M1 Garand - I think I overpaid.

[kerplode]

That's a beautiful rifle...Enjoy it!

There's just something about these old wood and steel, made by hand by craftsmen, rifles. They have a soul that modern CNC plastic stuff will never match.

[sundance435]

I have three from the CMP, my favorite was handpicked at Camp Perry after a 12 hr drive from Illinois when visiting some family. Drove all day, stopped at Camp Perry, drooled over the racks, chatted with the CMP staff, picked out a couple of Garands (me and SIL), got back in the car and drove 12 hrs back to his house. Long ass day but we were ecstatic to have our hand picked M1s. One I have set up with a scout scope for sighting in handload tests. The scruffiest one I use for plinking, and the best one I save for CMP matches and longer range informal shooting. The Garand is an amazing rifle design and execution, pure genius. And yes, my scruffy M1 has a bayonet.

Has anyone done this recently? Is it still possible? I've always considered it - it'd be an 8 hour drive or so for me.

[NWPilgrim]

Has anyone done this recently? Is it still possible? I've always considered it - it'd be an 8 hour drive or so for me.

I drove there in about 2012. Just call them up and ask if they have a selection of the grade you are interested in (Service was my choice) on the racks. You have to have sent in your qualification papers first and received your notice authorizing a purchase. Then just drive there to arrive during operating hours. I would allow at least two hours on site to look around and purchase (you select, then they have to verify ID/authorization and do final inspect and package it).

If you can't get there in person then I would spring for a Special grade which are absolutely beautiful, but with new wood lack some of the character of the Service or Rack grades. I was fortunate to find a Service grade with excellent metal, throat, muzzle and decent wood. I later on bought a new CMP stock for it and put the original stock on my second Garand which was a rack grade (good throat but ratty wood).

[dmd08]

I got a CMP special a couple years ago. Shot it on steel out to 300 today. It brings great joy to me to shoot it. More so than any other rifle I own. Everyone that shoots it feels the same.

[NWPilgrim]

I got a CMP special a couple years ago. Shot it on steel out to 300 today. It brings great joy to me to shoot it. More so than any other rifle I own. Everyone that shoots it feels the same.

The Garand really deserves reactive targets. While they can be pretty accurate on paper, it is the terminal performance that is impressive compared to an accurate AR. I might have to do some comparative shooting of targets behind 6x6 posts or railroad ties...

[HackerF15E]

If it's all original, with matching serial numbers

There is only one place on a Garand that has a serial number, so there's no second one to "match" it with.

Unless he took it out of the wrapping, it is also highly unlikely that it is "all original". Closest he could hope for is a CMP Correct grade, in which the manufacturers and drawing numbers and heat lots of the parts, and the date of the barrel, all are correct for the timeframe the receiver was made. Many of the CMP Corrects and Collectors probably have the same parts that they left the manufacturer with, but there's no way to ever verify that.

Certainly an issued GI rifle won't have anything close to those original parts, for a wide variety of reasons.

[Devious6]

Has anyone done this recently? Is it still possible? I've always considered it - it'd be an 8 hour drive or so for me.

I was at the North Store last October. The pickings are getting pretty small across the board. There were less than 50 Garands in total and the majority of those were M1Cs and Ds. Until CMP receives the new shipments of returns from Philippines and Korea (assuming the Korea return is going to happen) and they get them processed and into the stores I'd not recommend a long drive to select a Garand.

[Krazykarl]

I was at the North Store last October. The pickings are getting pretty small across the board. There were less than 50 Garands in total and the majority of those were M1Cs and Ds. Until CMP receives the new shipments of returns from Philippines and Korea (assuming the Korea return is going to happen) and they get them processed and into the stores I'd not recommend a long drive to select a Garand.

From what I have gathered from the CMP forums, the above is painfully true of the North store. The South store on the other hand does sound like a worth while drive.

[NWPilgrim]

I was at the North Store last October. The pickings are getting pretty small across the board. There were less than 50 Garands in total and the majority of those were M1Cs and Ds. Until CMP receives the new shipments of returns from Philippines and Korea (assuming the Korea return is going to happen) and they get them processed and into the stores I'd not recommend a long drive to select a Garand.

That is a sad thing indeed then. If the supply is drying up I would get the nicest grade you can afford as soon as you can. A road trip for one is a blast, but not worth it if it delays your purchase by much. You can always buy them on the open market like Euro did, but in most cases you will pay at least $200 more for the same grade and without the assurance it has recently been inspected and repaired as needed by the CMP armorers. If you are patient you can find good deals though. I bought two M1 Carbines on the market and they are in very good condition and I paid $700 for each a few years ago (both are Inland, 1944 and 1945 I think). Gun shops seem to charge the highest premium for any Garand.

[RazorBurn]

Congrats on the Garand, and a damn good deal on it too! The Garand is hands down my favorite firearm. I like shooting mine at my 10 inch AR550 steel plate at 150 yards. There's nothing like observing the impact of M2 ball on a steel target. My first was a CMP service grade I ordered in 2010 (still have it). Now I'm up to six of them. Garanditis - the threat is real!