Garand ?'s-Christian/nmyers

roboman

I've been looking into purchasing a Garand for quite some time, but I have a few questions.

First, I guess I'm wondering what the appeal of this weapon is. It seems to be quite outdated (being from the WW2 era or so) and takes a caliber of ammo that is very expensive to buy.

I've seen a few Garands that are for sale from Harrington and Richardson and I was wondering if they were a quality manufacturer that releases decent products. I've looked at the CMP for garands, but they don't seem worth saving the $100 when compared to an H&R Garand for something that is worn and full of replacement parts.

Finally, is there a place to buy relatively cheap .30-06 ammo? The best deal I could find was some Russian production for about 26 cents a shot.

Thanks in advance.

BTW, I also qualify for a garand from the CMP, if that makes any difference.

nmyers

roboman, it's difficult to explain the appeal of the M1 rifle. To me, it's a genuine piece of US military history, as used in WWII and the Korean War. Yes, it's a little long & a little heavy, & the clips are not easy to use, but it still packs a high power punch & will function under the worst of conditions. And, once you field strip one, you will be amazed by the engineering that went into it.

During WWII it was only made by Springfield Armory & Winchester; during Korea, it was made by Springfield Armory, International Harvester, & Harrington & Richardson. The Winchesters are the only ones that have quality problems; HRA M1's are of excellent quality.

Of course, it's unlikely that you will find an HRA, or, for that matter, any other make M1 with all original parts. Most M1's that you will see for sale have been rebuilt at least once; if you see an all original HRA for anywhere near the price of a CMP service grade rifle, grab it.

If you were to buy a service grade rifle from CMP, you have a good chance of getting one that is unissued since rebuild. Yes, the parts may be mixed, or even used, but you know that they were assembled & gauged by a USGI armorer. For the price, it's difficult to beat.

Keep in mind that many of the M1's on the market are Korean re-imports, parts guns built on substandard newly-made receivers, or Mixed Parts Mongrels assembled in someone's basement that may, or may not, be reliable or safe to shoot.

Be cautious when buying .30-06 to shoot in an M1; price isn't everything. Some milsurp ammo, especially Korean, is loaded too hot for the M1 & will damage it. Many shooters have found that they can make reliable reloads for the M1 that are very economical. I buy USGI M2 ball from CMP.

Neal

Delta514

NEAL: The Dutch are importing Military Surplus ammo for the .06, very nice stuff and comes in a bandolier w/8 rd clips. Looks like very late Mfg. and the Price is excellent. SOG or CDNN? I forgot, but I do have about 8 Bandoliers at the store. [;)]

Ronnie G. Perkins

beachmaster73

roboman, no CMP M1 will have resided in Korea. In the most simple terms you'll never beat the CMP price unless you inherit the weapon. Beach

poopah

roboman,As to the appeal of the M1,the late general George Patton said it all(the greatest battle implement ever devised).Take one for a test drive,you won't regret it.Best Wishes,Roger