# M1 Garand



## vjc123 (Sep 10, 2007)

Anyone know anything about these guns? My grandfather fought on the front line in WWII and I believe fought with the M1. I would like to pick one up as a little bit of a remembrance of him when I head out to the range.

It seems like there are many different grades of the M1 and I am a little confused. All I am looking for is a gun that was in service during WWII and that is not so pristine and expensive that I don't want to shoot it. I like shooting and want to have fun with this gun. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.


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## js (Jun 29, 2006)

http://www.odcmp.com/

http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/m1garand.htm

:smt023


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## Old Padawan (Mar 16, 2007)

Mike Barham and I ordered one each from CDMP. They are AWESOME to shoot. A lot of the surpluss ammo is corrosive, so count on cleaning the gun well after each shooting, it may be one of the most fun guns in my safe, so its worth it.


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## JimmySays (Jun 8, 2007)

I have one Mfg 4-45 and it is still an excellent shooter with original barrel. 62+ years old and going strong.
Very impressive rifle to say the least. Thank you John Garand!:smt023


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## vjc123 (Sep 10, 2007)

Old Padawan said:


> Mike Barham and I ordered one each from CDMP. They are AWESOME to shoot. A lot of the surpluss ammo is corrosive, so count on cleaning the gun well after each shooting, it may be one of the most fun guns in my safe, so its worth it.


Thanks for the advice guys. Forgive me for being a little green when it comes to these WWII era rifles, but can you elaborate on the surpluss ammo comment. Does this mean ammo is not made for these rifles any more? I did a little more research and I guess he also shot the M1A.

When buying one of these which grade of rifle did you look for. From what I read it apears that the service grade is affordable, yet not so expensive you don't want to shoot it.


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2007)

Keep your eye's out for a gun show in your area. You will see boo-koo Garands. Bring some $$$$$$$$ though. (usually $500 & up)You also might want to read up a little on them. As you stated, there are all kinds out there. A lot of them are refurbished, so make sure you bone up ahead of time.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

vjc123 said:


> Thanks for the advice guys. Forgive me for being a little green when it comes to these WWII era rifles, but can you elaborate on the surpluss ammo comment. Does this mean ammo is not made for these rifles any more? I did a little more research and I guess he also shot the M1A.
> 
> When buying one of these which grade of rifle did you look for. From what I read it apears that the service grade is affordable, yet not so expensive you don't want to shoot it.


Some surplus ammo contains a corrosive compound that will literally eat the steel of the rifle. If you use this ammo, you must thoroughly clean the rifle with a suitable solvent (I like a solution of Simple Green and water).

The M1 Garand is normally chambered in the commonly-available .30-06. Ammo is easy to find. I believe CMP currently has non-corrosive Greek and Lake City ammo available for reasonable prices.

Old Padawan and I both got Field Grade rifles from CMP. I am fully satisfied with mine, especially after Bill cleaned up the stock for me. My Garand is simply a fun shooter, so I am not terribly concerned with tiny groups. If it shoots into 3-4 MOA, I am fine with it. It's basically a "power plinker," since it is inferior to other rifles for hunting and target shooting (and even defense, if you think you need a rifle for that). Another friend bought the Service Grade, and it was admittedly a nicer rifle than the Field Grade. If I had any serious use for the M1, I might have upgraded to Service Grade, but as I said, it's basically just a range toy for me.

Regarding the M1A, I think you are referring to the M14, since the M1A is just a semiautomatic commercial copy of the military M14. The M14 was adopted in 1957, though the Garand carried on as substitute standard for many years - much like the M16A2 still soldiers on despite the adoption of the current M4. The only war where the M14 saw much action was Vietnam, though it was replaced fairly quickly by the M16 in that war.


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## vjc123 (Sep 10, 2007)

Went to the range this weekend and shot my uncles M1, he wasn't sure if it was field grade or service grade, but it was a blast to shoot.

I also shot trap for the first time, I thought my wife was pretty cool when I said I wanted to buy a sig and an M1, now I need a gun for trap. I think that will put her over the edge. Man this is fun!


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## 0440 (Dec 3, 2007)

*M1*

I agree with other post probably best price and condition would be an M1 from odcmp.com Commerical prices today are out of sight...good luck


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