M-1 Garand Questions

[terryt]

Hi:

I have researching and thinking about buying an M-1 Garand from CMP. I am looking at the Service Grade H & R at $ 625.00 and the Special Grade for $ 995.00.
So far at the range and club where I shoot I have seen two Service Grades, one Rack Grade and one Special Grade with the new Criterion barrel. The Service Grades both shoot groups at 100 yds. averaging 2-3 inches with both mil surplus and new factory Hornaday ammo that is loaded for the M-1. One of the Service Grades with 1942 Denver head stamp ammo shot right at 1 1/2 inches. The Rack Grade shot about 2-4 inches with similar ammo. The Special Grade using the Hornaday and NM ammo (1962 LC) shot 1-1/2 inch groups. If any one has any info that they would like to share it would be greatly appreciated.

I am looking for a shooter not a collector’s item.
Is the Special Grade worth the extra $ 350.00?
What is meant when they say muzzle wear 3 or less and throat erosion 5 or less?
Any cast boolits loads would also be appreciated.
Thanks,

Terry

[nhrifle]

Buy the one that gives you the best warm and happy feelings. The Garand is one of the greatest designs in history and one heck of a rifle.

[462]

I agree with nhrifle.

Even if you have to replace the barrel, it'll be more accurate and all the more valuable.

[AricTheRed]

I've got two of them. Bought them back in '93 when I was in the Marines at Pendelton.

Love 'em both. One is glass-bedded and a real shooter. The otherr is in as issued condition and well capable of minuite-of-man accuracy.

I'd recomend that you pay as much as you are able to. Both rifles together set me back about 500 together. Now Feinsten wants to take'm and throw them into the shredder.

The throat & muzzle erosion numbers tell you how much action they have seen. Obviously the smaller thee number the better. However if you can save abundle by getting one that has not been spared the rod (you have to clean them from the muzzle) they can be rebarreled for relatively little.

[Jack Stanley]

The barrel is almost everything in the accuracy game of the Garand . Everybody wants one for the cheapest possible price they can get . Then normally get huffy 'cause the barrel that gauges a three or higher won't shoot two inch groups when they get the rifle out once every five years .

The numbers on the throat and muzzle are both indicators of wear . The throat would be ideal with something between a "0" or "1" . During WWII Springfield would allow new barrels out with a reading as high as 2.75 not all went out that high but it give you an idea . Throat wear has generally been accepted that each number at the throat equals a thousand rounds down the barrel . I don't know if that has been tested or not other factors certainly come into play as well such as how much rapid fire does the barrel get .

The muzzle is supposed to be a "0" or "1" , though I have seen Italian barrels with a reading of "2" that looked brand new . The higher the number gets the less you can easily say it will be accurate . Some of this comes from what was the number when it was new and the other half is how was the rifle cleaned . If you allow the cleaning rod to rub against the crown it will affect accuracy and it won't be in a good way . If the crown is obviously out of round I wouldn't expect a lot from the barrel but the fact is you would still have to shoot it first to see . And if you are going to shoot it to evaluate the barrel you have to go through the rest of the rifle and clean up the accuracy robbing things it may have . Just a few simple things that eat accuracy are bad bedding , operating rod rubbing or binding , gas cylinder slop on the barrel splines , rear sight slop .

If Boyds is supplying the stocks for the special grade I would be very cautious of their product unless the CMP has made them clean up their quality control issues . Should you happen to hold an example of a military stock in your hands then compare it to the Boyds you will find some real differences . Being new and just wanting to shoot you may not notice them , but after using the military stocks the Boyds will likely feel like a club . When I spoke to them about this they said it was because their stocks were cut from military match dimensions from the fifties . When I showed then unsanded examples of each from that era they backpedaled and ended the conversation .

CMP will take care of you .

Jack

[Gtek]

The last few CMP sets I have have helped friends install I was pleasantly suprised. They were fat and required fitting for correct in "THE IMPORTANT PLACES".
Over the last decade I became very dissappointed with the B's stocks, lot of Acraglas and aggravation. I just wish you could get CMP's without cartouche, sand out and acetone flush and stain for three piece match. Looks better in the end though. If you qualify, hard to beat the CMP route what ever you decide. You should see what a handload with a 168 gr. will do compared to 150 FMJ. Gtek

[Alstep]

CMP has wherehouses at Camp Perry, Ohio and Anniston, Alabama. If you live anywhere in that area, it would be worth your while to go there and pick one out. There's racks of them you can go through.
CMP also has rifles for sale at the CMP games, held in Arizona, North Carolina, and now in Oaklahoma. Contact them for details. www.odcmp.com

[kweidner]

I went to the south store. My wifes parents live 15 miles away. I picked up a springfield with a 0 muzzle and 0 to 1 chamber in a new stock for $650 this summer. It was just out of being collector grade due to new stock and beretta gas block. Everything else matches LOL. I could care less it is a shooter. Will hold 2" at 100. That is about the best I can do with irons. It was considered rack grade due to the new stock and gas block. Muzzle 0 and throat 0 to 1. Who cares about the gas block. Go to store if you can. I looked through literally hundreds before I came across this one.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Bought two over the years from DCM and the CMP. Was not dissapointed in either. I would also go to a store if possible. There is no substitute for being able to handle litterally as many Garands as you desire in just a few hours.
Mike in Peru

[terryt]

Hi:

Thankis everyone for the info.

Terryt

[45 acp]

I love my m1.
You can get alot of info from the guys on the cmp forum it is a great bunch.

[GARCIA]

I am 75 miles away from the South Store.
Wife hates it when I tell her that I am going to the CMP.
She always tells me "Don't melt the credit card".
Real bad habit of buying stuff that I supposedly need.
If you can ever make it to either store you should do it. Quite the experiance.
First time ever to the South Store I damn near cried when I walked in. And it wasn't about the number of weapons but about the historical significance and the past old warriors that fought and died with those weapons that were in the store. I could never walk in their shoes even after doing 20 years in the military and being retired. Heck of an experiance for this old grunt.

Get you one and bring it back to life.
I don't own any black rifles but I have my Garands, Carbines and bolt guns from both WWI and WWII.

Tom

[DxieLandMan]

I too got one of my garands from the CMP and my dad did too. He still uses his for deer hunting. One heck of a rifle. You will not be disappointed with it.

[smokemjoe]

You can shoot a .310 to .311 cast bullet in a woren barrel and shoot under 2 in. real easy. I had gotten over 38 M1s from the dcm and all have been good rifles, all but 3 were rackers or field grades, the 3 were specials.

[burr7870]

Buy either one now. It doesn't matter. You will go back and get another!!!!!
You can shoot cast for fairly cheap from them.

[Uncle Grinch]

My last Garand (I've had 3) was a service grade that would barely hold 6 inches at 100 yards. My issue was the worn out stock that the CMP gave me. Traded an Argentine carbine stock for a BM59 Italian stock that had been pieced back to a Garand length and my Garand now shoots better than I can hold it (less than 2 inches with HXP ammo)

No matter what.... just buy at least one! They won't be here forever.

[ahunter]

bought rack grade several years ago. It had a new stock on it but all the other numbers matched.

[halbautomatisch]

I agree with what others have said, go to one of the stores if you can, it's definitely worth doing. The first time I went to the North Store, I thought I was going to pick up a Special Grade, but ended up with a WRA Service Grade and a H&R Service Grade, they were in rather nice shape. I have to warn you though, Garanditis is very easy to contract, has no known cure, and is only treated with the purchase of more Garands.

You may want to wait til this panic calms down a bit before making the trip though, the reports I'm hearing is that the stores have been hit hard and there is not that great a selection at this time. Look at the store reports on the CMP forum to get a good sense as to what's out there before you make a trip.

[Para82]

Just received an email from CMP yesterday telling me they had received my order and were processing it. I ordered a Service Grade H&R and 200 rds of Greek ammo. Always wanted one and cant wait for it to arrive!
Para82

[NuJudge]

I have bought a number of Garands from CMP, several coming fresh from rebuild. The Special class rifle I got with a near new H&R barrel and new stock out shoots all of them. I attribute it to the stock.

[ddaniel1]

I got my email from them for my order also on the 14th, ordered a Service grade special and a 308 special grade, cant wait. I actually checked in here to see if anyone was shooting cast boolits, good to see, any reccomened loads? I am still searching.

[jimb16]

I think the racker that I bought at the North Store was mismarked...Made Nov. 43. It was ALL CORRECT! AND had a TE of 3 and MW of 2.0. I use it in the matches at Camp Perry. I got a carbine that was the same....MW 1.5 and all correct, Inland 12-44. Go figure.... Ya gotta look close!

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

my order for a CMP H&R service grade went in the mail today , I am hoping for a good one , I wanted to go to Ohio and pick myself one out ,been looking at getting one for 20 years since I first saw the CMP add in American rifleman in the high school library, but I couldn't swing the trip it's 10 hours each way

[gwozdz]

I found that the best shooting barrel of all my Garands, was the VAR barrels. Hard to beat for a stock barrel.

[Old Iron Sights]

Got a service grade on Christmas eve. Measured a 1 and 3. Forget the order. After doing some reading i started loading for it and haven't found a bad load yet in cast or j-word. Easy to shoot rifle. I may have to plan a vacation to Gulf Shores AL. I wonder if my wife would see through that?

[dmarfell]

If you can, take a trip to the CMP North Store at Camp Perry. They'll take great care of you and will gladly answer all your questions. They often know which rifles have the best bores -- not always the beat looking -- and can point you to a good shooter that may not be historically correct. Rebuild, especially foreign rebuilds will do that.