Who else collects the M1 Garand?

[Levallois]

I know there is a separate "Guns" thread but I think the Garand may deserve it's own thread? What motivated this is that I just acquired my third Garand at a gunshow yesterday. I'm addicted, I admit it. How many others are like me in the FL family?

In cleaning it up this morning, I realized that the Garand calls to me like no other rifle. And I've owned all sorts of rifles; semi-auto, pump, bolt-action, single shot, etc. I like the M1903 and the M1917 and who could not be smitten by the M1 carbine? I appreciate the AR15 and the AK but IMHO they are souless. None feel as good as the Garand when I shoot it. I don't have any history with this rifle since I never used the Garand in anger or in training. My dad, uncle, father-in-law, and uncle-in-law all did in WWII, both in Europe and the Pacific. and another uncle in Korea. However, I grew up on WWII movies, "Combat!" on TV, GI Joe, etc. I was entralled by "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" on HBO. Maybe it is nostalgia? But it's more because the Garand is a joy for me to use at the range. If it was a pain to shoot or uncomfortable then I wouldn't have three and counting. What a wonderous piece of machinery it was (and still is); a reliable, accurate, semi-auto military rifle! It probably was like holding a space gun for the GIs that grew up in the 1930s using bolt-action or single shot rifles. Anyway, there are three of these in the safe and I can't say there won't will be more down the line. Anybody else feel this way or am I just weird?

Thanks for reading this far - back to cleaning.

John

The newest - '45 Springfield with '57 VAR barrel and SA and BMB parts - a so-called Danish Garand:

 

[warbird]

I have one I am going to sell. I have several others in various models and am a big fan of the M14. It is a US Springfield made in 1943. Has National Match sights and accompanying NM lever. I have no proof however that it is an NM. I rather doubt it is, in fact am pretty much sure it isn't. The wood is in great shape and as far as I can tell is original or at least period wood. Has tool and grease in the buttstock and I have a bunch of clips for it.

Unfortunately for me my shoulders are just too beat up to shoot the dang thing anymore. It is a great shooter. But, I save my shoulders for the clays course and hunting. As you know, though I have hunted with the Garand, it is not a great hunting gun. OK it is not a great hunting gun for those of us not wanting to carry something of that heft.

So I do like the Garands and I do have one, but not for long because I am going to sell mine.

 

[Harp]

... the Garand calls to me like no other rifle. I appreciate the AR15 and the AK but IMHO they are souless. What a wonderous piece of machinery it was (and still is); a reliable, accurate, semi-auto military rifle!

The M1 Garand is the finest rifle in the world.
As a primary weapon it is second to none and I would carry it anywhere.
I did a tour as an advisor with the Greek Army in Macedonia, and the M1 was
the standard issue rifle of that organization; along with the Browning Automatic Rifle,
which the Greeks used as a crew-served squad weapon.
Garand's design and his rifle have stood the test of time.
And a nod to Browning.

And, in all fairness, that ba***rd Kalishnikov deserves honorable mention.
The AK47 is an exceptional rifle that can be carried with confidence.
A magnificent weapon---bereft of preternatural quality.
Lucifer himself carries the AK47. [angel]

 

[rmrdaddy]

Went on a tear a bunch of years back with the CMP and rec'd 4 Garands from them total over a period of time. They were woodless Danes that I de-cosmolined and sorted out, it was a lot of fun. Two have new CMP stocksets that I finished by hand with BLO, the other two have some vintage stocks that I acquired and re-finished. I'll have to get some pics up for you fellas

 

[bil_maxx]

My father was with Italian mountain special forces in the early 1960s and the Garand was their workhorse. Up on the top of the Alps in 30 below celsius weather the thing NEVER malfunctioned. Ever. He slugged it through all kinds of nasty weather: mud, rain, slush, you name it. He figures his weapon was upwards of 25 years old when he got it and it still worked perfectly.

My father had access to all kinds of great weapons at the time: his sidearm was a Beretta 9mm good for about 15 yards. Excellent weapon and very reliable. His platoon heavy gun was a Browning machine gun with a replaceable barrel for when it heated up. This monster was good for up to 1000 yards and looked like a laser at night as the shots heated up. Actually the only weapon he did not like was a Mauser submachine gun. He found it unwieldy and inaccurate. Plus, the magazine emptied very quickly on full automatic. You have to understand that my dad was a sharpshooter with the Garand and he made every shot count so spray shooting was not his thing.

He has spoken so fondly of the rifle that I have wanted for years to buy one for him so he could see it again. However, here in Canada, we have very strict gun control so there is no way to get one. No problem, we have lots of his army memories to reminisce about.

 

[jeep44]

You can't just collect Garands-you have to accessorize!lol

 

[Stearmen]

Canook To the Rescue

Interesting that the man who gave America the greatest rifle of WWII John Cantius Garand, was a French Canadian! He was 100% eccentric, he made his own ice rink in the front living room of his house. You can take the Canook out of Canada, but you cant take the Canada out of the Canook! but whose to argue, it worked Damn good!

 

[Edward]

I don't collect guns nor have a huge amount of experience with them, gun laws and culture being very different in the UK (let's not get into that one again, though). What does interest me as an outsider is the fact that, for want of a better way of putting it, there doesn't seem to be any great leap of innovation in gun design in the more recent decades - so many of the very popular designs are identical or at least very closely related to those of the early-mid Twentieth century. Is it simply the case that there are only so many ways to improve a gun (like the round wheel, or the smoking pipe), are gun buyers (much like electric guitar players) simply so conservative in their tastes that there isn't much change as it simply won't sell, or is there some other reason for this? Or am I completely wrong, and basing this impression off a skewed Hollywood depiction?

 

[Levallois]

I'm not sure what you mean ,Edward. I see alot of change over the last 20 years. Of course, we still don't have ray-guns but materials used in design are sure different. Maybe the innovation (or tragedy) in design has been more in moving away from wood and steel to polymers and plastic? There's nothing conservative about a "tuperware gun." For me, I can appreciate the technology of a Glock but I'd rather have and use an old Browning Hi-Power. I've traded/sold nearly all my modern stuff and bought mostly 1950s and pre-WWII firearms. I love the history of it all. The new stuff leaves me cold.

In addition, I believe there has been great leaps forward in bullet design and propellents but I'm no expert. Maybe someone else can chime in?

John

 

[rmrdaddy]

I think I may grok what Edward is asking. In a way Edward, you are right. Overall, the chemical based reaction that unleashes gasses that force a metallic projectile at an object/enemy at great speed are the same as they have been. The conditions under which that chemical reaction take place require certain conditions be met in order for that projectile to fire off at your desired object/enemy, or catastrophic results could ensue. Some of the polymer based firearms that John referenced have a bad reputation (perhaps undeserved, but that's a whole different, tangental discussion) for what are called "kabooms", or catastrophic failures where the operator of the weapon can be badly injured or killed.
I feel that the invention of troop based weapons definitely had it's heyday around the turn of the 20th century, with some refinements being made along the way, as evidenced by John Moses Brownings' many devices, and the Garand as a case in point. Essentially, I posit that "the wheel", pertaining to firearms was invented long ago, with subsequent advances in warfare being focused on other weapon technology, especially ones that caused larger amounts of damage and fatalities, especially en masse. One man pulling a trigger, releasing one projectile, and eliminating a single opponent is the long way around to be sure.

That being said, my mind has conjured up thoughts of Einstein's famous quote "I don't know how World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones"

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

I don't collect M1's but wish I could afford to have even one. The M1 Garand is the coolest rifle ever (closely followed by the m-14 and 1903 Springfield) and the m1911a1 is the coolest pistol ever.

 

[Tango Yankee]

I don't have a lot of experience with a variety of weapons, but the first rifle (or carbine) that I ever fired was an M-1, in circumstances that would never be allowed today.

In the early '70s I was in junior high school, and in the 9th grade a buddy of mine and I spent most of the Easter break (it wasn't called Spring break back then) at school putting together the yearbook for publishing under the guidance of the teacher who had been given the responsibility that year. As a reward for the work we did that week the teacher took the two of us out camping in the desert near Palm Springs. While we were out there we stopped at a makeshift target range and he got out an M-1, showed us how to use it, and we spent some time shooting at various cans and such.

(Can't imagine any of that being allowed to happen these days!)

In the early '80s I volunteered to be on the Base Honors Detail, which provided the final military honors for veterans. I was on the firing party, and our weapon was the M-1, firing blanks of course. We'd get to the cemetary early, and if there was time we'd do a practice run or two.

After I left the team I was told they'd retired the M-1s and switched to M-16s. I always thought that was a shame... something about that traditional wood stock of the M-1 seemed to be a bit more fitting for such honors, at least in my eyes. I was also told that the detail NCO had to become qualified with the .38 revolver and was armed with a loaded one whenever they went out with the M-16s.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Edward]

I think I may grok what Edward is asking. In a way Edward, you are right. Overall, the chemical based reaction that unleashes gasses that force a metallic projectile at an object/enemy at great speed are the same as they have been. The conditions under which that chemical reaction take place require certain conditions be met in order for that projectile to fire off at your desired object/enemy, or catastrophic results could ensue. Some of the polymer based firearms that John referenced have a bad reputation (perhaps undeserved, but that's a whole different, tangental discussion) for what are called "kabooms", or catastrophic failures where the operator of the weapon can be badly injured or killed.
I feel that the invention of troop based weapons definitely had it's heyday around the turn of the 20th century, with some refinements being made along the way, as evidenced by John Moses Brownings' many devices, and the Garand as a case in point. Essentially, I posit that "the wheel", pertaining to firearms was invented long ago, with subsequent advances in warfare being focused on other weapon technology, especially ones that caused larger amounts of damage and fatalities, especially en masse. One man pulling a trigger, releasing one projectile, and eliminating a single opponent is the long way around to be sure.

That being said, my mind has conjured up thoughts of Einstein's famous quote "I don't know how World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones"

Yeah, dear Einie and I share a lot of opinions regarding warfare. lol

That's pretty much what I was getting at. As I said I probably have a skewed impression not coming from a gun culture, never having had a gun in the home etc.... but while I do see guns with plastic bodies and whatnot, it seems old designs such as the 1911 are still very popular, the WW2 era Luger doesn't seem outclassed.... how long has the AK47 been around, and it still seems to be big.... There may well be mechanical advances (for want of a better term) that are being made and which I don't see, but it looks a lot like so many other things, where there is an optimum point in development, and after that it's all incremental, or even change for change's sake. Not that I'm complaining about that... while I don't imagine myself ever being a gun owner, I can certainly appreciate them as mechanical objects and design pieces, and I like the idea that the classic, film noir style are still around. I mean if ever I had to carry a gun, I'd want one the same as Bogart.... lol

 

[Story]

He has spoken so fondly of the rifle that I have wanted for years to buy one for him so he could see it again. However, here in Canada, we have very strict gun control so there is no way to get one. No problem, we have lots of his army memories to reminisce about.

The Garand M-1 is Non-Restricted in Canada and it's 8-round clip is specifically exempted from the five-round magazine restriction.

All you need is money -

NR079 sold Springfield M-1 Garand 30-06 Overall Good $750.00
http://www.marstar.ca/gf-usedguns/n-rifles.shtm

and
http://www.gunauction.ca/auction_details.php?name=M1-Garand--30-06-Danish-Beauty&auction_id=101559

 

[Levallois]

Faux M1D Garand Sniper - 1942 Springfield Receiver with 1951 Springfield barrel and M84 scope

 

[Harp]

I like the idea that the classic, film noir style are still around. I mean if ever I had to carry a gun, I'd want one the same as Bogart.... lol

I'd settle for Ingrid Bergman.

 

[thsiao1]

I purchased a couple garands from the CMP a few years ago and had to rebarrel two of them since they literally would swallow the throat and muzzle erosion gauges. They were all reparkerized and I hand fitted a Wenig stock to one of them. Personally, it's a throw up between the m14 and the m1 garand. I would have to give preference to the garand however since it's near impossible to find a hammer forged m14 receiver that is completely in spec with the exception of Fulton arms and Polytech. In comparison, the majority of garands have USGI receivers that are well within spec, hammer forged and will last a lifetime.

 

[/|\]

I've always wanted a Garand. One day I'll get one. But there are other things to spend money on right now (like, when I drop a few pounds I want to buy an Eastman Irvin jacket), so it will have to wait.

I do have two M1 Carbines, though.

 

[thsiao1]

/l\, if you're ever interested in letting one of those m1 carbine's go, let me know. I'm always in the market for a nice carbine.

 

[/|\]

I'll keep you in mind.

I do need to reduce my collection, but the spare (IBM, round bolt) Carbine is kind of low on the sell list. I keep toying with the idea of getting a paratrooper stock for it.