M1 Garand Values

[dale2242]

I am looking to buy an M1 Garand.
My question is about values of different Manufactures. I found 2 different M1s for sale from private owners.
One is a Winchester 1944 vintage with a fairly rough barrel and stock. The rest of the gun is in decent shape with some wear of the finish.
The other is a 1955 vintage Springfield with a decent barrel and a good stock and finish.
I am hearing that just because the one is a Winchester that makes it more valuable.
There is only $50 difference in price with the Winchester being the cheaper.
Is the Winchester worth more than the Springfield by name only even if it is in worse shape?
I am buying to shoot these rifles, not as a collectable.
A friend has a good barrel he would sell me for $100 from a Garand barreled action so this may play into the deal.
What is the going cost to pull these 2 barrels and replace the bad one?....dale

[mroliver77]

The Winchester name brings a premium. Actually the machining on them is not as nice as others.
The last ones made are the nicest in my opinion. For a shooter I would go with a high number H&R or SA.

[MtGun44]

Exact agreement with mroliver. The Wins I have seen are ROUGHLY machined. SA are nicer guns but
the collectors like Wins for some reason.
Latest guns were made once they had the whole design and manufacturing process REALLY sorted out.

Bill

[lonewelder]

All win's are WW2 rifles.They are woth more as a collector.The 55 springfield is considered post war.Keep in mind if you change barrels you may need a different bolt to get it to head space,but chances are it will work.For a shooter I would go with a post war springfield or H&R.I look for the H&R to go up in value.I would suggest you check out the CMP.You'll be hard pressed to beat the price.

[Gtek]

If I may, first educate yourself on the weapon. I have been playing with this wonderful rifle for almost thirty years and knowledge first is your best investment. Just because it looks ok does not mean diddly. A lot of the ones you see on tables the fellow selling it cannot do a proper tear down let alone an inspection. I have seen one fellow with a 180 gr. showing the "bullet test" and the muzzle was smoked, found one fellow years ago that was roll pressing muzzles to tighten. Purchasing one through CMP is not only the best deal you probably will find, they also gauge and light inspect the weapons and you will have some confidence in what you are receiving. There are a lot of polished turds out there and they are not cheap. As stated above, the late SA's are a pretty good risk with probably a lower round count for a newbie. Gtek

[quasi]

I have always thought the Italian made M1's were the nicest machined.

[Jupiter7]

I'll add to this. I've got 5, one Winnie, it is the worst example of my five and was relatively more expensive vs. The springers and h&r's. You haven't mentioned exact prices you're looking at, so everything is vague without details. The best deals going are the h&r's, much better condition and best build quality. If you want a really good shooter, the Springfield specials at $950 are new barrels and stocks on ww2 receivers and mixed GI parts. Pretty much a new gun.

[zomby woof]

If you buy a beat up Garand from someone and then it doesn't shoot well or the barrel is shot out, you'll spend another $3-400 installing another barrel. Then the stock might be a little loose, another couple hundred dollars. If you want a shooter buy the CMP special. You'll drop a thousand but it will be a brand new rifle. You'll be proud to own it.

[bob208]

in elmer keith's book hell i was there . he did n ot have a anything good to say about the winchester m1. in fact he rejected whole shipments of them.

i have one of each. i would rate them h&r then international harvester and springfield together with the winchester bering up the rear.

it has been said that the i-h with a lmr barrel was the best shooter. my match rifle is a h&r but it is on its third barrel and that one is in .308.

[Scharfschuetze]

I can't add much to what already has been said other than my SA (low number) is the nicest as far as wood, matching parts and finish go, but my International Harvester (needs it's third barrel soon) is my funnest and has done well in the service rifle class of the National Match course.

[Lead Fred]

When I bought my M1 for $400 in 2003, it was shot out. Even with national match everything, I didnt spend over a grand making it all new.
The rear sight cost more than the barrel.
I saw a reack grade SA for $650 today, still some good deals out there
go fish

[Dean D.]

I would highly advise you check with CMP first. As lonewelder said, you'll be hard pressed to beat their price for what you receive.

I got my first M1 in Oct. of last year. It is a Sept. 1943 Springfield Service Grade with new CMP wood. The wear numbers for the barrel are Muzzle Erosion - 0, Throat Erosion - 1 1/2. That's basically a brand new barrel. It shoots well, locks up tight with the new wood and looks good. All for $650 delivered to my door in a free CMP hard case. What's not to like?