What should I look for when choosing a Garand?

[thekomet]

I'll be going to the south store this friday to choose a garand. I was hoping that the good people here at THR would share some of their considerable knowledge with me about how they chose their garands. I know that they are separated into general groups based on muzzle wear, throat erosion, manufacturer and year of various parts, etc. what i would like to know is what to look for within a given category, specifically service grade. what are acceptable defects, and what should cause me to put the rifle down and move on the the next one in the rack?

 

[30Cal]

I look at the muzzle crown first (I stick with a 2 or less on the gage), then the condition of the finish 2nd, and the stock 3rd.

 

[kBob]

Be aware that the muzzle grading is the condition of the rifling or actually just the actual bore diameter.

Any grade on muzzle wear can have a crappy crown. Check for a smooth even crown.

-Bob Hollingsworth

 

[highorder]

Crowns are easy to touch up; I look at bore condition first when evaluating M1 rifles. After that, overall condition, wood, bolt face, Op rod tab condition, and on down the line.

Look for a TE>3 ME>2

 

[P-32]

Look for the over all condition of the metal of the rifle, barrel, etc. not the wood. Grab the Receiver and pulling and pushing back and forth holding the stock firmly to see if the action moves in the stock. Also cock the hammer back by pulling the bolt and unlatch the trigger guard. Then see if the trigger guard is hard to lock. The tighter the better. You can go on and see how the trigger feels when pulled. Pull the first stage out and then see if the second stage is crisp.