debating rebarreling my accurized M1 Garand with a worn barrel, need some thoughts

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I have an M1 Garand that was accurized by Hook Boutin years ago. I shot Highpower with it when I started out and the barrel is pretty worn. Last time I talked to Hook, he gauged the barrel for wear and wanted me to shoot the last bit of life out of it before he replaced the barrel. That's been 13 years ago and he was 80 plus then. I'm not sure he's even alive now.

Many years have past and for many reasons, I'm no longer shooting High Power and if I were, I'd be shooting an AR. I love that M1, because my son and I have many memories of shooting High Power when he was a kid.

Hook was never concerned with how pretty a rifle was, just that it shot well. And this one did after he was done. It would hold the ten ring if I did my part (and I was getting close the last time I shot it) using milsurp match ammo that had been "cracked" to release the bullet from the tar. It shot as well with my 168 and 175 grain bthp reloads.

Now that all this time has passed, I'm a grandfather and am looking into the future at retirement. Before I get there, I'm inclined to put a new barrel on this rifle, refinish the stock and put new handguards (the ones on there are rough as a cobb) along with refinishing the metal parts and replacing any well worn parts, such as the gas system. That way I can leave it to my non-mechanically inclined son in the best shape possible.

This rifle was built during 1955 at Springfield Armory and was a DCM gun when I got it and not a nice one, so it's homely.

What are your thoughts about putting a new barrel? At one time, I was really wanting to put a Barnett barrel on it, but I haven't seen anything about him in many years now.

[44Vaquero]

DO IT NOW! For all her years service to you and the many fine memories she deserves a trip to the beauty shop.

I am getting ready (i.e. saving the money) right now to have my grandfathers 1903 .32 Colt hammerless completely rehabbed (it's in bad shape). The smith says it will cost $300.00 and it will look NIB when he is done, worth it only for sentimental reasons. I hope to have it ready for my grandfather this spring.

[ShooterAZ]

Yes, since it is post war model and most likely not collector type barrel I would probably do a re-barrel & repark. Are you a CMP member? They have new Criterion barrels & new stocks w/metal.

[country gent]

At one time douglas made 2 versions of the garands barela med hvy and a hvy. I have a med heavy on mine that shoots like a house a fire. Ive heard the criterons are good also. If you want really good and money/time isnt an issue Kriegers are very good. But a krieger is left long on all the shoulders and short chambered so it can be fit. The Garand is a fine rifle and there are matches now for the rack grade rifles also. You might want to consider a criterion standard barrel in 30-06 to allow these matches to be shot with it.

[Outpost75]

Save your pull off GI barrel. If bore looks bright and clean, even if it takes the throst erosion gage to "6", it is still worth $75 for a postwar, or $150 if a WW2 era that a collector needs to complete a rifle. Would go a ways towards your new Criterion. I have one on my " parts built M1" and it shoots well.

[Artful]

I rebarreled mine and don't regret it. I'd do again.

[HANDYMAN]

If you aren't a CMP member you should become one and send it to them to rebarrel as they now have a custom shop and are very reasonable in their pricing.

[bruce drake]

I'm preparing to rebarrel my Garand as well. Criterions are available from Brownells also. They are available in 30-06 as well as 308 Win.

KYWOODWRKR from the forum here, lined me up with a 7mm Barnett Barrel so I'll be messing with a Match Rifle in a Garand disguise shortly.

in 30 years of shooting, this will be my first 7mm barrel on anything so wish me luck as well!

Last I was told as a fellow Highpower shooter is that Hook had Heart Surgery in 2012 and has been taking it "easy" per se. I've been told there is a young man working for him in the shop but I don't know the young man's name or current contact information there in Acworth, GA.

Bruce

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Bruce,

Thanks for that information on Hook. If he's still alive, I'd be amazed. He'd be in his nineties. Last I knew, he was living just across the state line in Alabama, beautiful place out in the country.

Darn nice shop he had. If he wasn't so far away, I would have tried to get him to apprentice me years ago. I would have learned to learn from him. That young man was lucky to learn from such a knowledgeable man of the old school. Both a shooter and a weapons man.

I have a fond memory of sharing some sort of home made liquor he had one time when I was over there, after the work and the rifle testing (for accuracy) was over. Not sure what it was or where he got it, but it sure was good.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

If you aren't a CMP member you should become one and send it to them to rebarrel as they now have a custom shop and are very reasonable in their pricing.

That's good information to know. I'm really torn between just getting a stock Criterion barrel or getting a Douglas. I am not sure my son is going to be a good enough shooter to justify the Krieger. He likes to shoot, but doesn't have the drive and love for it his Dad did back when.

[bruce drake]

If Hook had passed on, there would be a notice from AMU as he is in their Hall of Fame there at Benning.

Bruce

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

If Hook had passed on, there would be a notice from AMU as he is in their Hall of Fame there at Benning.

Bruce

Bruce, I didn't know that. I knew he worked on their successful teams back in the day and was one heckuva M1 Armorer/gunsmith. I have an old notebook with his phone number in it. Think I'll try to call and see how he's doing.

When he did my M1 for me, I wasn't making a ton of money and even though I didn't tell him, I drove an old 1981 Chevy C-10 pick up with good bit of wear. He charged me a whopping $25.00 to do the work and wouldn't take a dime more. Though he was willing to selling me some IMR 4895 in a 8 pound can and to teach me how to reload good cartridges once he was satisfied I had some potential to be a decent shot. (Had me test fire my M1 under his and another old Ex-AMU Senior NCO. They barked a few commands and in a minute or two, had me shooting 1" groups at a hundred from the range he had in the field back of his home.)

Thinking on it, it would have been great to have worked under those guys in competition. They knew how to shoot and how to teach serious shooting to men. Wimps need not apply.:brokenima

[phonejack]

Since you are going to rebarrel the old girl, I have had and sold all of the M-1's I've had. (I shot high power also) save one that is special. It is a 308. Consider doing this

[johnson1942]

i want to ask all you m1 o6 guys as really admire the m1 for when i had to qualify on it, yes in the navy. they called it base defense in africa at that time. can a m1 be converted to a 35/ wheelen as it is my favorite centerfire. to me a 35 wheelen is a blown out 06 case so it should be done. i think the m1 in 35 wheelen would as my grandchildren would say, awsome.

[tomme boy]

There is a guy on ar15.com that has NOS Springfield barrels for sale right now. 52 and 53 are the years he has. One is still in cosmo. The other is degreased. They are in the C&R section of the Equipment trader section. Don't know if that might be something you are looking for or not???? They still need final reaming from what it said.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

There is a guy on ar15.com that has NOS Springfield barrels for sale right now. 52 and 53 are the years he has. One is still in cosmo. The other is degreased. They are in the C&R section of the Equipment trader section. Don't know if that might be something you are looking for or not???? They still need final reaming from what it said.

Thank you for the information. Mine is a 55 and they'd fit, but I've got enough gun irons in the fire right now I've having to look at costs vs. my ego. I've just rebarreled a 1917 and I'm refinishing the stock and metal right now. I've just finishing parkerizing a 1903A3 I picked up in a trade that had been trashed a bit and I'm putting it in a C-stock I picked up that had a bad finish on it and had the channels painted with acraglas, so I have to strip the C-stock, clean out the agraglas, check and fix the bedding along with refinishing the stock. I'm setting up to do small parts parkerizing/bluing and may set up for barreled action bluing as well. That's just the stuff that's visible from my desk. Not counting the two pistols and on revolver I've got that need re-finishing.

Aggravating thing is, I know what to do and how to do it right, but getting the materials costs money. These projects can nickel and dime you to death if you're not careful. So with the M1, I have to balance cost vs. performance. Especially since it's already been steel bedded, tuned and had a premium trigger job.