It's a start, M1D Garand

[kingson]

So I have been wanting to get a M1 Garand for many years but haven't found the right one. The price for them keeps going up so I thought I should get one soon before they become to expensive. I have had a few come through my shop but they didn't feel right. I like stuff that is different from the norm. I was on Gunbroker and saw an original M1 D Garand barreled action. So I thought to myself maybe I could build on and have it look the way I wanted. So I bought it and that night I found the nice birch tiger strip stock on GB too. So I bought that. I was going to wait and buy the other parts over time. But I got impatient and found all the part I need this weekend on GB and bought them too. The barreled action and stock came in today. Now I have to wait for the other stuff to come in. I found a nice set of front and rear birch hand guards that I think will match the stock. The only thing that won't match is the rear hand guard as the are shorter because of the scope mount. I have only found a walnut M1D handguard. I can always keep looking for a birch on or maybe try and cut down the one that I'm getting.

The receiver looks to be made in Dec of 1943. I was thinking about trying to get all the correct dated parts for the rifle but the M1D's where built from WWII Garands in the 1950's. So they can be any maker and being rebuilt they didn't have to use the correct dated parts. Plus they are rebarreled so it would never be correct for Dec 1943 anyway. The barrel date on mine is 1952. It has a small import mark from Samco. It was said that it has been professionally re-parked. It looks like it because it looks very nice. The receiver fit into the stock pretty good. It was a little tight at first but putting in and out a few time and it got better. The stock is used and has some dents and dings in it. I think at some point I will strip it down and refinish it. It looks to be lacquered. I was going to try to steam out some of the dents with an iron. It got a bunch of little ones. Then lightly sand it down and finish it with tung oil.

The hard part and the painful part for my wallet at least will be finding the scope and mount for a good price. I think that can wait for a bit. I just want to get it together and shoot it and I don't need a scope for that, well yet anyway.

So here are some pics of what I have so far. I will try and post pics of it when I get more parts in.

 

[majspud]

Nice looking piece of wood there.

T

 

[mac1911]

Cool...it's fun to build them out.
Is it a USGI barrel or is it one of the aftermarket ones.
Sarco sold so many reproduction stuff ....I had some of thier M1d mount collars that you could install on a barrel...never used them.
I sold them a few years later.
http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/m1dgrdbarrelblock.aspx
http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/m1grdbarrelcitadelm1d.aspx

I have only seen 1 original M1d scope and mount and it was in ok condition.
I have not seen the CMP reproduction 61st?
I know the mount suffers from poor fit and most reproductions are not made correctly and will not stay tight

 

[JuergenG]

My M1D, refurbed at SA in 1952, was in Danish service.

 

[Fixxah]

Beautiful.

 

[mac1911]

My M1D, refurbed at SA in 1952, was in Danish service.

I like..
The cmp special M1d they offered for a little while was a decent reproduction.
I have not heard a much about the reproduction mount and scope they use?

Here's a pretty good write up of some M1 sniper builds.
https://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/m1...s-m1c-m1d-part-4-garands-from-the-government/

 

[kingson]

Cool...it's fun to build them out.
Is it a USGI barrel or is it one of the aftermarket ones.

The barrel looks to be a USGI barrel. It's got the right drawing numbers on it and the right date code. From what I could find out so far is that Samco imported some M1D's from Israel in the 1990's. Israel had gotten them from us in the 1960's. The add that I got this barreled receiver from said it came from the Samco auction when they closed down. So this leads me to believe that this is a real one. But that from my brief research so far.
Anyway I got one part in today. It a NOS GI bolt, still in the wrapper. I cleaned the cosmoline off of the outside of the bolt so I could see if it fit the gun. It went right in and works good. I have to get the rest of the cosmoline out of the inside of it. I'm thiking I will put it in my heated ultrasonic tank. Should get it all out hopefully. Here are some pics

 

[jpm]

The barrel looks to be a USGI barrel. It's got the right drawing numbers on it and the right date code. From what I could find out so far is that Samco imported some M1D's from Israel in the 1990's. Israel had gotten them from us in the 1960's. The add that I got this barreled receiver from said it came from the Samco auction when they closed down. So this leads me to believe that this is a real one. But that from my brief research so far.

Actually the Samco M1Ds were mainly South American imported in the 80s, the Federal Ordinance import marked M1Ds were from Israel those were in the 90s. I have one of those and it came with the Israeli Police paperwork on it in the butt trap. I need to have my friend who served in the IDF translate it for me since its in Hebrew except for the s/n and model. I was able to find someone who worked on them at Fed Ord and he had their original hang tags still. He was able to find mine in his archives and send me a copy!

Here's the info on the Samco rifles direct from the source...

 

[kingson]

Actually the Samco M1Ds were mainly South American imported in the 80s, the Federal Ordinance import marked M1Ds were from Israel those were in the 90s. I have one of those and it came with the Israeli Police paperwork on it in the butt trap. I need to have my friend who served in the IDF translate it for me since its in Hebrew except for the s/n and model. I was able to find someone who worked on them at Fed Ord and he had their original hang tags still. He was able to find mine in his archives and send me a copy!

Here's the info on the Samco rifles direct from the source...

Cool thanks for the info

 

[jpm]

Cool thanks for the info

My pleasure! I spent a LOT of time researching import marked M1Ds before I bought the one I have. I wanted to make sure it was legit before I made the deal, didn't know about the paperwork in the butt trap till after the fact lol.

 

[smokeeaterpilot]

Nice rifle there.

 

[kingson]

An update, good and bad. So the good is that I got some more parts in



The bad is that I had to take apart the bolt to get all the cosmoline out of it. I put it in my ultrasonic tank a few times before taking it apart in hopes that it would be clean, but that didn't happen. The firing pin was moving slow so I knew there was still stuff in it. So I took it apart and pit it in the tank again. It can out all nice and clean. In trying to put it back together bad things happened. While trying to push the extractor down to lock all the pieces together my finger slipped off of the ejector and it shoot out and disappeared into the room somewhere. I have looked for it twice now and it is still MIA. So I had to order another one.

But anyway the parts I got in seemed to fit good. Didn't really have any problems putting them on.













The gas tube I had to tap on with a hammer the first time it went on and then tap it off once. After that it went on and off fine. I think when the barrel was reparked some of it got in the grooves.







The rear site came all together and was a pain to get apart because I was turning the wrong screw to get it to come apart. After I reread the directions a few more times I finally figured it out. Same thing when I was putting it back together. Put the shaft in the wrong side. Finally figured it out and put it in the right side.







So this is as far as I got this morning.



Then this came in later in the day



So now it almost looks like a real gun now.



I'm missing the band that goes in between the front and read hand guard. Ordering it tonight. Have to wait for the ejector and spring to come in and the rear hand guard. Then save up some money for probably a repo scope and mount. The real ones are lots of money. The stock and the hand guard sort of match. The stock has a finish on it that makes it shiny. I think ones I strip it down and refinish them with tung oil they should match better. I want to strip the stock down and then try and get out as many of the dents as I can. Hopefully it will make it look better. I can't wait for the ejector to get here so I can take it out and shoot it to see if it will actually works.

 

[kingson]

The ejector and spring came in the other day. I got it in without shooting it across the room. then I took the gun out and shot it. It shot great. There where no problems. I put 33 rounds through it. I have to adjust the sites because I don't know where it was hitting, but that's for another day. Just wanted to make sure it worked.
So the last of the parts I was waiting for came in. The rear hand guard, a repo T37 flash hider, the part that goes in between the front and rear hand guard and a repo leather cheek rest.



All the stuff when on pretty easily. Here are some pic of the almost final product. I need to get the scope and mount. I want to refinish the wood and cut down the rear hand guard that matches the wood better than the one that is on there now. But that's a project for the winter, I'm just happy that it works.

 

[76Too]

that is ****ing fantastic! what a beauty!

 

[mac1911]

nice.....
maybe you can do some range testing see how she shoots with just the irons, then with the scope and maybe a comparrison with and with out the flash hidder.