How to know if a Garand is parts matching?

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toxic

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I picked up a SA Garand this summer, took it to the range and I love it. I finally have some time to play around and I'm wondering what I can find out about it. I know it was made in 1945 but I'm not sure how to decifer the numbers on the parts to see if it's matching. The barrel has this info:
3 SA 2 45
Does that mean it was made in 1945? Is it the original barrel?

I also have numbers off the other major parts. Can anyone point me in the direction of a website that I can reference?
TIA.
 
/ 2 45 / is February 1945. There are a number of website that will give you serial number ranges. Expect there to be a few months lag between the receiver and the barrel, likely an earlier barrel since the receiver is the more difficult part to make properly. There are big books that will teach you about drawing numbers, makers' marks and date ranges. The study of this level of detail is what makes a gun lover out of a gun owner.
 
Thanks for the reply. My receiver is from Feb 1945 so I guess the barrel is a match. The bolt (D28287-19 SA) looks good too from what I can tell. The OP Rod (7790722-SA) is not period correct - I guess it's a National Match part. The fiberglass stock is also obviously not original. The metal is in pretty good condition too.

Does anyone have any idea why I would have what looks like black sharpie marker marks on the metal in some places? The previous owner was apparently a target shooter if that helps.

I paid $600 for this rifle so I think I did well considering what the market is like for them now.
 
The chances of finding an all matching Garand are pretty slim, I would actually be quite suspect of one that is. Your op-rod is most likely a post war replacement, there was a mod that was done on some but replacement was easier.

Scott
 
I didn't really expect it to be all matching. The previous owner is deceased (estate sale) so I can't track the origins of it.

Got the number off the trigger housing:
D28290-6-SA
That one seems hard to track. Anyone know if it's 1945 vintage?

If this Garand was imported should it have some import markings? I can't find any evidence of one...
 
Thanks for the info.

So my bolt, receiver and barrel are period correct. The whole rifle is Springfield Armoury parts. This rifle isn't for sale but out of curiousity how does that affect the value?
 
I really dont think it effects value all that much. although many try to match them up, i dont see them carrying any premium on the market. Keep in mind that they may have been "all matching" when they left the factory, they quickly got up mixed up either during arsenal rebuilds, on the line and at the first level depot armorors.

All matching is a not a simple definition either. For Garands, it meant that the majority of parts put on a gun all came from around the same time, but not all guns that were made at the same time will have an identical set of drawing numbers on their rifles. consider they people assembling them; they reached into a bin and pulled out a part and put it on the rifle, not looking at the drawing number on that said part.

now if you were in the US and had a Winchester Garand with all Win parts, well that is another story!
 
Springfield made roughly 3.5 million, Winchester made just over 500,000.

From a fit and finish point of view, they are pretty crappy. They also did not upgrade the parts as new drawing came out.

I think some of it has to do with the name Winchester as well.
 
Finding and "all matching" M-1 is virtually impossible. I have four Springfield Garands and one of them is fairly close to all proper parts based on serial number referencing series numbers on the parts.
I saw a collection of M-1's at a Portland Ore. gun show which were dated every year of the war from 1940 to 1945. The owner showed me some of the internals and they were also all the same series numbers. He did a bit of restoration on some of them to match them up.
In most cases an M-1 with all matched series numbers would command a substantial premium over a mixed gun...the problem is very few people would know what to look for.
Enjoy the Garand!!!
Cheers
 
Agreed. Parts from the 4 US and 2 Italian makers are totally interchangable. Most rifles were rebuilt/overhauled in service at least once with no regard to matching parts. If you can find an original receiver/barrel combo you can normally come up with the correct original mfr's parts by revision numbers.I've done this a few times and original correct stocks can be a bear to find.

Most Cdn Garand owners tend to be shooters,rather than collectors. In the US folks will drive themselves nuts to procure the "correct" parts. Even at that the quest for originality will often be thwarted by the fact that metal and wood have been refinished.

If you want the "bible" on parts ID,get the red and blue books by Scott Duff.
 
purple said:
Agreed. Parts from the 4 US and 2 Italian makers are totally interchangable. Most rifles were rebuilt/overhauled in service at least once with no regard to matching parts. If you can find an original receiver/barrel combo you can normally come up with the correct original mfr's parts by revision numbers.I've done this a few times and original correct stocks can be a bear to find.

Most Cdn Garand owners tend to be shooters,rather than collectors. In the US folks will drive themselves nuts to procure the "correct" parts. Even at that the quest for originality will often be thwarted by the fact that metal and wood have been refinished.

If you want the "bible" on parts ID,get the red and blue books by Scott Duff.
Click to expand...

I have a 1953 IH Garand and I wanted the correct Stock which after considerable time looking found one which cost me about $350. once you add up shipping etc. I have a long way to go to get it all period parts. I could probably find the other parts necessary and finance them by selling off the non period parts like I did with the stock.
 
TOXIC;
"Got the number off the trigger housing: D28290-6-SA "
That is a part number, nothing more....

"If this Garand was imported should it have some import markings?"
That would apply to US imports Not Canada....

I have removed Garands from their original shipping crates, brand new.... NO they did not "match"....

I have several Garands, American, Danish, Italian, in my collection a few were brand new when I got them, they do not match....

As noted by several people here, there really is no such thing as an "all matching" Garand..... Unlike a Mauser for instance which featured at least part of the serial number on each and every part, that did not exist for the Garand.
John
 
"...the numbers on the parts..." Those are drawing numbers. They have nothing to do with the serial number.
"...whole rifle is Springfield Armoury parts..." Most likely made that way by somebody with a lot of time and money.
"...not looking at the drawing number..." Or what company made the part.
 
"Matching" in the Garand sense basically means finding parts with the correct revision and manufacturers markings,and then associating them with the time period when the receivers were made.Some examples:

-D28290-12-SA. This is the 12th revision to this particular part/drawing number for a trigger housing and is made by Springfield Armory.It was used during the general timeframe Dec 1942-Sep 1944 and would be appropriate on a Springfield rifle within the 749779-3180532 s/n range which was produced in this date range.

-6536382IHC. This is an operating rod produced by International Harvester and would be correct for an late production IHC rifle in the 1954/1955 timeframe,with a receiver in the 5 million s/n range.

After a while this can become a very expensive and time consuming Easter egg hunt which is highly satisfying for the most anal among us.
 
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