New to the Garand...want one bad...what to look for?

Brobee

Brobee

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
534   0   1
Location
Alberta
Hi there!

I've had a full blown case of M1A-itis for sometime now, and it seems to be regressing into another strange illness.....I can't stop thinking about getting a Garand. Please excuse the newbie question, but what should I look for? Are some manufacturers Garands better than others? What vintage would you start with? And where does a guy get zillions of those en-blocs?

Thanks for any/all help....

Brobee
 
Springfield (SA) - run of the mill, dependable quality control
Winchester (Win) - never quite got their shyte together and had to have SA inspectors come bail them out
International Harvester (IHC) - postwar production, very high quality
Harrington and Richardson (H&R) - ditto
(I think I'm forgetting one)

Breda - postwar Italian contracts, very nice work undervalued by US collectors
Beretta - double ditto

Virtually all Garands in Canada were sold out of Danish war reserves in the 1990's. The bolts and stocks have rifle serial number engravings. The condition ranges from unbelievably good to fence post. There are dozens of inspection points, but with the rising prices on the resale market, buyers don't have much negotiating room.

There is no cheap 30-06 ammo on the market. The best you will find is generic box 147gr FMJ US commercial new stuff.
 
I think everyone is waiting to see how much the m1 rifles being imported soon apparently are going to cost.
 
I have only been hearing about them for the last month so, but I am not in the know like the rest of you LOL!!
 
Brobee said:
Please excuse the newbie question, but what should I look for? ............ Thanks for any/all help....

Brobee
Click to expand...

If you do decide to get one, there's an excellent on-line video introduction for the new Garand shooter, posted in the "The Screening Room" (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/forumdisplay.php?f=46.

M1 Garand Handling (Stripping & Assembling) (click here)http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=1223

Regards,
Badger

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MKLBannerApril42007.gif

Milsurp Knowledge Library (Click HERE)
 
koalorka said:
Would $1200'ish be fair for an all matching 1941 Winchester in VG condition?
Click to expand...
Do you want to shoot or admire it? I know Winchesters have a market attraction that is inverse to their quality control, but that is about twice the realistic open market price for a Garand.

If it was a 1941, its serial number would be between 100,001 and 137,960. In other words in the first 37,959 guns they made. It had better have all the right drawing numbers, barrel date and stock cartouche to go into a Garand collection for that price.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
Do you want to shoot or admire it? I know Winchesters have a market attraction that is inverse to their quality control, but that is about twice the realistic open market price for a Garand.

If it was a 1941, its serial number would be between 100,001 and 137,960. In other words in the first 37,959 guns they made. It had better have all the right drawing numbers, barrel date and stock cartouche to go into a Garand collection for that price.
Click to expand...

Thank you.
 
joe n said:
I think everyone is waiting to see how much the m1 rifles being imported soon apparently are going to cost.
Click to expand...

Condition and originality is everything and proportional to price.

What country are they coming from will tell alot. If they are coming from a hot and humid swamp or jungle, I got barrels of rust removing wd40 to soak them in for a few years! :dancingbanana:
 
Brobee said:
Hi there!

I've had a full blown case of M1A-itis for sometime now, and it seems to be regressing into another strange illness.....I can't stop thinking about getting a Garand. Please excuse the newbie question, but what should I look for? Are some manufacturers Garands better than others? What vintage would you start with? And where does a guy get zillions of those en-blocs?

Thanks for any/all help....

Brobee
Click to expand...

Go straight for the M1D.
 
M1

Best advice I can give you is wait and be patient. The right deal will come along. I've seen decent ones at shows from $600 to the ridiculous. Nice thing with the ex-Danish issue are they often have new,mint barrels. I have a '42 SA ex-Dane and I love it. Paid about $300 (hand select through Distri-corp), about 5 years ago, wish I'd bought a dozen? Again, bide your time, dont panic as theres lots of them out there.
Geoff
 
Buying An M1 Is A Waiting Game

Buying An M1 Is A Waiting Game

Don't be in a big rush to buy one, learn more about them before you jump into a deal for $1200.
You title has sucker written all over your statement "I want one bad".

I am not being mean or anything like that, just pointing out what others have picked up from your title. It may make you a target for an unscrupulous seller. Just be cautious.

Most WW2 M1's have been rebuilt, and it's a long shot finding one in original condition. The US sent them to foreign countries as foreign aid, and most were rebuilt after WW2 and brought back out of storage for Korea, and Vietnam.

The rare models are International Harvester, and Harrington & Richardson, and Beretta. They were manufactured in smaller quantities.

When you have researched and talked to someone like Caje who belongs to the M1 Garand association. Just have the funds available when the opportunity arrives.
 
"...a full blown case of M1A-itis..." An M1A is a Springfield Armory Inc. commercial, semi-auto only, copy of the U.S. M-14 rifle. A Garand isn't an M1A. It's an M-1 rifle. Springfield does make a copy of the M-1, but it's not the same as a real one.
"...get zillions of..." You don't need that many. A dozen or so will suffice.
 
Harrington & Richardson is there any thing to look for. i have a chance to buy one with a shot out barrel but the blueing is perfect. its got a spring field trigger and other missmatched part. any way i know that it does not matter really about the parts aslong as condition and it on target. am i missing something?
 
maybe still in stock

Last week Ellwood epps had some a guy was looking over. Believe he took one but there was probably 7-8.
All heavily greased and looking kinda rough but was told bores were really good. Think they were going for 6 something.

Call and see
www.ellwoodepps.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom