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M1 Garand Questions

M1AlotM1Alot Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
edited June 2003 in Ask the Experts
I have been doing some bullistics research and it appears that for a very versatile caliber, the 30-06 takes the cake. My research lead me to the M1 Garand. I have always wanted a vintage WW2 gun (actually, the thompson submachine gun) but the People's Rebublik of Kalfornia wont let me buy a tommy gun. What I am wondering is, would an M1 Garand be a good deer rifle? And could I temporarily mount a scope to it for that purpose without altering the look of the rifle? Is it accurate enough at the great distances that deer tends to stay? Any help is appreciated.

Comments

  • M1AlotM1Alot Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    [:p]Just bought my first M1 Garand. I did a quick field strip on it and found the following, What does it all Mean ??

    SA Serial 2711857
    Receiver: D28291-32 with B 2 8 Diamond below it
    Receiver Also has SA 4-65 electro penciled on it..
    Bolt: D28287-12SA
    Barrel: 1-S-A-12-44
    Op Rod: D65382 SA (Could be D55382 SA, It's hard to read)
    Trigger: D28290-12-SA
    Looks all SA except for parts that are not marked. How would you know the maker on them? The Stock is dark walnut with SA/GAW and Xcannon on side and Circle P and small Xcannon on bottom.

    Any info on it would be appreciated.. TE=3 and 1/8th inch shows on the M2 ball test..

    Thanks,,
  • M1AlotM1Alot Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I just inherited an M1 and it came to me in pieces, I am putting it back together and noticed that the trigger assy. has the numbers C46025 W.R.A. (Winchester?) And the reciever has U.S. Rifle cal 30 M1 Springfield Armory 2944203 and the top of the trap door has the numbers D28287-12SA below that RE6B Do I have a mongrel here with all different part numbers??
    Thanks in advance!
    Marc
  • p3skykingp3skyking Member Posts: 25,750
    edited November -1
    It means to me that your keno ticket paid off! The Garand experts here will go into more detail, but looks like you have a very nice '44 Garard that hasn't been messed with much. Tell me, does the rear sight have a "locking bar" (rectangular bar of steel across the adjustment knob)?
  • M1AlotM1Alot Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    No, It does not have a lock bar..
  • Laredo LeftyLaredo Lefty Member Posts: 13,451 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    sounds like you have a nice Springfield rifle.

    The numbers on the op-rod, trigger group, reciever and bolt that start with "D" are drawing numbers.

    The 12-44 on the barrel means the barrel and possibly the entire gun were built in Dec 1944.

    The 4-65 on the rec most likely means the gun was arsenal rebuilt or refurbished in April 1965.

    The fact that it still has the cartouches stamped into the stock is nice. The stock has been taken care of.
  • njretcopnjretcop Member Posts: 7,975
    edited November -1
    Take good care of her son, sounds like a real winner ya got there. These rifles are a piece of American history.

    Blue_car.gif

    Charlie

    "It's the stuff dreams are made of Angel"NRA Certified Firearms InstructorMember: GOA, RKBA, NJSPBA, NJ area rep for the 2ndAMPD. njretcop@copmail.com
  • mark christianmark christian Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 24,456 ******
    edited November -1
    Based on the information which you have provided your receiver was produced near the end of March, 1944- SA produced nearly 89,000 receivers in that month. Because of this your barrel, which was produced in December, 1944, is most likely a replacement barrel. During this period of time M1 production was at its highest point and there was very little lag time in getting these rifles assembled and shipped out to the troops. It would be highley unlikely that the receiver sat around at Springfield for 9 months waiting for its barrel to be installed. A less than one month (usually less than a week) lag would be the norm during this period and there was seldom ever more than a two month lag during any production period.

    The number stamped on the receiver is the drawing and revision number and the other numbers and symbols are the heat lot and steel manufacturer information- I won't bore everyone to death breaking all of this down as it has no real bearing on the value of the rifle. The -12 bolt and trigger housing are correct and it is the most common revision numbers used in WWII M1 Rifles. Your operating rod Should read D35382 6 SA. The lack of the number 6 indicates that the rod was a post war SA replacement which were used on SA rebuids between 1946 and 1949- although many were reused for years after this period. Regardless, your operating rod is not correct for this rifle. The SA 4-65 indicates that the rifle was rebuilt at Springfield Armory in March, 1965...it came home 21 years after it left- almost to the month. Your stock is correct and these are worth considerable money to collectors. There are dozens of other items to check over, but it sounds like a nice clean SA rebuilt and it could be restored without spending too much money. The barrel is s slight problem, although not a bad one, and you'll need a new op-rod and lock bar rear sight. On the whole, you got a good rifle there.

    Mark T. Christian
  • M1AlotM1Alot Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for all the input guys. It's really good luck on my part as I suspect the seller may not have been totally aware of the status of this rifle, I certainly wasn't. I paid $650 and based on what other rifles were going for I felt that was average while at the same time taking the risk that the rifle would not be as advertised, Always a possibility with auction purchases..

    Mark, Based on your input what specific type of lock bar sight and op-rod should I look for ? Also what would be a correct barrel ? I see many garand parts available for sale on various auction sights. Looks like it's time to get a copy of the garand book by Duff..

    Thanks Again !!
    Peter [:p]
  • mark christianmark christian Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 24,456 ******
    edited November -1
    The operating rod you need is the -6 SA which I mentioned in my first post. To be totally correct it should NOT have the small relief cut at the "triangular" point where the "piston" joins the "cocking handle". Keep in mind that this was a weak point and the cut was placed there for a reason- most were modified and later post WWII production rods were produced with the cut. If you want to shoot this rifle you need a -6 SA rod with the relief cut as it is considered dangerous to shoot unmodified operating rods as they will fail at SOME point in time- you can't know when.

    Your rear sight should be the TYPE III with the long pinion 8-36NF thread. Your barrel should be dated no more than three month ahead of the production date of the reciver- one month is far more likely for a high volume production month like your rifle. Pull the gas cylinder and see if the gas port has a chromed square area around it. This is not correct for WWII barrels and would have been done during the rifle's rebuild. Quite frankly only a SERIOUS M1 Garand collector (I won't mention any names) is going to know that your barrel is nine months late. Most people will see the WWII date and assume it is correct. WWII Garand barrels in shootable condition are expensive and I would just leave your barrel right where it is. Purchase the lock bar rear sight and a correct operating rod and you should be good to go sine you already have the two hardest and most expensive items to locate: A good WWII barrel and a correctly marked WWII stock. Welcome to the world of M1 Rifle collecting, there is always room for another convert! I've been at it for over 20 years and I am still learning things about these rifles. The Duff book is excellent but it is a very technical study of the rilfes part by part and most people new to the Garand Rifle find it a dull read. The Bruce Canfield book which combines the Garand with the M1 Carbine is less technical and easier to digest.

    Mark T. Christian
  • M1AlotM1Alot Member Posts: 10 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks Mark..

    I will definetely hunt around for the op-rod with relief cut and the lock bar rear sight. No chromed square area around the gas cylinder so I guess that's OK. I will also go for the Canfield book. By the time I get the book and read it I should get around to doing a detailed strip to determine the status of other parts.

    Thanks again for all the input, I've learned alot in just the past few days..

    Peter
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