H&R M1 Garand
- Thread starter Timberlord
- Start date
At first blush we are looking at an early 1955 made HRA Garand with some HRA marked parts incl bolt, trigger housing, and op rod. HRA mostly used HRA made and marked barrels in production, but some LMR barrels were also used on original production rifles so this could be an original barrel. The stock is a replacement. Other HRA marked parts to look for include the windage and elevation knobs, the hammer, the safety and the gas plug.
The LMR barrel is an especially good shooting barrel if it isn't worn out. LMR's were highly sought after for making match rifles as late as the 80's--that's how good they are. It appears that your rifle has correct parts according to its serial number. Don't get into the "matching numbers" game with an M1 rifle. The ONLY serial number on an M1 is the number on the receiver heel, the other numbers are part, or drawing numbers. 6528291 on the side of the receiver leg is the part, or drawing number. The "T" has to do with the material supplier and lot number. The barrel is dated January of '55. Judging by the rifle's s/n I'd wager that the barrel and receiver are original to each other. H&R used barrels of their own manufacture and LMR barrels if their barrel production slowed down. About 25% of the HRA rifles have LMR barrels. It is not a rare combination. The barrel markings are thusly: LMR (Line Material Co), the barrel maker. D65.....the part number. 1 55, date of barrel manufacture, NOT necessarily when the barrel and receiver were mated together. A40 is the barrel heat lot number. The proof "punch" mark. "M" means the barrel was magnafluxed to check for imperfections. Finally, the DoD (Department of Defense) acceptance stamp. If the mark above the DoD stamp is a "T" it means the rifle was targeted.
The dimples on the ends of the hammer pin are an HRA trait as are the dimples on the ends of the locking lugs on the trigger guard (some IHC's also have the afore mentioned dimples. They are unique to HRA and IHC). The bullet guide appears to be correct also with the little half-moon cut out on the side. That has significance in that those with the cut out have a higher lobe on them for engaging the op rod catch. A picture of the staking of the lobe will help to identify possible originality of that part.
The *U* on the bolt shows that it was made for HRA by Underwood (the type writer guys).
Unfortunately I can't zero-in on the important aspects of the stock to give you an honest opinion of it, but it matches appearance wise, to the rest of the finish over all. I don't think it is a replacement stock, just well-used and possibly heavily sanded. Are there any stampings on it?
Over all, it appears you have a nice, well-used, representative example of a mid-late production HRA M1 rifle. Shoot it, have fun with it, and be proud of it.
Hope this answers some of your questions.
Jon
The dimples on the ends of the hammer pin are an HRA trait as are the dimples on the ends of the locking lugs on the trigger guard (some IHC's also have the afore mentioned dimples. They are unique to HRA and IHC). The bullet guide appears to be correct also with the little half-moon cut out on the side. That has significance in that those with the cut out have a higher lobe on them for engaging the op rod catch. A picture of the staking of the lobe will help to identify possible originality of that part.
The *U* on the bolt shows that it was made for HRA by Underwood (the type writer guys).
Unfortunately I can't zero-in on the important aspects of the stock to give you an honest opinion of it, but it matches appearance wise, to the rest of the finish over all. I don't think it is a replacement stock, just well-used and possibly heavily sanded. Are there any stampings on it?
Over all, it appears you have a nice, well-used, representative example of a mid-late production HRA M1 rifle. Shoot it, have fun with it, and be proud of it.
Hope this answers some of your questions.
Jon
Last edited:
- Location
- Newmarket,Ontario
marked for interest
Thx guys ,
Yeah , I bought it from JP back in '08
Middle East explains the worn finish and after I cleaned it up , in and out , I found a gem IMPO.
I like the worn finish look to it.
The parts Purple mentioned are H&R stamped as well , but not much on the stocks that I can see .
So , I guess my main concern was wether I could take it and stomp through brush , deer / moose hunting , without feeling the need to bubble wrap it ...( I do have / use a Schuster vented plug )
It is a shooter ...
I really need to get rid of that gremlin who likes to bump my elbow ...
This target is from a supported bench , using a Lymans 4X scope sitting on a B-Square ( no drill ) mount.
Yeah , I bought it from JP back in '08
Middle East explains the worn finish and after I cleaned it up , in and out , I found a gem IMPO.
I like the worn finish look to it.
The parts Purple mentioned are H&R stamped as well , but not much on the stocks that I can see .
So , I guess my main concern was wether I could take it and stomp through brush , deer / moose hunting , without feeling the need to bubble wrap it ...( I do have / use a Schuster vented plug )
It is a shooter ...
I really need to get rid of that gremlin who likes to bump my elbow ...
This target is from a supported bench , using a Lymans 4X scope sitting on a B-Square ( no drill ) mount.
The stock is a US GI replacement. Original HRA stocks show a pronounced shelf to the rear of the receiver heel in comparison to other stocks. Each Garand maker has its fans, but the HRAs have a reputation for fine fit and finish. I bought several similar condition rifles from JP when he had them. All of them showed some parts swapping/replacement and some minor parts were unserviceable. Overall they were a good buy. I was happy to find a couple of scarce IHCs, incl one on a HRA made/IHC marked receiver and another on a late Springfield gap letter receiver which was produced for IHC.
One thing I liked about the HRA Garands was that the factory displayed a big sign which read, "Build this Rifle as if for your Son".
Garands always work best with 150-168gr bullets using IMR4895/4064. It would be worth trying a couple of plastic tipped 165 gr hunting bullets like the Hornady SST and the Nosler BT. Sierra also makes a 165gr HPBT hunting bullet which has proven to be very accurate in my Garands.
One thing I liked about the HRA Garands was that the factory displayed a big sign which read, "Build this Rifle as if for your Son".
Garands always work best with 150-168gr bullets using IMR4895/4064. It would be worth trying a couple of plastic tipped 165 gr hunting bullets like the Hornady SST and the Nosler BT. Sierra also makes a 165gr HPBT hunting bullet which has proven to be very accurate in my Garands.
Someone may be able to offer their own experience with the Schuster plug.
I use a variant of the McCann adjustable plug sold by "pocketfisherman" with my 7.62 Garands and 150-168gr handloads with WC755, a commercial ball powder which is otherwise too slow burning for the Garand's gas system. I only use WC755 because it is so accurate in the .308/7.62 and the fact that I have a pi$$-pot full of it. Otherwise, all of my Garand shooting is with 150-168 gr bullets using IMR4064 and IMR4895. Both of these powders are reliable, accurate and safe in the Garand. IMR4895 was the MILSPEC propellant for the rifle.
The last US military match ammo for the Garand used 172gr bullets with IMR4895 and these were well proven. A 150/165gr bullet is pretty much the optimum choice for deer hunting in a .30-06 so there really isn't much of a reason to use a 180gr hunting bullet for deer.
The Garand gas system was designed to use the 152gr M2 ball round and the 168gr AP round with IMR4895. Uncounted millions of these were used in military service with no problem. Conventional wisdom is that using heavier bullets and slower burning propellants will damage the op rod. These are running up to $250 nowadays. The use of an adjustable gas plug can mitigate the possibility of damage, but people should experiment with these and follow the makers instructions.
I use a variant of the McCann adjustable plug sold by "pocketfisherman" with my 7.62 Garands and 150-168gr handloads with WC755, a commercial ball powder which is otherwise too slow burning for the Garand's gas system. I only use WC755 because it is so accurate in the .308/7.62 and the fact that I have a pi$$-pot full of it. Otherwise, all of my Garand shooting is with 150-168 gr bullets using IMR4064 and IMR4895. Both of these powders are reliable, accurate and safe in the Garand. IMR4895 was the MILSPEC propellant for the rifle.
The last US military match ammo for the Garand used 172gr bullets with IMR4895 and these were well proven. A 150/165gr bullet is pretty much the optimum choice for deer hunting in a .30-06 so there really isn't much of a reason to use a 180gr hunting bullet for deer.
The Garand gas system was designed to use the 152gr M2 ball round and the 168gr AP round with IMR4895. Uncounted millions of these were used in military service with no problem. Conventional wisdom is that using heavier bullets and slower burning propellants will damage the op rod. These are running up to $250 nowadays. The use of an adjustable gas plug can mitigate the possibility of damage, but people should experiment with these and follow the makers instructions.
