M1 garand buying question

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Mako2710

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Hi everyone,

My dream is to buy and shoot a M1 Garand. I don't want to pay 2000$ but I know that good rifle around 1000$ is difficult to find. Before buying one, I searched on internet what should I watch to make sure I can shoot with the gun.

I know that some Lee enfield had to be checked by a gunsmith because it can have a gap between the chamber and the breech and it can be dangerous shooting with it. I know that some revolver can be checked just by inspecting the cylinder(make sure the cylinder don't move when the gun is cocked).

My question is simple, do you have any advice of what to look or to inspect or question that I should asked to the seller to find a good rifle.

Thank you.
 
Price depends on condition and you should expect to pay $1200-$1300 for a good one. Other than cosmetics (pitted metal, cracked wood, etc), the barrel is always the important thing. You want an unpitted and unworn bore for a good shooter. A replacement barrel plus installation costs around $400. In addition to a visual bore inspection for pitting I always use a muzzle wear gauge to check barrel erosion at the muzzle. If you don't have this gauge, you can insert a reversed .30-06 ball round in the muzzle to check it. You want to see some standoff between the muzzle and the cannelure/crimping groove on the bullet.
 
Around 1994, 1995, Districorp in Quebec (advertised in the GunRunner) was selling them for $275 to $325 for nice Special Select, Winchester or Springfield.....M1D Sniper complete for about $1000 to $1350...There were also the $99 Garands with mismatched wood at the gunshows. I'll sell you my Time Machine!

Mako2710 said:
Hi everyone,

My dream is to buy and shoot a M1 Garand. I don't want to pay 2000$ but I know that good rifle around 1000$ is difficult to find. Before buying one, I searched on internet what should I watch to make sure I can shoot with the gun.

I know that some Lee enfield had to be checked by a gunsmith because it can have a gap between the chamber and the breech and it can be dangerous shooting with it. I know that some revolver can be checked just by inspecting the cylinder(make sure the cylinder don't move when the gun is cocked).

My question is simple, do you have any advice of what to look or to inspect or question that I should asked to the seller to find a good rifle.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
 
Also know this, Garands fire .30-06. It's gas and feeding system has many tiny little jigsaw parts.
They are finicky on what types of ammunition they can fire. Ideally you would want to fire a 150gr projectile and not any higher or you can damage/batter the parts.
If you don't re-load and are planning on actually shooting the thing on a regular basis, bear in mind the very high cost of factory .30-06 these days.
If you do reload you are relegated to certain powders that burn within the range required for the rifle and projectiles under 180gr's (150gr being optimal).
It's the only thing that has turned me off of getting a Garand for a long time.
Well that and the completely ridiculous prices they are going for these days.....
 
Check the condition of the operating rod.Measure the diameter of the piston with a micrometer.It should around .525 to .526 diameter and round.Make sure the lug that rides in the receiver is in good condition.Remove the rifle from the stock and remove the operating spring and follower rod.Raise and lower the muzzle of the rifle.The operating rod and bolt should open and close freely under their weight without binding.
 
Districorp turned most of the m1D rifles into parts kits. I bought a few of them along with spare scopes and flash hiders. I never understood what they were doing. They broke
up the guns, sold the accessories. Then they stopped selling m1D rifles because they became parts kits. There wasn't all that many in Denmark to begin with. The ones they picked
out were exc/mint condition and all correct. The spare scopes and flash hiders were the same. Very good people to deal with.
 
Patience.....

As stated - the majority of Garands in the country were purchased for well below $1000

Currently the vast majority are held by private individuals or in collections - as a result simple economics and the rule of supply and demand - prices have increased.

You can still find that the vast majority of Garands still sell for between $1000-2000

Even though price should be dictated by condition - I find when it comes to Garands the price is more often dictated by financial motivation/greed.

Keep watching and you should find a nice example for $1000-1400

I know of a nice honest H&R for $1400 being sold in AB right now.

Remember - about 80%+ will be MM example - this is common place.
 
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