The joy of an M1 Garand

[979Texas]

Well, I have been watching this thread ever since it started. And I have been chomping at the bit to post on this thread while feeling slightly guilty. Reason being, back in late December my grandfather passed down one of his M1's to me and I have been trying to shoot it since December. But I have been putting it off. Back in March I replaced the stock gas plug with a ported gas plug to hopefully help the gun handle modern loads betters. I'm only going to shoot the modern hunting loads when I'm hunting, so they will be used sparingly. For targets and for fun shooting though I just use the surplus ball FMJ ammo. With the M1 he gave me an ammo with 13 fully loaded clips for it and two surplus clip holder/slings that have 6 pouches each for M1 clips. Plus there was some loose ammo in the bottom of the can. The rifle itself was in great condition except for a few scratches on the stock and slight wearing down of the blue on the barrel. But nothing major at all. I cleaned it but it was barely dirty. He has shot it considerably, but the last time he shot it was in the mid 80's.

Anyway I've been enjoying and following this thread since it started and I have wanted to post on it but I knew I had to shoot that beautiful M1 first before I posted.

So this evening I finally shot it for the first time, and this was also my first time to shoot a Garand period. Now I see all the joy and fun yall were talking about. This probably was the funnest gun I have ever shot. And it was ungodly accurate. I did not even have to adjust the sights, they were still dead on from when Pappaw was blasting away with it back in the eighties. I was only shooting at 50 yards (roughly stepped off in the back cattle pasture), but I got three tight groups of 3 to 4 bullet holes all connecting on the edge of the bullseye ring. Plus 5 bulleyes and then a few scattered in the ring outside the bullseye. So I was amazed at the raw accuracy of the gun and it was just a blast to shoot. I was shooting free handed standing with the stock sights.

I have known since I was a teenager that Garand's "ping" when the clip empties. So I knew this going in. But on the first clip I wasn't counting my shots so I was just a little surprised when I fired that eight shot and I heard a loud ping from the gun and I see the clip shoot up in the air and land right beside me. Then it took me 5 minutes to find the clip because I was in the middle of a hay meadow/cattle pasture with Coastal Bermuda grass up to my knees. But it landed right beside me so I had no trouble finding the other two clips that I shot up this evening.

So I can't wait to get this gun out in the field and blast some hogs with it. It seems like it will be an excellent hog gun even with the weight and length. And in deer season hopefully I will be able to take some deer with it. Plus I just plan on doing plenty of target shooting with it also. For years my .300 Blackout AR has been my go to rifle for all my shooting targets, deer, hogs, and coyotes are about all I use rifles for. But my Blackout is now going to take a back seat to my M1, ( my Glock 20 10mm will still be on my hip though). Also this is a Springfield rifle. Anyway thanks for a great thread that is deeper than just a specific gun, but a gun that is an experience on its own.

[Homerboy]

No gun has given me the shivers like an M1 has. The strength and history behind it. Thinking of our boys carrying this across Europe, the Pacific, and through Korea.

But it's a heavy bitch and i hope you're ready for thst if you're gonna hunt with it! But it will surely make bacon out of any hog you get in your sights!

[shep854]

Last December, I let my girlfriend's 11-y/o son and his buddy shoot my M1.
It was bigger than they were, so they had to rest it on my range bag and I made sure they had towels folded under their shirts for padding...
Their grins were EPIC!

[Ozzieman]

https://www.reddit.com/r/guns/commen...monday_102714/

I would like to take credit for this upgrade to the AR-15 to make it a better gun than the M1 Garand but I didn't.
After you see the photo you will agree that with this mod the AR will be a better gun.
Remember : It don't mean a thing it if ant got that PING.
Or I always wanted a garand but couldn't afford one so this is the next best thing

[agtman]

There are some mods you can do to a Garand to make it more a bit more effective as a combat weapon.

Except for adding a detachable magazine like the M14/M1A, such mods include making the barrel shorter (and op rod too), and adding an optic.

While shortening the barrel (and forward handguard, as needed) gives up some velocity, the fps-loss is minimal at distances inside 300-yds, and the shortened M1 is both lighter and more manuverable - hence, why 18" Tanker Garands have always been popular.

On modifying the M1 for mounts & optics, the old GI side-mounted units have not proven to be that stable nor, more importantly, field-accurate at distance, even when the operator understands the trigonometry needed to re-zero as distance increases. Forward-mounted scopes over the barrel (i.e., Scout mounts) have proven both stable and accurate, although they do give the M1 a somewhat muzzle-heavy feel.

When mod-ing your M1 from other than its original configuration, there will always be compromises.

However, I can tell you I've found my 16.1" Mini-G to be both very accurate and housed in a handy, compact package.
The set up below is a 2.5x Burris Scout scope, in low detachable rings, on an Ultimak mount. Both optic & irons are zeroed for 200-yds.

[1940izhevsk]

Although I can't say anything about shooting a Garand, it certainly is on my wishlist for rifles to own. Everything about the ol' Gerrund is signature about it, from the ping to the stock.

[Homerboy]

For me, the joy in the Garand is the history of it. There are several firearms I would never "upgrade" with more modern features. and the M1 is at the top of that list. It's yours to do with as you wish, but flash hiders, rails, and scopes on a Garand just look wrong to me.

[Ozzieman]

For me, the joy in the Garand is the history of it.

Very well put!
Mine was the first military firearm that I owned. I bought it over 30 years ago and spent way to much for it at the time and didn't know what the CMP was.
At the time I didn't care how much I just wanted an M1. When I picked it up a member of our shooting club and a well know M1 expert around here went though mine at the time and gave it a high grade.
It is my second favorite gun in my collection only to the 03-A3. I wouldn't want to guess how many rounds I put through it but a good guess would be a BUNCH!!!

[Ken41]

Basic training, Fort Jackson NC, Sep-Oct 1959. Train Fire, and no one ever used any hearing protection.

The empty clips make good handcuffs!

[dahermit]

Basic training, Fort Jackson NC, Sep-Oct 1959. Train Fire, and no one ever used any hearing protection.

Same here...Fort Knox, Aug-Oct., 1962. Also Garand #1603418. Train Fire, They gave us, I think it was cigarette filters to stick in our ears...can't remember for sure now what they were, but they were not real ear plugs. They had us firing from the prone at first, on the hard Kentucky clay. It was not long before the recoil of the Garand, pushing me back and forth wore my elbows bloody. The next day, I tied a G.I. woolen sock around each elbow as a cushion against further abrasion due to recoil...a big mistake, wool socks on elbows in Kentucky summer heat was worse than the abrasion. Loved the Garand, hated the recoil.

[Tad_T]

Very nice looking rifle, Ozzieman!

[agtman]

Yep, nothing wrong at all with the basic M1, and the correct accouterments.

1942 Winchester & GI sling; '42 UFH bayo.

[Reloadron]

The upper Garand is the oddball being chambered in the 7mm-08 Remington cartridge rather than the 30-06 Springfield or the .308 Winchester cartridges. That rifle was built for match shooting and really does a fine job. Eventually I may chamber it in .308 Winchester as I have a barrel ready.

The lower gun is my "orange wood" M1 Garand having its 1950s birch stock. When oiled out the wood takes on a sort of orange hue look.







Both rifles are a pleasure to shoot and the 7mm-08 Remington flavor has little recoil making it really enjoyable to shoot.

Ron

[agtman]

Reloadron: very nice M1s.

The 7mm-08, I believe, is very close ballistically to what was the initially preferred chambering for Garand's rifle, the .276 Pedersen. It was highly accurate and equally lethal with the '06 to 300-400yds, and those testing it liked it better for training troops to shoot. Plus, the .276 loaded in 10-rd clips, rather than 8-rounders. Two more rounds to send down range with less recoil.

Then McAuther decided to go the other way.

[Reloadron]

Thank you. The 7mm-08 Garand was actually a mistake. Years ago, about 20 years ago I did quite a bit with the M1 Garand rifle. Every summer my brother-in-law and I would take NRA smithing courses at Montgomery Community College, Troy NC. One year it was an M1/M14 (including the M1A) armorers course. I ordered two M1 Garand barrels in .308 Winchester. The barrels from Brownells arrived a day before we left for NC and were the wrong barrels. So we built up two Garands in 7mm-08 Remington. Brownells later sent me the correct .308 barrels. They even let me keep the 7mm-08 barrels. This was early to mid 90s and I do recall another popular offering was 270 Winchester. That 7-08 is a pleasure to shoot and I never changed it but to this day I have the replacement 308 barrel.

I guess it was '95 as here is the 7-08 barrel markings:



Unfortunately the cartridge eliminates the rifle from military high power competition but it was fun to shoot in local fun competition. Yes, in a few ways, now that you mention it, the cartridge shares a few ballistics of the 276 Pederson. I never gave it much thought so thanks for pointing that out.

Ron

[Calfed]

Years ago I purchased an IHC Garand at an online estate sale. There weren't many pictures and a rather spare description, but I bid on it and glommed it for a decent price.

When it arrived, I noticed that it had an odd, hooded rear sight and later learned that it was a match sight. I also noted that the op rod was marked "NM", but knew that didn't mean much. I shot the rifle a little with LC CMP ammo, and it seemed decently accurate.

No indication on the barrel of it being NM, nor any other indication that I know of. I guess my question is, other than barrel, sights and op rod, what common modifications did gunsmiths of the day make to a Garand to match prep it?

Recently I've started shooting some of my safe queens and took the IHC and a few other rifles out to the range. I also took a box of the CMP Creedmoor Garand ammo and shot a clip of it through the IHC. I was impressed with the rifle and the ammo.


Here is the rifle...









Didn't have much time, so I was only able to get the rifle on paper at 50 yards and shoot an 8 round clip at 100 yards. At 100 yards, first two were off the 8" reactive target up around 11:00 o'clock. made a small adjustment and got the rifle on paper at 100...still up at about 10:30. Made an agressive sight adjustment and put it at 6 o'clock, at the bottom of the target.. Made a final adjustment and put the last 4 into nice tight group of a little over 1", just below the 10 ring.

Here is the 100 yard/Creedmoor ammo target. I think this Garand has potential

[Reloadron]

No indication on the barrel of it being NM, nor any other indication that I know of. I guess my question is, other than barrel, sights and op rod, what common modifications did gunsmiths of the day make to a Garand to match prep it?

Sweet IHC rifle you have there. In addition to the NM sights many of the match barrels, other that GI had a full contour which required removing wood from the rear handguard.





The liner in the front handguard was often stripped out and screws used to secure the lower band to the rear handguard. The idea being to "float" the barrel. The gas tube tang was angle ground and the gas tube isolated from touching the handguard.



Frequently the rifle was fully glass bedded. A really good shop manual describing all of the tips and tricks is The US .30 Caliber Gas Operated Service Rifles by: Jerry Kuhnhausen.

There are or at least were fixtures available from Brownells for the bedding process. I don't see as much accurizing done on the M1 Garand as years ago. The M1A and then the AR-15 rifles seem to get all the attention and accurizing tricks anymore. The 7mm-08 I posted earlier had all the tricks done to it.

Ron

[Calfed]

Good info here.

Thanks, Reloadron!

[Reloadron]

Thank you and most welcome.

Ron

[Erno86]

Before Mark...of James River Armory, moved his franchise to North Carolina, he tested his Garands at our 100 yard range at Marriottsville, Maryland. Mark had a knack of catching his empty clips in midair with one hand; after it was ejected from his M1 while firing off the bench.


I feel more confident...then almost any other rifle in my safe, of being able to hit my AR550, 20 pound steel IDPA target --- with my H&R Garand --- offhand at 100 yards --- I have the gong hung by two rubber bungee cords between two 2x4's mounted on a steel stand.

Gong hits by 223, just doesn't cut it for me much at all...because I love the oomph, sound and swing of my gong, when a 30 caliber bullet hits it --- Especially with a 30-06.

[GarandTd]

Picked up several enbloc clips loaded with Greek surplus at the local gun shop the other day. Was surprised they had them and even more surprised with the reasonable price. The joys of the M1 Garand☺

[SC4006]

Wow, I didn't think my thread was still going! Great to hear about everyone else's love of the Garand. Some great pictures here as well; I suppose I'll have to add one of mine when I get a chance, just have to find a good spot to take a nice picture.

Gong hits by 223, just doesn't cut it for me much at all...because I love the oomph, sound and swing of my gong, when a 30 caliber bullet hits it --- Especially with a 30-06.

Sure is satisfying launching big .30 caliber bullets at a gong. Compared to my .22 and pistols my 30-06 and 7.62x54r rifles really let you know when you get a hit! Only thing more fun to me is launching 12 gauge slugs at my gong... Now THATS a thump!

[kraigwy]

Since this thread is still going:

Earlier, when it started I mentioned keeping an eye on the CMP Sites as they would be up for sale again.

Well I didnt lie. Yesterday they started advertizing the Service Grades again, $730 delivered to your door.

They wont last forever, nothing does, but they are available now.

These arent junk guns like you'll find at a gun show or LGS, they are service grade, about the best you can find short of the Special Grades they sell with New Barrels, and Stocks. Plus like all CMP Guns these have been gone over by CMP armors. And you wont find better customer service if something does go wrong.

[SC4006]

Yeah if you're going to buy an M1 from the CMP, definitely jump on it. Back when I got mine in 2013 they were $630 for service grades, and you could choose between Springfield and HRA. Now it's luck of the draw, and the price is just going to keep going up the more they sell.