Seen this tonight

[Adam Helmer]

johnho,

Many thanks for the information about CMP. It sure looks like a Fat UDDER! Only a half million annual salary for the CEO. Wow, no wonder we will never see FAIR Surplus arms prices ever again even if CMP has a third of a BILLION in assets. Thank you sir, and I rest my case. I got my U.S. Surplus arms long ago before this nightmare took over....

Be well.

Adam

[gc45]

johnho,

Many thanks for the information about CMP. It sure looks like a Fat UDDER! Only a half million annual salary for the CEO. Wow, no wonder we will never see FAIR Surplus arms prices ever again even if CMP has a third of a BILLION in assets. Thank you sir, and I rest my case. I got my U.S. Surplus arms long ago before this nightmare took over....

Be well.

Adam

Good post! to add, when guns become collectable, prices skyrocket. I think most people wanting anything military are today collectors looking for profit at some point; yes some will just shoot them but where I live these guns cost a small fortune at guns shows or gun stores. With military ammo pretty dried up now, who can afford to shoot their M-1 anyway? heck, the ammo is now collectable and very high priced at gun shows as well.

[dale2242]

I am on a fixed income and came afford to shoot my M1 with cast bullets.
I have 8 pounds of IMR 4895.
At 32 gr a shot it will go a long way.
Yes, 32 gr will cycle my rifle with most any cast bullet from 150gr. to 180gr.

[TNsailorman]

While I generally agree with the above post, one thing is wrong. IF you can load for a bolt action 30-06, you can load for the M1 Garand, which is just a semi auto 30-06 and with the right powder selection (no slow burning stuff), loading 30-06 is loading 30-06. I have loaded for both for over 60 years without a problem. Today's prices do complicate things for some of us as the highly inflated prices of reloading components is beginning to hurt the market. My problem is that I can remember when I could buy a box of 12 gauge shells at the local hardware store for $.50 a box and if you didn't have the money for a full box, they would sell you individual shells for .02 cents a shell. Good folks and very gun orientated. my experience anyway, james

[GONRA]

GONRA sez - be SURE to use CCI Military Primers to avid slam fires! !!
NOT KIDDING !!

[K43]

When I got a CMP M1 the requirements were: One (1) purchase in a lifetime for personal use only, not resale. You had to show you shot in a CMP sanctioned match or a CMP clinic that CMP sponsored to get people involved Highpower competition (the CMP supplied gun and ammo for the events). You had to belong to a CMP associated club. That was to show intent and ability to participate which was the intent of selling the M1 to you.
Then they allowed multiple purchases per year (I recall maybe 6). Then CMP allowed membership in a collector's club and no shooting required. THAT marked the biggest derivation from the whole intent of the CMP. Now, well, even a not for profit created by Congress, but not funded by Congress, has to make money to stay in business.
What am I going to do besides yell at the clouds and commiserate with like minded fellows? Right, nothing, just complain as the system carries on.

[M-Tecs]

When I got a CMP M1 the requirements were: One (1) purchase in a lifetime for personal use only, not resale. You had to show you shot in a CMP sanctioned match or a CMP clinic that CMP sponsored to get people involved Highpower competition (the CMP supplied gun and ammo for the events). You had to belong to a CMP associated club.
Then they allowed multiple purchases per year (I recall maybe 6). Then CMP allowed membership in a collector's club and no shooting required. THAT marked the biggest derivation from the whole intent of the CMP. Now, well, even a not for profit created by Congress, but not funded by Congress, has to make money to stay in business.
What am I going to do besides yell at the clouds and commiserate with like minded fellows? Right, nothing, just complain as the system carries on.

Agreed but the DCM and the CMP were very different organizations. The DCM ended in 1996 via Clinton/Gore after Congress overrode Clinton/Gores attempts to kill it 100%. Congress passed legislation privatizing the program. The DCM was under the Department of the Army from 1903 until 1996.

The multiple purchases and the price increases happened under the CMP since it was their only funding stream.

[country gent]

A little more to think about. Now that they are authorized to sell pistols (1911s) where are some of the 1917s that should still be in storage?

[32-20]

Most of the ones I saw were imported by Blue Sky and were stamped deeply on the barrel. K-Mart and Woolworths and others had them by the hundreds. They were cheap but in thoses day I was broke. I wished I picked up M1 Garands and some carbines. The local Woolworths had close to a 1,000. They had some other bolt action imports also I don't remember what they were.

Finally....a worthwhile reason to speed up the development of time machines! Can you imagine the stuff we could find and bring back!

[smkummer]

CMP will work on original military rifles ( no matter how it was acquired) as far back as the Krag, they even recently had some Krags for sale. I’ve been acquiring military weapons since the 70’s so I haven’t purchased anything through them.

[Bmi48219]

……. The prices today are unfair as Americans paid to build them then we get hosed to buy them back again…….

A very good point! In really our grandparents and parents paid to build them, but you can bet your bottom dollar we’ve footed the bill to get them back.

[K43]

There are costs involved in bringing them back, checking them and repairing as needed, the overhead of facilities to do it at, paying the people who do the work, transportation, acquiring parts, etc. A building with electricity, HVAC, toilet facilities, parking lots. It isn't cheap and our grandparents didn't pay for it.
Would you rather Congress fund the whole deal and CMP just give the firearms away? Because the cost would shift to the deficit and then you'd complain about taxes and deficit. The Army has to pay for everything too - more of your taxes. Anything in a warehouse is costing money to maintain the warehouse, i.e. more facilities maintenance, employees to check and keep it secure, etc etc etc. These rifles cost money, and someone has to pay that one way or another.

[Adam Helmer]

There are costs involved in bringing them back, checking them and repairing as needed, the overhead of facilities to do it at, paying the people who do the work, transportation, acquiring parts, etc. A building with electricity, HVAC, toilet facilities, parking lots. It isn't cheap and our grandparents didn't pay for it.
Would you rather Congress fund the whole deal and CMP just give the firearms away? Because the cost would shift to the deficit and then you'd complain about taxes and deficit. The Army has to pay for everything too - more of your taxes. Anything in a warehouse is costing money to maintain the warehouse, i.e. more facilities maintenance, employees to check and keep it secure, etc etc etc. These rifles cost money, and someone has to pay that one way or another.

K43,

Yessir, there are costs involved, but why so much pay, $500,000 per annum for the CMP director? That is about $2,000 per day! Really? I would direct the CMP for half that. Would'nt you? No wonder they charge $1,000 for jubk .45s that are long ago Made and taxpayer paid for. In 1961, I got my early M1911 for $19.05 from DCM.

Why WHACK Citizens to pay the sky high salaries for CMP folks? Enough already. Perhaps CMP should use a gun and make it really look like ROBBERY! LOL.

Adam

[K43]

Write your Congressman and Senators. They'll be more than happy to shut it all down for you.

[jimb16]

I bought one of those Philippine returns a few years ago. It was a Winchester. I got it cheap from CMP. Looked like crap on the outside. But let me tell you! It is the best shooting M1 I've ever had, and I've had a fair number of them. You never know until you shoot it!

[Bmi48219]

Highest salary I found (for CMP General Counsel) was $317,000.00. Pretty good money.
I think the prices they decide on reflect both what these firearms would sell for on the open retail market plus a nostalgia tax of the targeted consumers. There’s no guarantee the CMP rifle you get went ashore at Okinawa. There are currently 969 M1 Garands listed on GunBroker, some for 1K some for 15K.
Someone figuring on investing in this latest batch from the CMP better be in it for the long haul.

[725]

I was at the Anniston Armory recently and those folks are doing great work. Got to see and hold the newly made M-1 and it's a beauty. Not a show piece, it was the one they did a torture test with. What a rifle! I'd buy one in a heart beat if I didn't already have a unique one already.

[Bigslug]

I'm hearing a lot of the world's tiniest violins here.

Let's take the whole DCM/CMP debate out of the equation and just look at the surplus arms market in general - SKS, Mosin, Mausers of any nation, Enfields, Lugers, etc...

All of these guns are 70+ years old, they aren't being made anymore, they're becoming subjects of historical interest, most of the stockpiles got sold off when it became evident that NATO and the USSR weren't going toe-to-toe, and, in a lot of cases, the new stuff isn't nearly as well made - even a Norinco SKS was a weapon of war; the average modern entry deer rifle is a pile of plastic and roll pins. Try buying a nice matching Swedish 1896 for the same $100 bucks they were bringing in the early 1990's - that might get you the cleaning rod.

So if a cheap 1911 is your thing, call Tisas or Rock Island. If you need a Garand, maybe consider that $1000 for "the greatest battle implement ever devised" is not so unfair.

If the CMP's cost of doing business dismays you, don't do business with them, and either market economics will lower their prices. . .or it will just become cheaper to melt all the guns down than sell them.

[K43]

Exactly!