Tips on Garand for newb

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kibz

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Ok I have a line on buying a M1 Garand but I was wondering if any Gun Nuts have any tips on what I should be looking for to judge its worth. From what I hear its a Winchester manufactured Garand and well taken care of. I am looking at the $1200+ price range. Any tips for this newbie?
 
Get a MANUAL. Zip over to milsurps dot com, take out a (free) membership and download your own copy, then read it carefully.

Also download a copy of SHOOT TO LIVE. It is the former Canadian Army manual on shooting the Number 4 Rifle but MUCH is equally applicable to any other rifle and even more is applicable to the M-1, being that the aiming and sighting of the two rifles is very similar. There is NO better shooting manual anywhere, any time.

Get a tube of LUBRIPLATE 105: best cold-weather grease there is for this country. You NEED grease for a Garand or an M-14/21.

About values I know nothing, except to say that for 1200+, it had better be NICE.

Heavy, bulky, heavy, super-reliable, heavy, mild perceptible recoil. Did I mention heavy? Rear sight adjustable for height and horizontally for wind. You can put the rear sight 2 clicks out and aim with the URH CORNER of the front sight: makes for pinpoint accuracy.

Nice rifles... but heavy.

A WINCHESTER will be a pre-War or War-time rifle. Check your barrel date.

Hope this helps a bit.
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Keep your thumb out of the action or you will find out about "M1 Thumb" quickly. Learn to hold the edge of your hand in front of the bolt handle when closing the action, push down with your thumb on the clip guide, and withdraw your thumb smartly before raising your hand to let the bolt go forward and chamber a cartridge.

Also, if you reload, use recommended loads for the rifle. Using improper powders or charges for the bullet weight will create harmful pressure and bend the operating rod.

When loading your clips, load them so that the top round in the loaded clip is on the right hand side. They are easier to load into the rifle that way.

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If you want to determine the value of the rifle, it's all about originality and condition. There is a premium on a Garand with all original or manufacturer's correct parts. The vast majority of Garands have been rebuilt or overhauled one or more times in military service. Very few of the WW2 Winchesters and Springfields still sport their original barrels in servicable condition-a function of corrosive primed wartime ammo and wear. Out of 15 wartime Garands that I have owned only 3 still had their original barrels in servicable condition. Over the years I have only been able to locate an additional 4 wartime barrels in servicable condition.

A Winchester rifle with all correct parts, especially the barrel and stock, would command a premium price. Beyond that, one must assess the condition of the rifle. Start discounting for a worn/pitted barrel, split/cracked/heavily sanded wood, pitted/rusty metal and any unservicable parts. Nowadays a servicable wartime Springfield or Winchester with a sound replacement barrel and other parts in good shape seems to go in the $1100-$1300 range. A rifle with it's original barrel, correct stock, and original or correct parts would bring considerably more.
 
After you get your first Garand, then you'll want something with a scope, like an M1D:

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Yes, mine is a Danish M1D. Springfield Armory. Has the Hart Flash Hider (funnel shaped) as well.
Optics are like New. Crystal Clear.
Picked it up from Districorp when the Gunrunner Newspaper was still in business.
 
When you pull back on the charging handle, look at the right side of the barrel/chamber where the cocking was when closed. If you see a tiny crown, it is a Danish barrel, so the gun is one of the Danish Lend/Lease rebuilds that came into Canada about 17 years ago.
 
tootall said:
When you pull back on the charging handle, look at the right side of the barrel/chamber where the cocking was when closed. If you see a tiny crown, it is a Danish barrel, so the gun is one of the Danish Lend/Lease rebuilds that came into Canada about 17 years ago.
Click to expand...

The Danish barrel maker was VAR. Very well respected amongst shooters in the Excited States of America - when they are not slagging anything not USGI. The Danes also had Italian BMR and BMB barrels. I forget the exact other markings on the Italian ones.
 
The M1D rifle was fitted with a unique barrel with an integral base for the M1D scope mount. M1D barrels were ALL made by Springfield Armory and have a different drawing/part number than the regular Garand barrels. The Danes did not make any M1D barrels. Their M1Ds were fitted with the US made barrel. The Danish made VAR barrels have an excellent reputation for accuracy.
 
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