To build or not to build an M1 Garand

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TheWhole9Yards

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Hi Folks,

As my collection of firearms grows I still find there is a gaping hole that can only be filled by an M1 Garand. I'm not in a position to go out and drop $2K+ on one at the moment, and was throwing around the idea of building one from parts as I'm able to accumulate them. My hope is that there is someone here with experience that can talk me into or out of this idea of mine.

Here is what I'm looking for guidance on:

1. Is it easy to find all the required parts here in Canada?
2. Is there anything that an amateur gunsmith such as myself won't be able to complete in the build?
3. Will it end up costing significantly more money than buying a complete rifle?

And my wild card question: Are .308 Garands any harder to build than 30-06? I currently load .308 and am swimming in NATO brass, so naturally I would consider this even if there is a higher cost involved.

Thanks in advance!
 
Do it!

for reference, here's my build thread: link

You'll probably need to have your receiver and barrel/bolt professionally installed and headspaced correctly. Everything else you shouldn't have any issues. I recommend Vulcan Gun for that job. He can also repark everthing to match.

If you build a .308, you have to watch out not to mix/match original length components (30-06) and the italian .5" shorter ones.

I don't think you'll 'save' money if you compare with purchasing one, but at least you don't have to drop 1.5-2k in one shot.
 
The first thing to do is to arm yourself with knowledge. There's more to building a properly functioning Garand than just putting a set of parts together. Buy the Kuhnhausen Shop Manual on the M1/M14. It's the best reference going. I've built over 50 Garands to this point and its always been my guiding light for building, repairing and troubleshooting a Garand. Kuhnhausen also has some very good tips on safe reloading for a Garand. Its different than reloading for a bolt gun.

It's good to have a selection of key parts to do some selective fitting as necessary. Parts are all interchangeable, but there are wear factors on used parts and manufacturing tolerances on new parts and its nice to have a parts stock to dip into.

Assembling a set of serviceable parts takes patience and money. Unless you can locate someone with the proper tooling you will need to procure a barrel vise, an action wrench, and a set of headspace gauges. If working with a new barrel you will also need a finishing reamer to set up the headspace.

Building a .30-06 or .308 will cost about the same. A good parts set will cost around $1400-$1500 in today's prices. A surplus Breda or Beretta receiver to build on is the cheap part. You may also need to pay for re-parkerizing used metal parts.

Installing a military stock is quite straight forward, but getting a good fit with some of the commercial stocks can be problematic.

You can find a sound rifle on the EE for $1400-$1800. Some retailers are selling used Garands for $2150 plus tax nowadays. These would appeal to people who prefer to buy on credit.
 
Parts are easy to find.. Lots of people can help you with the barrel install and finish ream. You can have 3006 or 308 in full length or 308 in the shorter Italian version.
Price is the same.. The NATO brass can be harder to reload because it is thicker.. Harder to resize. Also always full length resize.
 
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I have thoroughly enjoyed building mine. I would recommend that you give it a try.

When all is said and done, at least you'll have something that you put together, rather than just bought.
 
Cost is secondary, it's a labour of love putting your M1 together. Once you're done, I bet you'll never sell the rifle. If you're not prepared to wait for all the parts to be available, by all means get yourself a complete rifle even if you have to pay $1500 or more.
 
I'm late to the party as you already have taken the plunge, but if it's a .308 you are after (or 7.62x51), I honestly would have steered you toward the M14 platform. For around the same price you could have built a lovely M14 type rifle wth all the upgrades over the M1.

FWIW, I have several M14's and M1's in both .308 and .30-06, and in .308, I generally opt for the M14 platform when going shooting for many practical reasons. FWIW. I love the M1, but they see less range time than my M14s.

The bolt and receivers are very similar, but the M14 gas system is usually considered to be an improvement, as is the magazine (10 rounds with E-lander mags). The sights are identical, but the M14 allows scope mounting over the bore axis.

For the record, I am NOT referring to out-of-the box Chinese M14 clones, those can be made into great guns but there is copious cash involved in doing so. $1500 buys a really decent M14 clone - you can even get a completed Springfield Armory M1A at retail for that from IRG.
 
I don't know if this is still relevant, but in the ninties, I had an M-1 in .308 that just refused to cycle. Turning to the fledgling internet, I found that the .308 conversion required a larger gas port that the '06 and that many after market .308 barrels had the smaller hole. I ordered several drill bits in various sizes and carefully enlarged the hole. After going up one size, the rifle ran very nicely after that.
 
I've created a spreadsheet with all the parts I need, can anyone recommend online retailers of parts? Going to get feel for parts pricing and keep my eye out for deals.

What should I expect to pay for reaming/parking?

Thanks!
 
Watch the EE for parts. Nowadays Marstar is about the only retailer in Canada for Garand parts, altho you might contact ###### Armory as well.

You could contact Nick at Vulcangun for an estimate on barrel installation, finish reaming and re-parkerizing. He does high quality work at a reasonable price.
 
Building one is definitely a learning experience, way better than just buying one. Wanna know about Garands ? assemble one. :)

Grizz
 
purple said:
Wanna assemble one right, get the Kuhnhausen Shop Manual.;)
Click to expand...

I have kuhnhausen, it's a good resource, but it's light on some of the practical detail. For example, it will tell you what should be done, but not always HOW.

Truly, the best education, in my opinion, would be to read Kuhnhausen, I'd also recommend reading the M1 parts of Hatcher's Notebook, and then go help an experienced M1 builder to gauge, assemble and fit an M1 together.

To be frank, there are maybe 5 ppl on this site I would trust to build an M1 correctly, and I'm leery of buying "builds" with unknown provenance.
 
One other useful reference is "The M1 Garand Complete Assembly Guide" by Walt Kuleck. Its well illustrated and does give a step by step guide on assembly and disassembly.

I have some reservations with it though. The big one is about barrel indexing. He says it's OK to have the barrel up to 8 o'clock, or 60 degrees off index, before tightening, and that anything over 60 degrees would require taking some metal off the barrel shoulder with a lathe. 60 degrees of index is huge, and would impose a tremendous torque force on the receiver.:sok2 With a new barrel I won't go more than 25 degrees, provided it feels right. I'll go more with a used barrel that's already had some shoulder crush as a result of prior installation. A big long extension on the receiver wrench will give a lot more torque, but that's not always good.

Many years ago I had the late Tom Richardson, a noted DCRA shooter, talk me through barreling a No4 Lee-Enfield. Tom was a slight man, but I can still see him hanging off that long cheater bar with his feet clear off the floor.:sok2

He also implies that bolt lapping to get full lug contact with the lug recesses in the receiver is a necessary step. Bolts were never lapped in the manufacture or overhaul of Garands. Lapping can be done, but folks must be very careful not to cut thru the surface hardness on the bolt lugs and the lug recesses in the reciever.

The Kuhnhausen Manual is probably overly anal on dimensions, some of which cannot be measured by the average bear with the average shop setup, but it is useful nonetheless. It even has enough guidance on re-bending an op rod for proper fit, and that's no job for the faint hearted. Been there, done that.
 
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