M1 Carbine

[Computalotapus]

That said, I'm glad I learned shooting a rifle on an AR and not a Garand. Those things are lots of fun...until after about the second or third clip. At least for me.

The Garand does have a little bite on it. But man the ringing of the clip after the last round is fired always brings a smile to my face. My grandfather gave me this rifle to use for deer hunting and that is exactly what I use it for. It was my great grandfather's rifle to begin with.

[RaceBannon42]

The Garand does have a little bite on it. But man the ringing of the clip after the last round is fired always brings a smile to my face. My grandfather gave me this rifle to use for deer hunting and that is exactly what I use it for. It was my great grandfather's rifle to begin with.

LOVE that "PING"
It tends to gather admirers at the range as well. :)

[Thompson]

Well, that's probably the most important point...an AR is what you want!

FYI, Privi has Garand 30-06 for around $.80-ish/round. Not as good as good a price as CMP, but it's also specifically made for Garands, which can't shoot regular production 30-06 without a gas plug swap. Also, 30 Carbine is around $.50/round (last time I looked...I have a bunch stored away, so it's been a while). So yeah, 5.56 is definitely the cheaper way to go for plinking.

Interesting - thanks for sharing that tid bit. Learned something new today!

Who, that has an M1, doesn't love that PING ?

[MonkeyBomb]

I got a GM Inland Division M 1 Carbine when I was 10. It was my first deer rifle. I still have it. I like that little rifle.

[WHSmithIV]

Oh wow - didn't know this. According to their website, they said that M1 carbines are only available via the auction page - so I assumed they they didn't have them anymore. Is it the electronic newsletter that you get?

Yep, I get their electronic newsletter

[WHSmithIV]

I just checked the CMP website. They still have field grade M1 Garands listed at $595 + all the higher grades at higher prices of course.

[Thompson]

I just checked the CMP website. They still have field grade M1 Garands listed at $595 + all the higher grades at higher prices of course.

Yep just checked too - looks like they got another batch done. Last I checked (in the spring I checked) they barely had anything - excellent/collector grade and up.

Curious - if I could, would it be better to go to one of their actual store fronts versus ordering one?

[gatordev]

Curious - if I could, would it be better to go to one of their actual store fronts versus ordering one?

The short answer is: it depends.

Long version...

I wanted to get a Service Grade M1 several years ago and I could have ordered one online, but I thought it would be better to be able to fondle the stock on hand and pick what I wanted. I was fortunate, thanks to Uncle Sam, to have a very easy means of getting to Anniston, so several of us made a visit. When we got there, we found out they didn't have any SG rifles in stock. Bummer. All they had was RG and then the higher end ones (Correct and whatever their rebuilds are called, which are very nice). At the time (probably foolishly) I couldn't justify the price of a CG, so I found the best RG I could and went up to ask old Leon if he could educate me a bit. Since we were in uniform at the time, he wouldn't leave us alone and REALLY took care of us. He found an issue with the one I picked out (muzzle had a bur in it) and yanked it out of my hands and told me to go find another one. It was a fantastic experience and we ended up actually running a bit late because Leon took us under his wing and kept telling us all kinds of good info.

Since then, I've ordered a CG online and what I got was fantastic. But I also spent quite a bit of time on the CMP forums watching the EE and ended up finding a guy in the same city who was sitting on a ton of SG rifles and was only charging $100 more than CMP, which was worth it at the time since I didn't have to deal with importing it into California and the wait time.

My point is, a trip to the CMP store can be a great experience, but there's other ways to fondle something before you buy with some research. Actually, you can find some decent M1 Carbines on the CMP forum, as well. Obviously prices of everything are slowly going up. I have no need for a second M1 Carbine, but part of me wants to grab one now while I can and just put it away for a rainy day. I can shoot the one I have now and not worry about wear and tear.

[Thompson]

Yeah - that's my worry about ordering one vs picking one myself; I have this paranoia that I'll get one that has this only little blem that will drive me nuts for the remaining time I keep that M1.

I've heard great things about the employees at both North and South stores. I'm hoping sometime one of these summers between school, that I'll drive over to North with a friend and go dumpster diving there.

Curious - does the type of wood also dictate it's value? Have always been more of a fan of the birch/walnut colored stock.

Side note: love how this thread went from the Carbine to Garand

[gatordev]

The little blemishes are what give the rifle character!

The one my buddy grabbed had a Greek soldier's initials carved into the stock. It wasn't pretty, but it was a piece of history. I find it's interesting what you can find out there. The Service Grade mix master I bought from the guy I found privately ended up being a WWII receiver (Jun 43, I think) with a Nov 43 barrel on it. Sure the whole thing wasn't correct, but it was pretty cool to find an actual war-era rifle where the barrel and receiver age made sense, and it's in amazing shape.

Ironically, I've found my beat up Rack Grade to be the best shooter, so you never know what you'll get, even after you've bought it.

[Thompson]

Sorry; should have clarified haha - at least for CG/EG, I'd rather not have the blems.

But yeah - for RG/SG - of course!