Enfield or Garand?

HeavyT

HeavyT

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Hey All, I have a line on a few old rifles. The two I am most interested in are a M1 Garand, ( low serial number, 2000's), and choice of a couple Lee Enfields. I'm having trouble deciding which way to go since my funds won't stretch for both right now. Any thoughts? What should I look for in both to determine quality?
Also, I have a Lee Enfield No 4 mk1, it only has the flip up peep sights that are marked for 200 or 600 yards, so it makes shooting difficult. Are there options to refit a wedge type rear sight or even a scope without bubbafying? If I could do that then the M1 is my obvious choice.
Thanks!
 
If you are contemplating a Garand with a s/n in the 2000s, you are looking at an early gas trap model. These are scarce and command a high price when available.

For either rifle condition, especially the bore and correct headspace and proper functionality is important. Cosmetics and originality are next. Avoid cracked stocks and pitted metal. No 4 LEs are cheaper than Garands and are more likely to be found in an original un-rebuilt condition.

I've shot many Garands and No4s a lot and, on balance, prefer the Garand. Rear sights are fully adjustable for W and E on the Garand. The No4 rear sight is only adjustable for elevation with windage being adjusted by moving the front sight laterally. The No4 2 position flip sight can be readily swapped out for either the click/micrometer type or the one with the sliding aperture. Both work well.

If funds are an issue, the hands-down choice is the No4. A pretty decent one can be had in the $400-$500 range. Double that for a good Garand. Tweaking/tuning/maintaining a No4 is also somewhat simpler. Both rifles respond well to handloading. Be advised that handloading for a Garand is less forgiving than for a No4 concerning case preparation and choice of bullet weights and propellants.
 
Get the Garand! I have a WW2 Winchester/SA mutt thats about to be restored. They are amazing rifles. Recoil is similar to an SKS with 150 gr. loads, but with less muzzle rise. Rapid fire works better than any anti-depressant, and accuracy is fantastic. My '42 Maltby No4 Mk1 has the large ring aperture and flip up ladder graduated from 200m out to 1300m in 100m increments. I wonder if it would be possible to retrofit yours with the one Ive got? You can also get no-gunsmith bolt on scope mounts, although you will need a cheek piece of some sort to bring your cheek weld up.
 
Float a loan and buy all of them. They're all investments and will give you decent returns, if you are a bit patient.
That early model Garand, you don't mention, if it's US made or Italian made. Doesn't matter, they will all gain in value over the next 5 years.

One more WWII movie and they will gain value rapidly.
 
bearhunter said:
Float a loan and buy all of them. They're all investments and will give you decent returns, if you are a bit patient.
That early model Garand, you don't mention, if it's US made or Italian made. Doesn't matter, they will all gain in value over the next 5 years.

One more WWII movie and they will gain value rapidly.
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It is US made.
 
sf said:
Starve yourself and get both. That's what a true CGN would do.
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Easy choice...get all of them...sort them out later!!!!!!!!
If the 2000 range Garand is unaltered in original configuration...it is worth more then your car, unless you are driving a 2010 corvette.
If altered, which is common, it is worth about what the average garand is selling for.
Pics woudl be nice!!!!!!!!!!!
 
HeavyT said:
Hey All, I have a line on a few old rifles. The two I am most interested in are a M1 Garand, ( low serial number, 2000's), and choice of a couple Lee Enfields. I'm having trouble deciding which way to go since my funds won't stretch for both right now. Any thoughts? What should I look for in both to determine quality?
Also, I have a Lee Enfield No 4 mk1, it only has the flip up peep sights that are marked for 200 or 600 yards, so it makes shooting difficult. Are there options to refit a wedge type rear sight or even a scope without bubbafying? If I could do that then the M1 is my obvious choice.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you're Canadian, you shouldn't be allowed to vote until you own a Lee Enfield.

You can pick up Lee Enfield volley sights (the ones that have a battle peep sight and a flip-up clickable leaf sight that's graduated out to 1300) for about $5-10 and install it yourself in minutes.

And the two-position sights aren't that hard to shoot either.
 
A Garand with the original gas-trap sysem intact is worth about the total value of my entire collection: 5 figures is not uncommon for a really good one.

Same wth Lee-Enfields cased with original sniping scopes, mounts and spotting scopes: start at about 6 grand and go up rather rapidly.

Forget about "Volley sights": they have not been manufactured since 1916 and were never put onto the Number 4. What you are looking at is the Mark 2 rear sight: double flip-up peepsight, 300 and 600 yards. They actually work okay but they were a wartime emergency thing, the original rearsight (the Mark 1) being a lvely thing but murder to make quickly. Mark 1 rearsights today can be found for $10 or so, the Mark 2 is worh $2, and there also are Mark 3 and 4 and also C model sights (Canadian) which are stamped sight-leaves with slide adustments They all interchange and you can switch one type for the other in about 15 minutes. Screwdriver and a set of small punches really helps.

Point to consider: shooting ANY of these is expensive. You can shoot twice as muc for the same money if you reload.... AND you shoot better beause your ammo is more consistent than factory stuff.

Most important: have fun!
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and if you want target sights on a No4, You can find Parker-Hale or A.J. Parker micrometer sights that are a simple parts replacement without altering the rifle and can be transferred to another rifle. They aren't cheap but any target sight isn't cheap no matter who made it.

The only reason I bought a Garand is because the army made me give back the one they issued me.:D
 
If you cannot afford both ( which is my recommendation ) then finances may well be tight. If that is indeed the case then you will want to think about cost of feeding and I suggest that a Lee Enfield is going to be cheaper to feed than a Garand - not because .303 is cheaper than 30-06 but because you will go through quite a lot of 30-06 via those 8 round en-bloc clips ! A Garand isn't quite to forgiving of handloading as are many other rifles and so unless you are an experienced handloader you may well be shooting factory ammo.

An Enfield with a Parker Hale rear sight is a joy to shoot and can be an accurate tool for sure.
 
Thanks again all for the input, I think what I'll do is put new sights on my LE so I can go with the Garand. I know it'll be a pig to feed, and for that matter so will the LE, but I forgot to mention, I have a line on Milsurp .303 at 20 cents per round, so its all good!!!
 
HeavyT said:
Thanks again all for the input, I think what I'll do is put new sights on my LE so I can go with the Garand. I know it'll be a pig to feed, and for that matter so will the LE, but I forgot to mention, I have a line on Milsurp .303 at 20 cents per round, so its all good!!!
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Early Garand, milsurp .303 at 20 cents, do you own a time machine?
 
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