one more...seeing as I have 2 sons!

 

[hksw]

The CMP route got me insterested in the Garand. Not sure if the interest is full blown yet or just a spurt (got 2 more Specials since my initial Danish return gun). The gun was somewhat of interest to me growing up and getting ahold of a Danish for my own piece of actual history was something I couldn't pass up.

 

[KODB]

Started shooting in my local CMP affiliated gunclub; up til then all I really knew was the M16/M4 and some M14 exposure, and some subgun use while in the Navy. Started shooting those "old" rifles and was hooked. Started buying them up from CMP and then learned how to work on/rebuild them myself. This lead to a real appreciation for the design's genius and further acquisitions. I really don't "collect" per se but consider myself a rather intensive real life user who acquires further rifles for shootin'!

Regards,

Bob

 

[Brian Dale]

I watched a lot of WWII movies as a kid. My Dad had fought in Korea, and he characterized the M1 as a superb rifle long before I ever held one. I've always found them to be visually striking, too: to me, they're the P-51 Mustang of the firearms world.

Several years ago, some gentlemen from the Sir Walter Gun Club manned a table at a gun show in Raleigh, NC. From them, I learned of the CMP and of the opportunity for private citizens to buy military M1s. From them, I learned that the general public was invited to a match at their club shortly thereafter. From them, at that match, I learned how to operate the M1 that they lent me for the match. They gave me the chance to learn how much fun the M1 is to shoot in peacetime.

I learned more from them than that. I learned what Highpower shooters are like. If any of you gentlemen from Sir Walter (or the teenaged girls there who far outscored me) should happen to read this post, let me reiterate it here:
Thank You.

I have only bought two CMP M1s so far; they both have WWII Springfield receivers, mixed parts and post-WWII barrels. Perhaps I need a late-manufacture M1, or perhaps one from every manufacturer, but it's too early to tell. Also, I'm a shooter rather than a real collector.

All the best, eclancy, and thanks for all of the research you've done and for the information which you've made available to the rest of us.

 

[lionking]

My dad did.He is the reason I'm into firearms.He was a lifer in the army.He was in Korea (inf) and helicopters (crewchief) in Vietnam.He considers Korea "his" war though.

Here are a few precious photos of him I have in Korea ,he is the one on the right with the Korean and actually in the bottom photo he is posing with a carbine.The badges were his,he was 7th cavalry.Some of the photos were his buddies.

Says he also carried a M1903 for a little while over there,but the Garand was his main weapon,he talked about it so much that when I became of age I bought this Korean bluesky bringback.Went ahead and got a bluesky bringback carbine also.

I think I had the South Korean flag upside down,sorry about that,didn't realize till I looked at it online.

 

[.45Guy]

Mainly your posts and site Eclancy! And I still haven't found a decent IH. It's really the only one I want, as my grandfather worked for IH during the production years.

 

[transformerguru]

I got interested in the Garand because my grandfather was a WW2 vet. I never really got to know him since he pass while I was young. Now that I'm at the 30 year old plateau I wanted to know more about what he did and went through, so I researched and started reenacting. Through reenacting I was able to qualify for the CMP and boom got my first service grade rifle, which happened to be a '55 dated type 1 National Match. So now I need to get another because of the rarity of this beautiful firearm.

 

[amprecon]

After lugging one around everyday for 8 weeks of basic training I just felt naked afterwards without one

BTW Navy boot, San Diego, CA 1987, yes, still lugging Garands around and wearing leggings, go figure.