Huge friggin Dilemma

BattleRifleG3 · 06-17-2005, 10:48 AM

I have a Springfield M1 Garand. Wonderful rifle. Beautiful rifle. But a few issues.

1. Can't hunt with semi-autos in Pennsylvania (not that I don't have hunting legal guns galore)
2. It's sensitive to ammunition and can basically only use military ammo with not so heavy bullets (not a terrible thing, but gotta be careful what I put in it.)
3. If corrosive ammo is used, the whole gas system would have to be cleaned. Not to mention cleaning is a bear, far harder than my AKs.
4. I could definitely use some money.

So I'm debating a course of action that would hopefully honor the M1 and the men that carried it should I need to part with it. Thinking of trading down for a 1917 Enfield + cash. Not really a Springfield guy myself, course I'd need to check out a few more 1917s and find a good deal before deciding it's for me. But this way I'd keep a venerable US rifle, keep the great 30-06 caliber, still have a peep sited gun (something I like), and have it be hunting legal. I could use all the hunting ammo out there and if I used corrosive stuff, it would be far easier to clean thoroughly than the M1.

I have a world of respect for the M1 rifle and those who carried it. At gun shows, there are plenty of folks who buy and sell military arms, with M1s and 1917s on the same rack. Surely it could find good hands and a suitable replacement.

No, I'm far from being sure I even want to do it in the first place. But money is good, and so is being able to hunt, use the full range of ammo, and know that you're treating a great rifle right without too many complicated things.

lefty o · 06-17-2005, 11:14 AM

that is a dilemma. its too bad your state does not allow hunting with a semi. hunting with an M1 is cool, my M1 has killed deer. the one disadvantage the M1 has as a hunting tool is the sights, scoped rifles can shoot 10-20 minutes earlier in the day due to available light. i could not shoot at the biggest buck ive ever seen, because i could not see the front sight on my M1 yet it was bright enough out that i could see the deer perfectly. for hunting with an M1 there are plenty of bullets available to handload in a suitable weight range for the garand.a 150gr bullet will cleanly kill anything you are likely to hunt in the lower 48.

Dale · 06-17-2005, 12:32 PM

Problem solved...I pay for the shipping and you let me adopt the gun, LOL, he he he he he.

PAPA G · 06-17-2005, 12:54 PM

fer chrissakes, keep the M1, you admit having other rifles more suitible. never ever sell/trade any gun. you buy, never sell Dana will back me up on that.

M1 is not a bear to strip down. get a FM for it, learn it, then taking down will become second nature.

you want to go hunting get a Rem700.

Big Dog · 06-17-2005, 01:05 PM

Yep, weren't all GI's back in the day able to strip the M1 blindfolded in one minute or less? Gyrene, Dana - back me up here. Just have to get the procedure down.
No hunting is no reason to lose the M1! It's a great collector piece, and you can reload for it. With your skills in tinkering, you should take to reloading like that poor ol' duck to water! My buddy reloads for his Garand - no problems!

When money is better, then get the M1917 Enfield or M1903 Springfield to AUGMENT the Garand, not replace it. :nod:

TULAver · 06-17-2005, 11:45 PM

Forget getting rid of it, what you need to do is find a way to adapt it to feed from BAR mags

From what I've seen BRG3, you have some neat guns. I'd be willing to bet that none of them are a match for a Garand though. You need money, start doing meal replacements with Ramen. Add some soy and a little Thai Sriracha, and you got an energizing, tasty, 25 cent meal. You'd be amazed how much money you can save if you can stand it for a while.

Sacrifice for the Garand boy, it did it's part for you. Sort of like the old folks. They do their best to look after you for years, so when it's your turn, what do you do? Take care of the ornery old farts cause you love em, or ship em off cause it's convenient?

whirlwind · 06-18-2005, 12:11 AM

ya know ive heard that before about not being able to shoot heavier bullets from a garand,but i shoot 200gr bullets from mine...always have and never once had a misfire or malfunction of any kind with it. and i bet ive shot 10,000 rounds from it too. maybe i just got lucky? and garands are great hunting,ive killed more than a few with mine. never really needed an auto while hunting,but they are more fun :full:

Stock Doc · 06-19-2005, 09:41 AM

You can make the Garand a bolt action by relieving the gas pressure. This way you have to manually pull the bolt back. You can buy Enblocs that only hold singles or up to 5 rounds. Get a adjustable gas plug to shoot singles, sorry I cant remember who has them.
Always remember where there's a will theirs a way and shooting higher pressure rounds is a NO NO . You may get away with it for a long time but when it blows its to late. Remember folks high rev there cars in races and talk about how trouble free there cars are until the day a rod blows out the side.

Here's my little sick monster from the beginning to end. You have to go to the end to see the car as it is not the Riviera in the beginning. http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/049118.html Rick B

BattleRifleG3 · 06-19-2005, 01:03 PM

I think a semi-turned manually operated is generally not accepted in PA, besides I think I'd go for a standard bolt action instead of working against an action spring. In the meantime, the M1 ain't going anywhere. I'm actually leaning towards another gun to part with were it necessary, and it's a 223.

whirlwind · 06-19-2005, 11:28 PM

well brg3,over time garands are going to do nothing but get more valuable so look at keeping it as an investment.

BattleRifleG3 · 06-19-2005, 11:31 PM

Sounds like a good idea. I'm looking into other ways to bring in $$$ through gun related sales, but in this case it would be producing, not divesting

toolman · 06-20-2005, 01:05 AM

I know there are a lot of folks here that are down on Wal-Mart and to some extent, so am I, but they do carry an American made hunting rifle under the Mossberg banner for less than $250.00. BTW, what happened to the SAUM?

TULAver · 06-21-2005, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BattleRifleG3

In the meantime, the M1 ain't going anywhere. I'm actually leaning towards another gun to part with were it necessary, and it's a 223.

Score one for the .30 caliber rifles!

georgeld · 07-04-2005, 05:45 PM

You can't go wrong with working over a 17 Enfield for hunting. I've got three now and want to pick up a few more.

One's a .300 WinM and will put them all on a typing page at 300yds for me and my eye's are not so good the last few years. IT's killed 14 elk, and over 50 muley's, boxcar full of prairie dogs with 110grs.

Next one I rebuild will be a .35 RAUM, as Bryce Towsley has written about building one that shoots 250gr bullets at over 3000fps in a 24" barrel and I wouldn't have one less than 26". He's written me that I'd not have any problem getting over 3000, possibly even 3100fps IF I can stand the recoil.

Thing about the 17s you need to watch. Some of them may crack if the barrel isn't taken off real easy like. I don't know the details, that's what my gunsmith has claimed and many others have said so.

Hit me up direct at georgeld@hotmail and I'll be happy to share pictures of my 300.

Long barrel, balanced under magazine, nothing less than 9# and a good pad, stock to fit the shooter and the guns shouldn't recoil enough to hurt anyone.

Here's a tip I've learned: "IF your gun hit's you in the face, it's almost sure to be muzzle heavy." Just by weighting the stock til the balance point is under the magazine area should cure that face kicking problem. Try it and see.

George

akDom · 07-04-2005, 09:36 PM

I'm not into hunting but what is the thinking behind no semi autos for hunting? Sounds like some kind of gun control bull s___. Call up your represenatives and yell at them. Or move out west, but stop before you get to California.

Full MeTal Jack · 07-04-2005, 10:15 PM

Gentlemen;
No one mentioned John C. Garand Shooting Matches.
Camp Perry Ohio is just around the corner. Someone in Pennsylvania knows where a JCG match is.

BattleRifleG3 · 07-05-2005, 12:23 AM

No semis for hunting is probably a reaction to
a.) Poaching an entire group at once
b.) stray shots when fired rapidly at a running animal
c.) an arbitrary way to limit kills (as part of herd management)

PA is VERY friendly to private ownership as an unorganized constitutional militia. My main reason to disagree with the prohibition of semis for hunting is that it rules out many good rifles and gives preference to some manufacturers over others. For example, Remington 7600s are EVERYWHERE. Remington LOVES PA and even makes special runs of the 7600 for a certain PA distributor. The advantage of an autoloader isn't in the volume of rounds it can crank out in a given time, but that you have only recoil throwing you off target, not the reloading process. Thus follow up shots can be better placed.

That said, I'm sure most folks would still hunt with their 30-30s if semi-autos were legal for PA hunting.

Spectre7 · 07-05-2005, 03:24 AM

Here in Illinois,you can use a semi-auto rifle as long as your magazine capacity is restricted to five rounds.They do have restrictions against using military type weapons ie:AK variants,AR variants.Although you can use a SKS as long as you remove the bayonet.Guess they don't want you running a deer through after you shoot him.

06-17-2005, 10:48 AM	#1
BattleRifleG3 Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Western PA Posts: 11,401 Images: 13	Huge friggin Dilemma I have a Springfield M1 Garand. Wonderful rifle. Beautiful rifle. But a few issues. 1. Can't hunt with semi-autos in Pennsylvania (not that I don't have hunting legal guns galore) 2. It's sensitive to ammunition and can basically only use military ammo with not so heavy bullets (not a terrible thing, but gotta be careful what I put in it.) 3. If corrosive ammo is used, the whole gas system would have to be cleaned. Not to mention cleaning is a bear, far harder than my AKs. 4. I could definitely use some money. So I'm debating a course of action that would hopefully honor the M1 and the men that carried it should I need to part with it. Thinking of trading down for a 1917 Enfield + cash. Not really a Springfield guy myself, course I'd need to check out a few more 1917s and find a good deal before deciding it's for me. But this way I'd keep a venerable US rifle, keep the great 30-06 caliber, still have a peep sited gun (something I like), and have it be hunting legal. I could use all the hunting ammo out there and if I used corrosive stuff, it would be far easier to clean thoroughly than the M1. I have a world of respect for the M1 rifle and those who carried it. At gun shows, there are plenty of folks who buy and sell military arms, with M1s and 1917s on the same rack. Surely it could find good hands and a suitable replacement. No, I'm far from being sure I even want to do it in the first place. But money is good, and so is being able to hunt, use the full range of ammo, and know that you're treating a great rifle right without too many complicated things. __________________ Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf

06-17-2005, 12:32 PM	#3
Dale Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Too Dang Hot, Arizona Posts: 4,284	Problem solved...I pay for the shipping and you let me adopt the gun, LOL, he he he he he. __________________ "It confuses me how some people can vigorously go against the 2nd. Amendment and still call themselves patriotic"-me

06-17-2005, 01:05 PM	#5
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,219	Yep, weren't all GI's back in the day able to strip the M1 blindfolded in one minute or less? Gyrene, Dana - back me up here. Just have to get the procedure down. No hunting is no reason to lose the M1! It's a great collector piece, and you can reload for it. With your skills in tinkering, you should take to reloading like that poor ol' duck to water! My buddy reloads for his Garand - no problems! When money is better, then get the M1917 Enfield or M1903 Springfield to AUGMENT the Garand, not replace it. :nod: __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

06-17-2005, 11:45 PM	#6
TULAver Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 372	Forget getting rid of it, what you need to do is find a way to adapt it to feed from BAR mags From what I've seen BRG3, you have some neat guns. I'd be willing to bet that none of them are a match for a Garand though. You need money, start doing meal replacements with Ramen. Add some soy and a little Thai Sriracha, and you got an energizing, tasty, 25 cent meal. You'd be amazed how much money you can save if you can stand it for a while. Sacrifice for the Garand boy, it did it's part for you. Sort of like the old folks. They do their best to look after you for years, so when it's your turn, what do you do? Take care of the ornery old farts cause you love em, or ship em off cause it's convenient? __________________ It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that any people you meet from time to time are merely the product of a deranged imagination.

06-18-2005, 12:11 AM	#7
whirlwind Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: oklahoma Posts: 3,739 Images: 1	ya know ive heard that before about not being able to shoot heavier bullets from a garand,but i shoot 200gr bullets from mine...always have and never once had a misfire or malfunction of any kind with it. and i bet ive shot 10,000 rounds from it too. maybe i just got lucky? and garands are great hunting,ive killed more than a few with mine. never really needed an auto while hunting,but they are more fun :full: __________________ De oppresso liber !

06-17-2005, 11:14 AM	#2
lefty o Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: mn Posts: 4,807	that is a dilemma. its too bad your state does not allow hunting with a semi. hunting with an M1 is cool, my M1 has killed deer. the one disadvantage the M1 has as a hunting tool is the sights, scoped rifles can shoot 10-20 minutes earlier in the day due to available light. i could not shoot at the biggest buck ive ever seen, because i could not see the front sight on my M1 yet it was bright enough out that i could see the deer perfectly. for hunting with an M1 there are plenty of bullets available to handload in a suitable weight range for the garand.a 150gr bullet will cleanly kill anything you are likely to hunt in the lower 48.

06-17-2005, 12:54 PM	#4
PAPA G Guest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: somerset, kentucky Posts: 12	fer chrissakes, keep the M1, you admit having other rifles more suitible. never ever sell/trade any gun. you buy, never sell Dana will back me up on that. M1 is not a bear to strip down. get a FM for it, learn it, then taking down will become second nature. you want to go hunting get a Rem700.

06-19-2005, 09:41 AM	#8
Stock Doc Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: North Middle Ohio I see water Posts: 838	You can make the Garand a bolt action by relieving the gas pressure. This way you have to manually pull the bolt back. You can buy Enblocs that only hold singles or up to 5 rounds. Get a adjustable gas plug to shoot singles, sorry I cant remember who has them. Always remember where there's a will theirs a way and shooting higher pressure rounds is a NO NO . You may get away with it for a long time but when it blows its to late. Remember folks high rev there cars in races and talk about how trouble free there cars are until the day a rod blows out the side. Here's my little sick monster from the beginning to end. You have to go to the end to see the car as it is not the Riviera in the beginning. http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/049118.html Rick B __________________ If I cant fix it,, It must REALLY be broken!

06-19-2005, 01:03 PM	#9
BattleRifleG3 Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Western PA Posts: 11,401 Images: 13	I think a semi-turned manually operated is generally not accepted in PA, besides I think I'd go for a standard bolt action instead of working against an action spring. In the meantime, the M1 ain't going anywhere. I'm actually leaning towards another gun to part with were it necessary, and it's a 223. __________________ Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf

06-19-2005, 11:28 PM	#10
whirlwind Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: oklahoma Posts: 3,739 Images: 1	well brg3,over time garands are going to do nothing but get more valuable so look at keeping it as an investment. __________________ De oppresso liber !

06-19-2005, 11:31 PM	#11
BattleRifleG3 Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Western PA Posts: 11,401 Images: 13	Sounds like a good idea. I'm looking into other ways to bring in $$$ through gun related sales, but in this case it would be producing, not divesting __________________ Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf

06-20-2005, 01:05 AM	#12
toolman Mr. Fixit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 5,582 Blog Entries: 22	I know there are a lot of folks here that are down on Wal-Mart and to some extent, so am I, but they do carry an American made hunting rifle under the Mossberg banner for less than $250.00. BTW, what happened to the SAUM? __________________ Don't be messin' with my gun!

07-04-2005, 05:45 PM	#14
georgeld Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 22	You can't go wrong with working over a 17 Enfield for hunting. I've got three now and want to pick up a few more. One's a .300 WinM and will put them all on a typing page at 300yds for me and my eye's are not so good the last few years. IT's killed 14 elk, and over 50 muley's, boxcar full of prairie dogs with 110grs. Next one I rebuild will be a .35 RAUM, as Bryce Towsley has written about building one that shoots 250gr bullets at over 3000fps in a 24" barrel and I wouldn't have one less than 26". He's written me that I'd not have any problem getting over 3000, possibly even 3100fps IF I can stand the recoil. Thing about the 17s you need to watch. Some of them may crack if the barrel isn't taken off real easy like. I don't know the details, that's what my gunsmith has claimed and many others have said so. Hit me up direct at georgeld@hotmail and I'll be happy to share pictures of my 300. Long barrel, balanced under magazine, nothing less than 9# and a good pad, stock to fit the shooter and the guns shouldn't recoil enough to hurt anyone. Here's a tip I've learned: "IF your gun hit's you in the face, it's almost sure to be muzzle heavy." Just by weighting the stock til the balance point is under the magazine area should cure that face kicking problem. Try it and see. George

07-04-2005, 09:36 PM	#15
akDom Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: vegas Posts: 108	I'm not into hunting but what is the thinking behind no semi autos for hunting? Sounds like some kind of gun control bull s___. Call up your represenatives and yell at them. Or move out west, but stop before you get to California.

07-04-2005, 10:15 PM	#16
Full MeTal Jack Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Southeast Texas Posts: 1,427 Images: 1	Gentlemen; No one mentioned John C. Garand Shooting Matches. Camp Perry Ohio is just around the corner. Someone in Pennsylvania knows where a JCG match is. __________________ [IMG]http://img287.echo.cx/img287/63/9130110x100a4vb.jpg

07-05-2005, 12:23 AM	#17
BattleRifleG3 Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Western PA Posts: 11,401 Images: 13	No semis for hunting is probably a reaction to a.) Poaching an entire group at once b.) stray shots when fired rapidly at a running animal c.) an arbitrary way to limit kills (as part of herd management) PA is VERY friendly to private ownership as an unorganized constitutional militia. My main reason to disagree with the prohibition of semis for hunting is that it rules out many good rifles and gives preference to some manufacturers over others. For example, Remington 7600s are EVERYWHERE. Remington LOVES PA and even makes special runs of the 7600 for a certain PA distributor. The advantage of an autoloader isn't in the volume of rounds it can crank out in a given time, but that you have only recoil throwing you off target, not the reloading process. Thus follow up shots can be better placed. That said, I'm sure most folks would still hunt with their 30-30s if semi-autos were legal for PA hunting. __________________ Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf

07-05-2005, 03:24 AM	#18
Spectre7 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4	Here in Illinois,you can use a semi-auto rifle as long as your magazine capacity is restricted to five rounds.They do have restrictions against using military type weapons ie:AK variants,AR variants.Although you can use a SKS as long as you remove the bayonet.Guess they don't want you running a deer through after you shoot him.