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School me on M1 Garands

Not only every Garand owner should have Hatcher's book... every gun owner should have it. If you can get a copy of Hatcher's Notebook (it has been reprinted) everyone should have this too.

Has the making of a good thread... what are the 10 - 15 gun books that no library should be without. Hatcher's books definitely make the list.

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
Well, I got brave enough to start taking the thing apart and looking up numbers. Turns out just about everything, except the op rod and trigger housing are date-correct for the serial. Cool I thought, but then I saw this...

http://i.imgur.com/ZJSMnc1.jpg

Is this something from like an armor when it got rebuilt? My google-fu has failed me. Don't get me wrong, I think it's awesome, just wondering exactly what it's about.
 
NICE LOOKING RIFLE! I just bought a Garand from another Hide member, and I love it! Mine isn't quite as nice looking, but it shoots well---at least if I could use the iron sights it would. I haven't ever shot iron sights, so I expect I will learn a lot from this rifle.
Good Luck with it,
Tim
 
Beautiful wood. Is it GI? any stamps around the pistol grip or on the left side under the sights? Your inscribed rebuild mark may be Benecia Arsenal and the numbers below are the date (1965)

It looks like your stacking swivel is missing. New parts can be easily found. The recommendation to visit the CMP Forum as well as Culvers Shooting Page Forum should reveal all kinds of info for you. Scott Duff (Google search) produces a few small books that will give you history and mechanics of shooting and running your Garand.

Initial sight in should be around 8 clicks up from bottom at 100 yards or there abouts.
 
Beautiful wood. Is it GI? any stamps around the pistol grip or on the left side under the sights? Your inscribed rebuild mark may be Benecia Arsenal and the numbers below are the date (1965)

It looks like your stacking swivel is missing. New parts can be easily found. The recommendation to visit the CMP Forum as well as Culvers Shooting Page Forum should reveal all kinds of info for you. Scott Duff (Google search) produces a few small books that will give you history and mechanics of shooting and running your Garand.

Initial sight in should be around 8 clicks up from bottom at 100 yards or there abouts.


Thanks for the info, I'll have to check into some of Duff's material. I've been looking around for a stacking swivel to buy. The rebuild thing is cool, but it's weird that the barrel date is may '45 from what I can tell. The stock doesn't have any cartouches I can discern and it appears that the stock around trigger assembly and receiver had been somewhat bedded to make a nice tight fit. Now I just need to find a good source of bulk 30-06 ammo, I have a feeling I'll be shooting this rifle a bunch.
 
Your best source for ammo is the CMP (that would hold true for any ammo regardless of caliber right now). Note that unless you use an adjustable gas relief valve just any old ammo will not work in an M1. Most commercial loadings are too stiff for the op rod on a Garand.

200 rounds of HXP (Greek) mixed date headstamp from CMP will cost $98 plus $11-12 shipping. Its like a sore dick - you cant beat it.

CMP has SPAM cans coming on line sometime in the next year or so. That will signal the end of the Greek M2 30-06. Unless they get some from Turkey or some other MAP country it may be the end of the M2 GI ammo entirely for them. Hornady makes two types of Garand match ammo they sell.

Agreed the dates may seem weird but not every WWII rifle made it to the front lines. Someone had to pull gurad in the States while everyone else was at war. From reading teh CMP Forums WWII barrels are rare but not exceedingly so. CMP sold some 4000 new barrels two years ago and some guys got brand new WWII barrel dates.

If you are not interested in the "correctness" of your rifle you may be able to trade that WWII barrel for a new criterion - the desireability of the date would determine the interest. '45 was late in the war and may not get so much interest.
 
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Am in the process of rebuilding my M1. New wood from Dean's Gun Restorations that I just completed refinishing, rifle is at Shuff's getting reparked, trigger tuned and new barrel. When it returns I will be installing all new springs and install new wood. WooHoo!
 
The M1 Rifle "is an air-cooled, gas-operated, clip-fed, semiautomatic shoulder fired weapon. This means that the air cools the barrel; that the power to cock the rifle and chamber the succeeding round comes from the expanding gas of the round fired previously; that it is loaded by inserting a metal clip (containing a maximum of eight rounds) into the receiver; and that the rifle fires one round each time the trigger is pulled".
U.S. Army Field Manual FM 23.5 (May 1965) U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, p.3

Sorry couldn't resist..

Also Culvers shooting Page has alot of Milsurp rifle info http://www.jouster.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?3-M1-Garand-M14-M1A

John
 
I think it's time, early on, to make the decision about whether you intend this rifle to be a collector item or a shooter.

Mine's a shooter, and departs from the pristine, as issued, all numbers correct collector approach by being glass bedded, refinished with Tru-Oil, is equipped with an aftermarket hooded globe front sight with interchangeable inserts, N/M 1/2 MOA adjustable/.052" rear peep sight, and the an aftermarket 1" rubber butt pad extension. The sling is a repro tan cotton Garand sling. The SA S/N dates it at 9/41, just prewar, it appears to be fresh from an arsenal refurb, and it has a 1953 dated Winchester barrel on it. It shoots right at the N/M accuracy standard, and will be in my will.

Greg