M1 Garand from CMP.

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Niner
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M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by Niner » Fri Dec 21, 2012 12:27 pm

I had some time on my hands so... I took some photos of my CMP Garand. It was a Danish return and originally a Springfield Armory weapon made in October of 1943. It cost all of $400 at the time....and I felt bad I had missed the boat when they were a lot cheaper. But.... maybe it was a good thing I did buy then, and maybe should have bought another one or two more at the time.

I think the photos will be rather ho hum for those that have one, but I thought I'd point out a few details that those who don't have one might enjoy noticing.

That green web sling was late war standard. Those leather slings issued earlier with the weapons must have been a cost factor that was eliminated.
Attachments
right side.jpg
side left.jpg
clip.jpg
DSC02203.jpg
Clip ejector
Clip ejector
back sight.jpg
Open breech and the windage knob
Open breech and the windage knob
Elevation knob
Elevation knob
Muzzel with the screw to clean out the gas port.
Muzzel with the screw to clean out the gas port.
butt closed.jpg
butt open.jpg
Safety off.  Well out of the guard on the trigger.
Safety off. Well out of the guard on the trigger.
Safety is a lever that pushes into the trigger guard.  Easy to notice with the trigger finger that it is on.
Safety is a lever that pushes into the trigger guard. Easy to notice with the trigger finger that it is on.
Stacking swivel is something left over from an earlier time and earlier utility.
Stacking swivel is something left over from an earlier time and earlier utility.
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joseyclosey
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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by joseyclosey » Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:06 pm

Good post Robert, the Garand may be run of the mill to you guys in the states but, to me on this side of the pond, it is a piece of exotica I would love to own and shoot.

What sort of prices are these rifles attracting nowadays?

Joe
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Niner
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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by Niner » Fri Dec 21, 2012 1:38 pm

Joe, I've had mine since January of 2002. Here is a link to the CMP to give you an idea of what they have and what they are asking. Mine was rated, I think, "service grade" and a Danish return. The rifle was in very good condition compared to run of the mill bolt action milsurps in my collection.

http://www.thecmp.org/Sales/m1garand.htm
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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by Aughnanure » Fri Dec 21, 2012 8:46 pm

I've had a few Garands in the past and loved them all.
Last one had been arsenal reconditioned and was, to all intents, brand new.
I sold it in a weak moment just a few months before the Great Australian Gun Grab.

Which spared me the anguish of seeing such a fine weapon chopped up, but it was semi-auto and therefore evil even though it could be beaten by a good man with a Lee-Enfield.
I often boast that I can fire 10 shots out of my L-E before anyone can fire 10 out of an M1 Garand. ;)
Self Defence is not only a Right, it is an Obligation.

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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by Niner » Fri Dec 21, 2012 10:03 pm

Yeah... Eoin. But could you fire EIGHT rounds as fast and accurate with one of those bolt actions as you could with a Garand? And Enfields never make that cha ching as a spent clip flies out. :bigsmile:
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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by Aughnanure » Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:38 pm

Niner wrote:Yeah... Eoin. But could you fire EIGHT rounds as fast and accurate with one of those bolt actions as you could with a Garand? And Enfields never make that cha ching as a spent clip flies out. :bigsmile:
Not these days! Although I do sometimes give demos at the range of just how fast a Lee can be manipulated, the trick is to never take the trigger finger off the bolt knob but to fire with the middle finger. Said middle finger is kept fairly rigid and hits the trigger as the bolt locks. Practice. ;)

However an old friend of mine, the late Frank Adlam, was on his way to making a fortune in WWII betting that he could fire eight out of his L-E whilst the Garandists were trying to beat him.

Unfortunately for Frank the Japs took him prisoner and thus put a stop to his enterprise.
Self Defence is not only a Right, it is an Obligation.

Eoin.
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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by Niner » Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:13 pm

Seriously though, as a question, no matter how fast you work the bolt and fire with an Enfield, the bolt still has to be manipulated open, back and forward to strip a round against the pressure of a spring as the shooter cocks the rifle. This has to have some effect on whatever your sight picture is, doesn't it? With a Grand, the only thing that has to move after a round is in the chamber is a single finger to fire one round after another until the clip is emptied. It has to be a more stable process than with an Enfield that is going through a series of manual loading actions. And.... so what if the Enfield can be fired as quick or quicker if it isn't likely to fire as accurately while accomplishing the speed?
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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by Aughnanure » Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:55 am

The Garand is going to win for accuracy but there's not much in it, the thump from a .30'06 disturbs the aim a bit too.
The nicest semi-auto that I ever fired was an M1 Carbine that had been converted to 9mm Parabellum and took 30 round Owen Gun magazines. Virtually no kick at all.
This belonged to an Armourer Instructor at the Training School.
Self Defence is not only a Right, it is an Obligation.

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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by Niner » Sun Dec 23, 2012 11:05 am

As you say, the M1 carbine firing a 30 caliber round, made like a pistol cartridge, delivers a very mild kick. However, at 100 and more yards the accuracy is really not there compared to the Garand or the Enfield. It's a short range weapon from the get go.... by design. I'd imagine a 9mm configuration at short range would be exceptional as to rate of fire and accuracy.

The thump difference between a .303 and a 30.06 isn't all that noticeable...at least to me. The Garand and the Enfield weigh close to the same weight fully loaded. Unloaded, a Garand is 9.50 lbs. and 9.06 lbs. for the Number 4 Enfield.
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Re: M1 Garand from CMP.

Post by rico567 » Fri Aug 29, 2014 8:21 pm

My Garand was bought in the $310 (delivered!) days, brought by the postal carrier. It was all luck of the draw- one price, and you took pot luck, the first one out of the box or off the rack. I got very, very lucky, a like-new Springfield Armory October 1944 manufacture. I don't think it ever saw much service in WWII, and had obviously been done over in the big 1964 overhaul when they were destined for Vietnam, but never went. New barrel and finish, like-new birch stock. The more I shoot it, the more accurate it gets.
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