What to look at/for in a used M1 Garand

[osteodoc08]

Have a gentleman that wants to sell me a Garand or two. Apparently he is a collector and is thinning out the herd as he's getting older. He has collected them for years and has quite a large US military collection.

I've scoured the interweb and most of it deals with collectivity and ME/TE numbers. I'm just wanting a piece of Americana that can be passed down as good shooters to my sons. Collectability is the least of my concerns. I don't need an all parts matching early WRA Garand. Just a solid shooter.

Any advice or tips? What is considered an acceptable TE/ME number?

Thanks in advance guys.

[country gent]

If you can get a throat gage to use it will give an Idea of the barrels condition. also check the muzzle with a bullet for an idea of possible cleaning rod damage. Op spring if I remember correctly should measure 18" long at rest out of the rifle no kinks or bends. Look at extractor for modifications or wear. It was considered a standard mod to radious bottom corner and also some other stoning polishing on them. Ejector were occasionally re angled or shortened. Both of these also had springs lightened by clipping coils. While action is out of stock and op spring and follower are out check op rod and bolt for free movement. Raise barreled actions muzzle to 30* - 40*bolt should open on its own. lowering the same it should close. Fit of receiver in the stock is another consideration.

[mac1911]

See what he has to offer and at what price. Let him know you want his shooters and not his collectables.
TE\ME numbers are nice to know and I would hope a good collector will know and have the gauges. Crown condition is a,must for good shooters.
Snug fitting stock and a in spec gas system.

[244]

I'm no expert, but springs are easily replaceable and likely should be replaced if you plan to use it regularly. Country gent mentioned it, but the trigger guard latches to lock the action to the stock. It should be tight and the wood around the lock up not soft and badly discolored by oil soak. There are websites that list date of manufacture by serial number. This date can be cross referenced to the date on the barrel to determine if it was sent to an arsenal for work. Some may have been refurbished with a mix of new parts and then put into storage for possible future use and then disposed of in like new condition. Some might have mixed matched stocks from an arsenal rework....or just switched by a later owner. By that I mean, if you want a shooter, it may be the ugly duckling!

[Jack Stanley]

Having a good barrel is the first thing for the rifle to shoot well and the most expensive to replace . It is more important to have a good crown than the throat so see that the crown is even all the way around . An M-2 ball round at the muzzle can work as an impromptu gage . Probably the next most important thing is a snug fitting stock , If you are going to bed the stock it's not such a big thing though . Most everything else is a matter of fitting , it really depends how in depth you want to get into accuracy . Rifles that shoot sub MOA will cost big bucks , those that give a reliable three inches are much more affordable .

Jack

[country gent]

If the trigger guard is half way or below the trigger at rest with no force then the wood may be compressed or bad and work may be required. There is little in the stock receiver fit that some bedding wont cure. But the Garand and M1A/M14 are different animals to bed than the bolt actions are. Clint Fowler used to do a triple lug on the garand that increased bedding area and shoulders it also made them a bolt in action leaving the trigger guard tension to only hold the trigger in place. The bedding is a big plus unless you ever want to shoot a garand match as these are to be as issued rifles.

[higgins]

It's pretty basic, and you may already know, but look at a dry bore; oil can hide roughness. In addition to whatever ammo was fired in a rifle during its military service there has been a lot of .30/06 surplus sold that is corrosive, and not everyone knows to clean properly after firing corrosive ammo.

The surest way to know what you're getting would be to get one that came from the DCM (old days) or CMP. Ask for paperwork that came with them that will identify the rifle by serial number. Another vote for muzzle condition. I was one of those ROTC cadets that wore out M1 muzzles with GI cleaning rods by repeatedly cleaning rifles that we never shot. You can get an idea of excessive muzzle wear if jacket fouling fades out at the muzzle because the muzzle gets larger.

The Europeans made it a lot easier to determine parts compatibility by stamping serial numbers all over some (most?) of their rifles. As a shooter, matching parts is no big deal as long as headspace is good and the rifle functions properly. In fact, it would be unusual to get a Garand with all of its original parts. When I was an ROTC cadet they took the bolts out of the hundreds of M1s at our school to render them safe. Chances are slim that every bolt eventually went back in the rifle from which it came. Add to that all the other occasions when bolts could have been switched by people who didn't know (or didn't care) that bolt and rifle should stay together and it makes a headspace check worthwhile.

[Scharfschuetze]

The above posts cover it pretty well.

Let me start from the muzzle and work my way back.

Crown: Many crowns are worn down not only from shooting, but from the soft steel cleaning rods the Army issued.

Gas Cylinder and front sight base: This needs a fit tight enough to seal for proper operation.

Gas piston: A good square face without gas erosion on the sides. It should mate closely to the intenal diameter of the gas cylinder.

Gas Cylinder splines: The gas cylinder should be a fairly tight fit without too much play. Tighter the better. Worn or sloppy splines will degrade accuracy.

Hand guards: There shouldn't be too much play in the hand guards. Match conditioning takes the play out. It's complimentary to the gas cylinder fit.

Op Rod: Worn op rod guide lugs can jump their track in the receiver. Also check the opening and closing cam for the bolt. It shouldn't show any galling or wear other than a polish at the high friction areas.

Op Rod Spring: good condition without kinks. Replacement is easy.

Other springs: Hammer, ejector and extractor springs should all still be plient and strong. Replacing the springs in the bolt can be problematic without a bolt take down tool, although the issue combo tool is designed for the job too.

Bore: WWII and Korean War Garands were shot with corrosive ammo. Check for pitting and corrosion from same. While soldiers usually cleaned well while in garrison, that wasn't always possible in the field. Civilian owners have often negleted this cleaning too.

Throat: Garand barrels for match shooting usually go about 4,000 rounds for 2 MOA accuracy and rack grade Garands can often go more than 7,000 rounds or more for 3 to 4 MOA accuracy. If your collector friend had a throat gauge, let him show you the wear at the throat before buying. This is a hard area to see, but old GI 90 degree bore mirrors are helpful. Look for the short tube M1 Garand version. There is also a long tube 1903/1917 version.

Receiver: Check for any possibility of a "re-weld." This was a common way to resurrect "de-milled" Garands in the 50s and 60s. Look for a verticle line or off color finish midway between the breach and the rear sight where the weld was made.

Rear sight: This is one of the most common problems with used Garands. When worn, they will not hold their elevation zero and cannot be tighted up enough to do so. When the sight is perhaps 10 clicks up, push down on it firmly. If it does not hold, then it needs to be tightened (easy with a combo tool) or if it cannot be tightened without jamming up the deflection (windage) knob; it needs to be replaced.

Bedding: The trigger guard should take a firm push to close with an audable click as it places tension on the stock. If it is loose, then the bedding is probably compressed which means a sloppy fit. Also check for contact on the four receiver legs (clip guides) which transmit recoil to the stock. The recever horse shoe (back of the receiver) should be in firm contact the underlying wood for stability during recoil.

Trigger: Minimum trigger pull weight should be 4 1/2 pounds. Check to see that the sear and disconector have full and even contact on their adjacent hammer surfaces for a crisp let off.

Wood: This can be either birch or walnut. Your choice, but walnut (with matching handguards) is preferable.
Post Korean rebuild examples are correct with the Birch stock, although you'll often see these with walnut handguards.

We could get into draw or line numbers on each part to properly match the receiver and barrel, but that is best done with an authoritative publication. Speaking of publications, why not purchase a good book and read it before spending the kind of money that good Garands bring. Ebay and Amazon have numerous books on the Garand.

Finding original GI parts is very dificult now so make sure your purchase is good to go right from the start.

[osteodoc08]

Ended up with a 3.6M WW2 time SA. TE/ME just shy of 2 with gauge. Barrel stamped SA 4-51.
Bolt ends with B-19. Trigger group also period correct to the receiver. Stock is also period correct for the receiver with circled P cartouche and eagle with 3 star cartouche on the stock.




Can't wait to get out and shoot her. He also threw in 2 period correct leather slings and some USGI clips (SA) and grease.

A fine addition to his younger 3.7M SA brother shown at bottom of photo with new sling on.

[Scharfschuetze]

You did well! Good luck at the range.

[osteodoc08]

Scharf,

This gentleman was a stand up guy. He actually had a welded receiver and showed me what to look for. We broke down this one entirely and went over everything including complete disassembly and reassembly, which I appreciated. He also had several USGI M1911, M1 Carbines, 03-A3, P14, you name it. Ended up spending almost 2 hours hanging out and chit chatting. Too bad there aren't more like him around. He could tell I had genuine interest and was free with his knowledge and time.

[country gent]

Now to lay in a supply of IMR 4895 as these go thru ammo quick

[beltfed]

country gent,
I suggest you look at Hodgdon's Varget or IMR 4320 as they meter so much
better than IMR 4895. Any of the three will work well in the Garand.
beltfed/arnie

[mac1911]

Nice , crown looks very good.
Now get out and shoot it.

[244]

Congrats on your new rifle! Garands are just plain NICE!

[rondog]

Did ya get a bayonet too? Gotta have a toad stabber to go with it!

[guicksylver]

Save the barrel and shoot cast !!!!

Almost got what you wanted...it looks to be of "collectors" grade to me....take care of it... you're only a temporary owner..it got this far w/o being abused...

[308Jeff]

Is there any firearm in history as pretty as an M1 Garand? I can't think of anything...

[woodbutcher]

Hi Jeff.To answer your question.YES.TWO of them.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[osteodoc08]

Thanks for all the compliments guys. I can't wait to get out and shoot. I've got a pile of 147gr FMJ pulls that need loading.