M1 Garand question

[JRLesan]

Some 40 years ago I bought an H&R M1 (1954 bbl date) from a knowledgeable collector/dealer who was local to me. Out of the muzzle of the bbl projected a paper tube about 2" long which I always presumed to be some kind of an oil 'wick'. I was curious the other day so retrieved the rifle and removed the wick which turned out to be about 24" long and appeared to be a rolled paper affair. I've never seen anything like it; have you??? Just curious.

[15meter]

Had the same thing in the barrel of a couple of Kimber 22 rifles I bought from the CMP, always assumed they had some kind of corrosion preventative impregnated in them. Tossed them and shot the rifle.

Don't remember such things in the M1 Garands or Carbines I bought through the CMP, but there could have been. Just old Geezer memory.

[LeonardC]

I didn't get any "paper" with the CMP guns; however, I have bought and used corrosion preventative impregnated paper from Brownell's for many of the metal items (dies, etc.). I put most of my guns in long term storage for a while and all of them were packed with a piece or 2 of that paper inside the bags.

The only place I've noticed any rust on any of the guns, and I don't know when it happened, is the "lettering" on the Kimber 22s.

[Moleman-]

I've got those vapor barrier tubes in new USGI barrels before. Never in a completed rifle though.

[georgerkahn]

Some 40 years ago I bought an H&R M1 (1954 bbl date) from a knowledgeable collector/dealer who was local to me. Out of the muzzle of the bbl projected a paper tube about 2" long which I always presumed to be some kind of an oil 'wick'. I was curious the other day so retrieved the rifle and removed the wick which turned out to be about 24" long and appeared to be a rolled paper affair. I've never seen anything like it; have you??? Just curious.

I purchased two Harrington and Richardson M1 Garands -- one of which was made in 1954, boasting a 9/54 barrel date (serial # is 5,527,xxx) and neither it, nor the other (1956) came with any paper tubes. I will add that both are stellar performers at range. I'm happy you removed the tube -- the next step is to take it to range and shoot it! "After 40 years"? Sounds like a couple of arms I have in the verrrry back of the safe; I use the excuse that it's too much work to get to them .
geo

[gmsharps]

I received a H&R 22 from CMP several years that has the paper tube in the barrel. I reckon I should remove it and shoot the rifle one of these days.

gmsharps

[36g]

It is rolled VPI paper - a corrosion inhibitor.

[schutzen-jager]

It is rolled VPI paper - a corrosion inhibitor.

correct it it is VPI paper + my DCM M! still has it -

[Adam Helmer]

36g,

You nailed it: that is Vapor Phase Inhibitor paper that replaced the former use of G.I. Rifle Grease for bore preservation. I preserved many rifle bores during my military days in Uncle Sam's Orphanage. LOL.

Adam

[BLAHUT]

My grand, m1a,s and colt ar15 had them in the barrels, rust preventive

[marvelshooter]

So you bought a Garand 40 years ago and have never fired it?

[elmacgyver0]

So you bought a Garand 40 years ago and have never fired it?

Sometimes just having is enough, I haven't fired mine in over 20 years, but would not consider selling it.
I do hope to shoot it soon.
Being semi-retired I am shooting a bit more these days.

[Sig556r]

40yr old virgin garand? thought they don’t exist

[JRLesan]

Had a cheapo Blu Sky import that I shot for a while until other rifles captured my interest. How would I know if mine is a CMP gun? As far as I can tell (which ain't too far) there are no marks other than a circle p on the buttstock and a faint inspectors mark there also. H&R on all the other parts along with print numbers which all seem to confer with '54 production.

[elmacgyver0]

40yr old virgin garand? thought they don’t exist

Spinster?

[pworley1]

My CMP garand didn't come with any paper in the bore.

[georgerkahn]

Had a cheapo Blu Sky import that I shot for a while until other rifles captured my interest. How would I know if mine is a CMP gun? As far as I can tell (which ain't too far) there are no marks other than a circle p on the buttstock and a faint inspectors mark there also. H&R on all the other parts along with print numbers which all seem to confer with '54 production.

Sir: I saw a "Cornchopper" at a LGS a few years back, with seller having a note on it that it is "not legal" in New York State. I wasted no time in correcting his err, and in my examining this unbelievably good condition IHC Garand, it also came with a WWII-cut bayonet. I did not dicker price, and it followed me home . The question gnawed on me, too, vis whether this might have been a CMP sale? In condition, to my eyes it resembled an arm similar to the one which had been doing no more thyan collecting dust for 20+ years.
Anyhoos -- I do not recall amount -- maybe ten U S dollars or so at the time -- but go to the CMP web-site and find their search. Then, one just mails in their money and waits. Voila! In my case I received a very nice "form letter" with the DATE at which this IHC Garand was sold! They did not divulge to whom the sale was made... but I was/am happy to have learned it was/is a CMP firearm! I just checked to find URL for you to note their site is "down for maintenance". However, you may ring them -- (256) 835-8455 -- or question vis their inquiry form at https://thecmp.org/contacts/ .
Good luck!
geo

[35 Rem]

The term "Cornchopper" got me but as soon as you said International Harvester Corp I knew what you meant. Being a collector of Farmall tractors I would love to also have a IHC Garand.

[JRLesan]

I bought this Garand in the very early '80's and, if I'm not mistaken, today's CMP was then the DCM and those records are incomplete. The cost is now $25.00 and I may just do that one day. As an aside, I did get a CMP 1911(A1; was hoping for a 1911) Colt frame and slide in the first drawing several years back...

[Buckshot]

........... A couple months ago I acquired my last Garand. I'm pretty sure it had only gotten it's 5 "Proof Rounds" and then was set aside or "Canned" at the armory. It is a Springfield Armory baby, and it's bbl date is 12-55. It had no indication of having been fired except for some very minor copper stains on top of the lands, visible at the muzzle. It had what appeared to be a black manganese or phosphate finish on the barrel, action, and op rod.
The rifle sports a fairly nice Walnut stock sans any fancy grain. Actually I was surprised to see that it had a Walnut stock at all, as I understand that walnut for stocking was (and had been) somewhat hard to come by, by this time. I have an HRA Garand that rejoices in it's Beech/Birch/ or whatever stock and it has a bbl date of 3-53.
The very first Garand I purchased was around 1992 and I had an O-1 FFL. J & G sales in Prescott, AZ said they'd gotten a big shipment of them, (these were imported from Korea) and to call and ask for "Bob". So I did and the first thing good ole Bob asked was if I was a collector? I said no I'm not, I'm a shooter. He allowed that they had some nice ones. Finally it arrived. Holy smoke it was UuuuuuuuGLY!! Not one piece of wood matched. The top handguard was paper thin walnut, the front handguard was Birch or Beech and was so FAT that you could barely even SEE the front sight blade. The buttstock was some ole beat to crap specimen with a big number 12 painted on it with what had to have been a 1" paint brush. However it's barrel was wonderful and sported a barrel date of 11-65.
You wouldn't believe how quick I was in getting replacement wood for it. The buttstock I acquired was a wonderful piece of quarter sawn Walnut. The top and front handguard were both nice but not fancy walnut. For some reason one of the guys at the range said he thought it was a Navy Match rifle. I couldn't find any indications of it's having been such a rifle. No anchor stamps or USN markings. However it shot, and STILL shoots very well. At that time one of the more inexpensive brands of ammunition was Korean PMC brand. I may be wrong but I've wondered if at that time if PMC wasn't also supplied to the Korean Military? Worked a champ in the Garand's, and that fired brass was banked up around the benches like snow.
Even back then a lot of folks didn't reload, and that PMC 30'-06 brass was great stuff in the Garand. As a matter of fact, I STILL have some of that fired Korean PMC left on hand. In that rifle I'd worked up a very nice cast load using the SAECO RG-4 at 2300 fps.

............Buckshot