M1 Garand Megathread

[enbloc]

They don't mind stickies just for fun either...

 

[Hoover]

LOL are you familiar with the CMP store situation lately? North store is closed except to Perry Nationals competitors. South store is closed until further notice. Talladega Marksmanship Park gets rifle restocks on random days. From New England, if you don't mind driving 15-1/2 hours you can overnight in Chattanooga then drive another 2-1/2 hours to Talladega just to learn they are out of stock.

The waiting game definitely sucks but otherwise you have to just get lucky at Talladega or compete at Perry and get lucky. I was fortunate enough to be driving by Talladega twice in May and picked up a nice Remington 1903A3 with only 1+ muzzle wear on the way down. No M1's in stock except C's, D's, and IHC gap letters. Cheapest M1 was ~$2200. On the way back, no stock at all. I'll be competing at Perry and hope to find something but who knows what will be on the rack.

great answer. I considered going to CMP and read up on it a lot, watched people’s CMP trips they posted on YouTube etc. you’re not going to best buy and choosing a tv (which they have a dozen of each in stock). What they have and when is completely random. If you’re not near one of the stores during work, travel etc or don’t live near one, I don’t think it’s worth it to go for the purpose of buying an M1.

when I sent in my order they were still in stock, so my thinking was to buy two and put stickies of what I was looking for (I was more detailed than just a brand or serial number range lol, we’ll see if those requests mattered). If I didn’t get what I wanted, I could sell it and order another from CMP. But now they’re sold out for the near future so I’m hoping I get lucky or my stickie helped me.

 

[42!]

LOL are you familiar with the CMP store situation lately? North store is closed except to Perry Nationals competitors. South store is closed until further notice. Talladega Marksmanship Park gets rifle restocks on random days. From New England, if you don't mind driving 15-1/2 hours you can overnight in Chattanooga then drive another 2-1/2 hours to Talladega just to learn they are out of stock.

The waiting game definitely sucks but otherwise you have to just get lucky at Talladega or compete at Perry and get lucky. I was fortunate enough to be driving by Talladega twice in May and picked up a nice Remington 1903A3 with only 1+ muzzle wear on the way down. No M1's in stock except C's, D's, and IHC gap letters. Cheapest M1 was ~$2200. On the way back, no stock at all. I'll be competing at Perry and hope to find something but who knows what will be on the rack.

great answer. I considered going to CMP and read up on it a lot, watched people’s CMP trips they posted on YouTube etc. you’re not going to best buy and choosing a tv (which they have a dozen of each in stock). What they have and when is completely random. If you’re not near one of the stores during work, travel etc or don’t live near one, I don’t think it’s worth it to go for the purpose of buying an M1.

when I sent in my order they were still in stock, so my thinking was to buy two and put stickies of what I was looking for (I was more detailed than just a brand or serial number range lol, we’ll see if those requests mattered). If I didn’t get what I wanted, I could sell it and order another from CMP. But now they’re sold out for the near future so I’m hoping I get lucky or my stickie helped me.

I know there is the issue of them being open now, but it was, and it will be again, worth it to go there.

The trip south is closer to 18.5 hours but I'd suggest overnighting about half way in Lexington Virginia

And maybe I was just lucky but they absolutely will help you find what you want. One of their armorers hand picked what I was looking for from the warehouse, and helped with the selection of the other 3. I'm trying to plan another trip as soon as I can be sure they will be open.

 

[Mountain]

I know there is the issue of them being open now, but it was, and it will be again, worth it to go there.

The trip south is closer to 18.5 hours but I'd suggest overnighting about half way in Lexington Virginia

And maybe I was just lucky but they absolutely will help you find what you want. One of their armorers hand picked what I was looking for from the warehouse, and helped with the selection of the other 3. I'm trying to plan another trip as soon as I can be sure they will be open.

Oh, totally agree that the people are great & it's worth a trip if they have stock. Maybe after Perry plus some time to catch up on all the wu flu + riots + Biden scares orders they can have decent stock again. Possibly the North Store at Camp Perry will be restocked as well, which is a shorter drive to the Port Clinton, OH area.

 

[nitsuj]

people put post it notes with requests if possible. No one knows if they really work or not. I know they’re not spending much time looking for one that matches your request but I’m inclined to believe they have some effect. At a minimum it cannot hurt. Remember, the serial n7mber is the receiver and these guns may have been through a few armories. Ethernet they were built, they may have had components from different manufacturers etc. matching serial numbers, etc was a priority

Tou can put a sticky note on your order for basic stuff like SA vs HRA , serial number range
As they process your order they asign a serial number to your order. The folk doing your paper work if they know the serial number ranges and such can try to get you what you want.
My sticky was for late production HRA
I got a 1942 SA with a 1955 HRA barrel
Im the past I have received what I put on sticky

Guess I should have thought of this before I sent it in, I had done 2 service grade rifles, I think I sent it in around the end of April, I think at this point I'll just roll the dice, if I get something that is same era that I'm hoping for, great, if not I'll send in for a field grade with a sticky, thanks!

 

[Hoover]

I know there is the issue of them being open now, but it was, and it will be again, worth it to go there.

The trip south is closer to 18.5 hours but I'd suggest overnighting about half way in Lexington Virginia

And maybe I was just lucky but they absolutely will help you find what you want. One of their armorers hand picked what I was looking for from the warehouse, and helped with the selection of the other 3. I'm trying to plan another trip as soon as I can be sure they will be open.

agree. What you described is what I’ve read about, the staff there is very knowledgeable and will be a great help in finding what you want. In February and March, when I was debating going to mailing it in, the inventory levels seemed so so in store and very random. A lot of experienced buyers who go to the store often were not seeing great options.

if the inventory levels return to good levels (I’m really hoping the next POTUS gets a bill signed to return those 600;000 plus carbines) I’ll probably make a trip. One of my friends hook up girls is from an hour or two south of Anniston and is living back in Alabama again. We’d have a free place to stay for a few days which would help with convenience and expenses

 

[bejay]

Sent Snail mail 3/31
Received 4/5 per CMP order confirmation.
7/16 DBU.

What is a DBU?
my order went in 3/29. Received 4/1.
I sent an email 2weeks ago. I got a response with an order number.
nothing since.

 

[Mountain]

What is a DBU?
my order went in 3/29. Received 4/1.
I sent an email 2weeks ago. I got a response with an order number.
nothing since.

DBU = don't bother us email, basically a funny way to refer to the order acknowledgement email.

 

[Hoover]

What is a DBU?
my order went in 3/29. Received 4/1.
I sent an email 2weeks ago. I got a response with an order number.
nothing since.

mine was received 3/15 and I’m getting them this morning. My guess is you’ll see yours in a little over two weeks, plus or minus a few days. They may be catching up at a quicker pace and you’ll see it before 2 weeks, or they’re falling behind more and it will be a bit more than two weeks

good luck, I hope you get exactly what you’re looking for.

 

[Hoover]

darker one is a SA with a milled trigger group 1965 SA barrel no stamps on the stock that I see yet

second one is a HRA from 1955 with a 1955 barrel, I assume the original barrel from birth. Stock is a SA with a cartouche indicating it’s from 1944/45

the stocks are a little more dinged than the pictures show but a lot of them are dents, not cuts to the wood fiber, a little steam to those dents should correct those.

I’m definitely happy with both of them. I really like the SA was a WW2 vintage with a milled trigger.

post you’re comments, especially those who really know Garand's. Be critical, I’m interested in your unvarnished thoughts, not sanitized comments not trying to offend.

Thanks

 

[FPrice]

I'd like to know what the "general" opinion of Greek M1 Garand ammo is. Safe? Accurate?

 

[mac1911]

I'd like to know what the "general" opinion of Greek M1 Garand ammo is. Safe? Accurate?

Greek HXP is generally always good
I have not heard of any “ dangerous” lot numbers.
Some years are better than others
HXP is for the most part the youngest surplus out there, production ending in the 80s
The M2 clone stuff from PPU and S&B is a good offering also and can be found for the same $
I like the PPU M2

 

[Mountain]

I'd like to know what the "general" opinion of Greek M1 Garand ammo is. Safe? Accurate?

+1, it's decent stuff. Accuracy is ok, not great. The brass is very good- I prefer it over Lake City.

Better to get it in boxes rather than enblocs in bandoliers. I've seen some corrosion in the enblocs- maybe some sort of galvanic reaction between brass and steel. Only a couple per hundreds had to be culled.

 

[enbloc]

Greek HXP is generally always good
I have not heard of any “ dangerous” lot numbers.
Some years are better than others
HXP is for the most part the youngest surplus out there, production ending in the 80s
The M2 clone stuff from PPU and S&B is a good offering also and can be found for the same $
I like the PPU M2

+1

 

[FPrice]

Thanks for the replies. This was the first time we've had this M1 (WWII vintage) out to the range since I gifted it to him. He wanted to start at 100 yards to see if he could get it on paper but I convinced him 50 yards was plenty. He was all over the place, I think he underestimated what it takes to shoot a new (to you) 9 lb rifle offhand. But we had fun and now it's downstairs on the work bench being field-stripped. It wasn't really dirty but we are going to go over every piece, give it a good cleaning and then a proper lubrication before we go back out.

I also thank Brownells for their outstanding video series on how to disassemble, clean, lubricate, and re assemble the M1.

 

[FPrice]

darker one is a SA with a milled trigger group 1965 SA barrel no stamps on the stock that I see yet

second one is a HRA from 1955 with a 1955 barrel, I assume the original barrel from birth. Stock is a SA with a cartouche indicating it’s from 1944/45

the stocks are a little more dinged than the pictures show but a lot of them are dents, not cuts to the wood fiber, a little steam to those dents should correct those.

I’m definitely happy with both of them. I really like the SA was a WW2 vintage with a milled trigger.

post you’re comments, especially those who really know Garand's. Be critical, I’m interested in your unvarnished thoughts, not sanitized comments not trying to offend.

Thanks


View attachment 504586

Hoover,

Congratulations on your late model HRA. In my (very) modest exposure to M1's I found that the late HRAs are usually in very good condition.

 

[enbloc]

darker one is a SA with a milled trigger group 1965 SA barrel no stamps on the stock that I see yet

second one is a HRA from 1955 with a 1955 barrel, I assume the original barrel from birth. Stock is a SA with a cartouche indicating it’s from 1944/45

the stocks are a little more dinged than the pictures show but a lot of them are dents, not cuts to the wood fiber, a little steam to those dents should correct those.

I’m definitely happy with both of them. I really like the SA was a WW2 vintage with a milled trigger.

post you’re comments, especially those who really know Garand's. Be critical, I’m interested in your unvarnished thoughts, not sanitized comments not trying to offend.

Thanks

I'll chime in. First clean and inspect each rifle, lube and take to the range. After you confirm the function and accuracy of each rifle decide which parts you would like to swap from one to another. Like starting with moving the WWII SA stock from the HRA to the WWII SA rifle. Don't move everything that you would like from rifle to rifle all at once, but be methodical and see how each rifle responds to the change. If something like function or accuracy improves, great. If it suffers, swap it back. If you intend to make one a shooter and one a "collector" (like the WWII veteran SA)
then the swap would be a nicer consideration. If you want 2 shooters, build the best configuration for both. I would not swap out the bolt assy unless you know how to safely check headspace.

When I take a mix-master and do a closer-to-correct swap, I keep track of the parts movement by making notes in a notebook. Some folks never swap-out parts, but you do have the option...

Oh, also swap in a new op-rod spring (minimum) I found it can help with cycling and such...

Good luck and happy shooting,
~Enbloc

 

[Mountain]

Worth mentioning- DO NOT buy surplus Korean M2 ball ammo. Not for the Garand, not for anything else. It is know to occasionally have an overloaded round that goes KABOOM. I have witnessed this myself when someone competing next to me on the firing line had a Seoul surprise. If you have some unknown surplus .30-06, ensure that it is not Korean.

***

On another note I see in the CMP forums that a guy who ordered his IHC Service Grade Feb 15 didn't get an order acknowledgement (DBU) until ~17 weeks. His IHC shipped last week, ~6+ weeks after the DBU. Maybe I'll see my DBU in the next 2-3 weeks.

 

[mac1911]

If there is any reason to reload owning and shooting a M1 is as good as any.
Brass if plentiful
Bullet selection is broad
Powder choices- serval in the safe zone
You also dont need to load full house loads.
From my recent M1 SA service grade
100 yards, bench, supported
168gn Nosler , 42.5 gn H4895 , PPU brass FGMM primer< that what was hamdy.
H4895 is a great powder for reduced loads and a M1 with a inspect fas system will cycle on lower “power” loads.
I tested cast loads in this rifle and 37 gn H4895 behind a 200 gn cast bullet functioned 100%

12 shots flyer 11oc was most likely the first shot. Clean bore , recently had the stock off.
Not uncommon for M1 to have a flyer for the fouling shot.

 

[Mountain]

If there is any reason to reload owning and shooting a M1 is as good as any.
Brass if plentiful
Bullet selection is broad
Powder choices- serval in the safe zone
You also dont need to load full house loads.
From my recent M1 SA service grade
100 yards, bench, supported
168gn Nosler , 42.5 gn H4895 , PPU brass FGMM primer< that what was hamdy.
H4895 is a great powder for reduced loads and a M1 with a inspect fas system will cycle on lower “power” loads.
I tested cast loads in this rifle and 37 gn H4895 behind a 200 gn cast bullet functioned 100%

12 shots flyer 11oc was most likely the first shot. Clean bore , recently had the stock off.
Not uncommon for M1 to have a flyer for the fouling shot.
View attachment 505597

Also, might take a few shots to settle into the stock after having it out. Looks like just one shot for Mac.

 

[FPrice]

This is a fairly long thread so I don't know if this has been posted or not. However I found it quite interesting. Also, notice the lack of "M1 thumb" in their loading procedures.

 

[mac1911]

Will add this one also

View: https://youtu.be/QoZ_usoFVSc


My great Uncle WWII vet said M1 thumb was easy to avoid by keeping your fingers out of where they dont belong.

 

[FPrice]

I found this thread while searching Youtube. Interesting information but I wanted the opinion(s) of more experienced M1 owners. I found the tip about how to store and M1 loaded but without having a round in the chamber particularly interesting.

 

[sibort]

Week 16 tomorrow and still no news from the CMP. There was more certainty when losing my virginity as a young man for crying out loud . Someone must know me and hate me there.

 

[enbloc]

I found this thread while searching Youtube. Interesting information but I wanted the opinion(s) of more experienced M1 owners. I found the tip about how to store and M1 loaded but without having a round in the chamber particularly interesting.

It is a good video, but of all the tips, I only use the clips-on-sling and right side top round loading.

Never have left a 7 round-loaded/empty chamber M1 around. Not sure I would...

Might be useful in a non-wartime Sentry roll where the post required being lethally armed but not locked & loaded.

Not sure it would be useful in a combat theater. (for that period, at least)

I have used the clip latch release, but rarely as I do not compete with it. Those here who do , may offer more info on that...

 

[BigGreen2000]

If there is any reason to reload owning and shooting a M1 is as good as any.
Brass if plentiful
Bullet selection is broad
Powder choices- serval in the safe zone
You also dont need to load full house loads.
From my recent M1 SA service grade
100 yards, bench, supported
168gn Nosler , 42.5 gn H4895 , PPU brass FGMM primer< that what was hamdy.
H4895 is a great powder for reduced loads and a M1 with a inspect fas system will cycle on lower “power” loads.
I tested cast loads in this rifle and 37 gn H4895 behind a 200 gn cast bullet functioned 100%

12 shots flyer 11oc was most likely the first shot. Clean bore , recently had the stock off.
Not uncommon for M1 to have a flyer for the fouling shot.
View attachment 505597

Can you use the same loading recipe for IMR 4895?

 

[mac1911]

Can you use the same loading recipe for IMR 4895?

Refer to powder manufactures load data. I have never used IMR4895, I like H4895 as per Hodgdon powders H4895 has instructions on reduced loads. I also like varget for M1

 

[mac1911]

It is a good video, but of all the tips, I only use the clips-on-sling and right side top round loading.

Never have left a 7 round-loaded/empty chamber M1 around. Not sure I would...

Might be useful in a non-wartime Sentry roll where the post required being lethally armed but not locked & loaded.

Not sure it would be useful in a combat theater. (for that period, at least)

I have used the clip latch release, but rarely as I do not compete with it. Those here who do , may offer more info on that...

He missed the one for you righties, blocking the op rod with the heal of your hand while loading clip.
If your going to get M1 thumb/finger its more like NOT going to happen while loading.
It happens when the bolt is not in the locked back position and you push the follower down.

 

[Mountain]

Can you use the same loading recipe for IMR 4895?

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are not the same. Max load in the IMR is 51.2 grains, which will be WAY over pressure in the Hodgdon version. Nice of them to use the same number when they are not equivalent. Loads hitting somewhere between 2600 fps and 2700 fps should work well in the Garand.

Reloading Data Center

 

[Mountain]

It is a good video, but of all the tips, I only use the clips-on-sling and right side top round loading.

Never have left a 7 round-loaded/empty chamber M1 around. Not sure I would...

Might be useful in a non-wartime Sentry roll where the post required being lethally armed but not locked & loaded.

Not sure it would be useful in a combat theater. (for that period, at least)

I have used the clip latch release, but rarely as I do not compete with it. Those here who do , may offer more info on that...

Right side top round loading, as taught to me by the gurus at Old Colony. I think most old Marines who know Garands will do this. I always use the M1907 type sling, rigged Marine style. I never use the clip latch release. Sling clips are not CMP legal, but usually in local competition nobody cares- unless you completely smoke everyone else, then they will care.

I've been 'bit' when loading. Proper technique is to use the blade of your right hand to hold back op rod handle while your right thumb pushes down enbloc clip. If you don't do this, some Garands will snap shut by surprise- speaking from experience.

For loads, I am using 47.0 grains Varget (I suggest starting 46.0 to 46.5) pushing Sierra or Nosler match 168's and Lapua or HXP brass. I can load to 3.30" OAL, but some might need to bump it down to 3.29" or so.