Garands in our future?

[98/29]

Hard to say. All the real moves most likely happen behind closed doors. Everything else is just fluff and PR.

I'd love to see historical pieces preserved by people who will not only take care of them, but will ensure that they will be around for generations to come. Destroying weapons to make the "UN happy" seems a bit pointless, considering they don't seem to have any real stopping power in world affairs.

These "historical pieces" are still quite effective combat weapons and they don't want them in the hands of people. Think about the day where the UN would rule the world, no more countries, no more borders and autonomous governments and in that world, theoretically, there would be no need for weapons. Some see that as an absolute tyranny and some will see it as a utopia and you wouldn't want those who see as a tyranny have a chance to fight back.

Now all of that might seem a bit far fetched and the official reasoning is that these weapons are finding their into conflicts in troubled regions of the world. And if preserving history is the concern, we can preserve them in museums. To cut the long story short, they have proposed to destroy all medical syringes to abolish heroin addiction. I find that utterly idiotic, and they're not idiotic, they just have a different agenda than what they put out for the public.

 

[Tyler]

Today I was informed that there are 200,000 M1 Garands imported from SK.
Apparently they are already in the country and will hit the market really soon.
And yes the price would be below $1000. Condition????
Now that should adjust the current Garand prices.

Is this a reliable source? Or just hearsay from a little bird?

 

[badboybeeson]

I will buy you a six pack of your choice if those 200,000 garands hit the market.

can I take you up on the bet too?

 

[MiG25]

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[purple]

I'll be the first to admit, I fully believe there will be more than one new M1 import now that the US has made them more difficult to re-import. But I just cannot fathom which importer could pony up the cash to import 200,000 of them.

Frankly, if 200,000 were ever imported again, it would be like last time with the Danish M1's. Maybe 5,000-10,000 would remain for the Canadian market and the rest would be broken up for parts kits to go south. If true, that would explain the volume and the imported would be getting the cash from a USA backer like GPC, Sarco or CAI.

Still, even if they brought 5,000 to retail, they would have to sell them for $400 or less to move that volume in a reasonable timeframe.

This would be the most likely scenario were this rumour to be true. The financial incentives for this are all in the US market. Current US law doesn't allow importation of US military small arms or receivers, other than those still "owned" by the US which were loaned to MAP recipient countries. The only avenue for importation of these loaned/US owned small arms is thru the CMP program. Over the past 15 yrs or so the CMP has received major infusions of US owned/loaned rifles from countries like Denmark, Greece, and Turkey. If Cdn import permits were authorized for rifles which are owned, rather than borrowed, I could see a large US enterprise providing funds for a Cdn concern to import these and then strip them down to parts kits, sans receivers, for export and sale on the US retail market. This is what was done with many of the Garands which were imported to Canada from Denmark.

There is no way that the Cdn retail market could soak up anything like this volume of Garands. When the comparatively small number of Danish Garands came in the market became saturated to a point where they were finally being flogged for $100 a pop.

South Korea has now evolved to a point where it is a thriving economy with interests in establishing itself in the first world. It really doesn't need the money it would receive from exporting a bunch of surplus Garands and M1 Carbines. In the light of the UN sponsored arms trade limitations I see South Korea having much more to gain from destroying these rifles and gaining big brownie points for being an ardent supporter of arms trade limitations. The current UN Sec Gen is a Korean which makes this course of action even more likely.

Hope springs eternal though and many of us still like to believe in Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny.

 

[6167]

I follow Purples's position.....If you look at the countries where Garands potentially still reside, they have a lot to gain from being perceived at more "mainstream"...either from being considered in the first world, or distancing themselves from a radical/despot position.
Those countries have more to gain from the destruction of obsolete military hardware than selling them to an independent Arms dealer who could not possibly want 100,000 of anything.

Saturation occurs in "our" market under 1,000 pieces of Milsurp...take a look at the RC K-98's that came in.....only about 10-20% got put out in this last round and the rest have to stay in wharehouses for how long till the next release to prevent the bottom dropping out?
That's not good business unless your markup is 400%+, and even then the MBA's would look at ways of dumping the rest of the stale inventory....leaving something like this to a more entrepreneurial type of business.
Then......who would want to tie up $20 million in Garands?

I think it is more likely that from time to time things get snuck out from some wharehouse or another and end up in Canada in manageable quantities for all the "concerned" parties over "there" and over "here" to make some good cake, and sell what they bring in under market so they blow it out and don't have to sit on their money.
Look to see 100-300 at a time of stuff show up from "wherever" and who knows how long even that will continue to happen.

Meanwhile the countries with inventory are going to invite UN inspectors and any politico they want to blow smoke up their caboose over for a party at the chopping and smelting facility showing what responsible world citizens they are turning Garands or whatever in to "much needed" consumer goods.

 

[enefgee]

Hell, I'd settle for a nice late carbine receiver, bolt and trigger group - I can get the rest.