M1 Garand WW2 Usage - Page 2

moosemike · June 14, 2018, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MagnumWill

Start watching bids by the dozen on Gunbroker. There’s a lot of ridiculous sellers, but if you’re patient you can get a decent gun for a decent price. I was able to find a ‘43 Springfield with practically an unused ‘51 barrel, most likely because it was in a less desirable birch stock. A gorgeous Dupage stock is a hundred bucks, which is a lot cheaper than spending an extra $300 on Gunbroker for the same gun with one on it.

But yes, only run .30-06 rated for the Garand in it, or reload for it. The ammunition is readily available on the internet.

No you can't. Not on Gunbroker. It isn't even worth monitoring.

reddog81 · June 14, 2018, 08:49 PM

According to the CMP website you can call or email and ask about the inventory on hand at the stores. When I ordered mine I believe there was a section on the order form where you could write in a special request and they would try to help you out if possible. You could order 3 field grade rifles from the CMP and still be under you $2000 limit.

Red Devil · June 15, 2018, 01:07 PM

Quote:

M1 Garand WW2 Usage
I've been wanting to purchase an M1 Garand for quite a while now. I've been reading and trying to understand what I'm looking at as it is fairly confusing at first.

I am wanting to buy one primarily as a historical piece and would very much prefer it to have had a solid chance at participating in WW2, and secondarily as a shooter. However, I likely wouldn't get out to shoot it more than a handful of times a year.

I understand that based off of serial numbers alone you cannot trace any history with the M1. That all you can get is a manufacture date. I also understand that nearly all of them that saw any service during the war came back and went through the re-armoring process and that most stocks and some barrels were replaced.

It seems that the likelihood of finding one that was probably used in the war and has its original stock/barrel is quite slim, and if you do, will be priced accordingly, which is out of my price range (wanting to stay under $2000). Does this sound about right?

So I guess my other questions are what month/year should be my cutoff if I'm wanting to find one that had a chance to be involved in the war? I saw an article that there was an M1 found on Okinawa in a grave that was dated 10-44... So, since Okinawa was towards the tail end, I would assume you wouldn't want to go any later than that date?

It seems that my best bet would be to find a receiver dated before fall/44 and deal with a possible re-barrel and new stock.

Just wanted to bounce these questions off of some of you more knowledgeable folks.

Thanks!

Sadly, it is a pipe-dream.

Most have been rebuilt/rebarreled many times over.
Lots were used in training and Garrison.
And lots of combat rifles were worn out or damaged... or just carried, and never fired at all.

The good news is, any '41-'45...

U.S. RIFLE
CAL. .30
M1

...could be a WWII rifle.

Suggest you get both a Service Grade and a Field Grade M1 Garand from the CMP, to increase your chances of USGI wood and parts.

FrankenGarand a nice rifle, sell the parts rifle, and enjoy "the Greatest Battle Implement ever devises."

The rifle won't mind.

Red

agtman · June 17, 2018, 04:42 PM

The simplest solution is to buy a CMP M1 Garand - but if you're not buying it in person at either the NS or SS, but doing so by mail-order, then you can always ask politely for a S.A. M1 with a WW2-era serial number or any Winchester M1, and then cross your fingers and hope the order-taker processing your paperwork is in a good mood.

If you're successful, the receiver will be, technically, a "WW2 receiver," even if every other part on the rifle has been replaced in what were likely multiple rebuilds since at least 1945. And then the really expensive fun begins as you chase down every other part needed to restore it to a totally 'correct" WW2-era M1.

Good luck.

10-96 · June 17, 2018, 11:02 PM

I haven't been through all the posts yet, and I hate to further rain on your parade. I would, however, like to throw this out there.... There's a big heap of M1's that were lent out to the Dutch, Philippines, Greece, and who knows where all else. Now if they've gone through CMP in their process of getting back to the states, then they'll be re-aresenaled, inspected, etc just like all the one's which were never lent out. Now that close to 80-90,000 M1's are getting graded and sorted that have been returned from the Philippines, I'm guessing you stand a better than average chance of getting a WWII receiver. I have no clue how their government sent about rebuilding their M1's. If from a European country return, then it would make sense that the receiver very well could have seen action in the WWII theater.

Where the Korean conflict M1's ended up? Some stayed, and I'm sure some were post WWII era, but as governments grow, change, exchange stuff- it just keeps adding to the hopes and mysteries. Some lent to Italy were even turned into magazine fed rifles that Beretta took note of and evolved into the BM-59's.

Reloadron · June 19, 2018, 05:48 PM

For what it may or may not be worth while the lure of a vintage WW II M1 Garand carried and used during the war may be great actually finding one is much easier said than done and verification is another story. As to good books on the M1 Garand, The M1 Garand World War II by Scott Duff and The M1 Garand Post World War II also by Scott Duff are good reading. Another good author on the M1 Garand is Bruce Canfield. Both authors provide a wealth of factual well researched data, including copies of government documentation on the rifle from its beginnings to the end of production.

From an armorer and shop manual point a good shop manual is The US .30 Caliber Gas Operated Service Rifles by Jerry Kuhnhausen is a very good service manual and is well illustrated. It is a service manual with tips and tricks including accurizing the M1 Garand and M14 rifles, it contains little to no historic data.

Again, if you are considering an M1 Garand then by all means get one from a reliable source but I would not be too hopeful of finding one carried in actual WW II combat.

Ron

M88 · June 19, 2018, 11:41 PM

As for finding a Garand made during the war IF that is important to you... I currently have seven, six with war numbered receivers, all purchased within the last year, and all but one that I purchased from Fulton Armory with a chrome barrel that I'm going to use as my primary shooter... were found randomly at gun shows and shops. I didn't seek out war numbers. Two '41's... a '43, two 44's and a '45. (Then I found a clean '56 H&R at a gun shop I couldn't resist, since all the others are Springfield). My point however, is that just poking around over the past year, unless my experience is unusual, I found the majority I ran into at shows and shops were war Garands. I didn't seek that out, just turned out that way. As was stated, with a few rare exceptions, there is no way to know if your rifle actually saw action during the war. You can glean some things from clues... for example one of my 41's has it's original barrel but the barrel specs out real nice, barely used. However, it's original stock IS a bit beat up like it's been kicked around. So I suspect that it was possibly issued to somebody who carried it God only knows where and for how long, but since the barrel is so clean probably didn't fire it much wherever he (she??? were nurses ever issued a weapon?) was stationed.

As noted other places in this forum, if you've never fired a Garand find somebody who has one and experience that. The way it sounds and feels is unique, and satisfying. Makes my other rifles feel a bit like cheap plastic lightweight toys if you fire them side by side. GI's loved them. In fact talking so some of the older Korean vets who were in my company when I was in the Army (Germany '71) many of them said when they were issued replacements for their M1's many tried to get their Garand's back, if only because is was so sturdy and heavy that they thought it would be a better weapon to wield if they ever were in a situation where they had to use it hand to hand.

June 17, 2018, 04:42 PM	#29
agtman Junior member Join Date: July 26, 2001 Location: midwest Posts: 2,374	The simplest solution is to buy a CMP M1 Garand - but if you're not buying it in person at either the NS or SS, but doing so by mail-order, then you can always ask politely for a S.A. M1 with a WW2-era serial number or any Winchester M1, and then cross your fingers and hope the order-taker processing your paperwork is in a good mood. If you're successful, the receiver will be, technically, a "WW2 receiver," even if every other part on the rifle has been replaced in what were likely multiple rebuilds since at least 1945. And then the really expensive fun begins as you chase down every other part needed to restore it to a totally 'correct" WW2-era M1. Good luck. Last edited by agtman; June 17, 2018 at 04:51 PM.

June 17, 2018, 11:02 PM	#30
10-96 Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Tx Panhandle Territory Posts: 4,159	I haven't been through all the posts yet, and I hate to further rain on your parade. I would, however, like to throw this out there.... There's a big heap of M1's that were lent out to the Dutch, Philippines, Greece, and who knows where all else. Now if they've gone through CMP in their process of getting back to the states, then they'll be re-aresenaled, inspected, etc just like all the one's which were never lent out. Now that close to 80-90,000 M1's are getting graded and sorted that have been returned from the Philippines, I'm guessing you stand a better than average chance of getting a WWII receiver. I have no clue how their government sent about rebuilding their M1's. If from a European country return, then it would make sense that the receiver very well could have seen action in the WWII theater. Where the Korean conflict M1's ended up? Some stayed, and I'm sure some were post WWII era, but as governments grow, change, exchange stuff- it just keeps adding to the hopes and mysteries. Some lent to Italy were even turned into magazine fed rifles that Beretta took note of and evolved into the BM-59's. __________________ Rednecks... Keeping the woods critter-free since March 2, 1836. (TX Independence Day) I suspect a thing or two... because I've seen a thing or two.

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June 14, 2018, 08:49 PM	#27
reddog81 Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 2014 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,634	According to the CMP website you can call or email and ask about the inventory on hand at the stores. When I ordered mine I believe there was a section on the order form where you could write in a special request and they would try to help you out if possible. You could order 3 field grade rifles from the CMP and still be under you $2000 limit.

June 19, 2018, 05:48 PM	#31
Reloadron Senior Member Join Date: June 8, 2016 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Suburbs Posts: 1,750	For what it may or may not be worth while the lure of a vintage WW II M1 Garand carried and used during the war may be great actually finding one is much easier said than done and verification is another story. As to good books on the M1 Garand, *The M1 Garand World War II by Scott Duff* and *The M1 Garand Post World War II* also by Scott Duff are good reading. Another good author on the M1 Garand is Bruce Canfield. Both authors provide a wealth of factual well researched data, including copies of government documentation on the rifle from its beginnings to the end of production. From an armorer and shop manual point a good shop manual is *The US .30 Caliber Gas Operated Service Rifles* by Jerry Kuhnhausen is a very good service manual and is well illustrated. It is a service manual with tips and tricks including accurizing the M1 Garand and M14 rifles, it contains little to no historic data. Again, if you are considering an M1 Garand then by all means get one from a reliable source but I would not be too hopeful of finding one carried in actual WW II combat. Ron

June 19, 2018, 11:41 PM	#32
M88 Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2018 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 278	As for finding a Garand made during the war IF that is important to you... I currently have seven, six with war numbered receivers, all purchased within the last year, and all but one that I purchased from Fulton Armory with a chrome barrel that I'm going to use as my primary shooter... were found randomly at gun shows and shops. I didn't seek out war numbers. Two '41's... a '43, two 44's and a '45. (Then I found a clean '56 H&R at a gun shop I couldn't resist, since all the others are Springfield). My point however, is that just poking around over the past year, unless my experience is unusual, I found the majority I ran into at shows and shops were war Garands. I didn't seek that out, just turned out that way. As was stated, with a few rare exceptions, there is no way to know if your rifle actually saw action during the war. You can glean some things from clues... for example one of my 41's has it's original barrel but the barrel specs out real nice, barely used. However, it's original stock IS a bit beat up like it's been kicked around. So I suspect that it was possibly issued to somebody who carried it God only knows where and for how long, but since the barrel is so clean probably didn't fire it much wherever he (she??? were nurses ever issued a weapon?) was stationed. As noted other places in this forum, if you've never fired a Garand find somebody who has one and experience that. The way it sounds and feels is unique, and satisfying. Makes my other rifles feel a bit like cheap plastic lightweight toys if you fire them side by side. GI's loved them. In fact talking so some of the older Korean vets who were in my company when I was in the Army (Germany '71) many of them said when they were issued replacements for their M1's many tried to get their Garand's back, if only because is was so sturdy and heavy that they thought it would be a better weapon to wield if they ever were in a situation where they had to use it hand to hand.