I've going to get an M1 but have run into a conundrum. Should i get a brand new SA one or should i get a used one from the CMP.
New SA:
completely new/unused
more expensive
can use non miltitary surplus ammo
get to select the exact one i want
get to have it now
CMP:
dont know exactly what I'm getting
dont get to hand pick
cheaper
can be a long wait
in used condition (can be sketchy?)
I love history, but dont NEED to have one that was used in wwii. Just owning one would fullfill my warm and fuzzy about the gun. I want a reliable shooter that wont be an issue to obtain ammo for. I want a beautiful looking and functioning gun and am not sure what to do. What do you guys think. thanks in advance.
not a silly question -- I have a garand from CMP and I am building an M1D and there is no difference that I have seen in either of them chambering new commercial ammunition and old mil surplus.
You will have trouble finding a new one, Springfield is not making them any more, they ran out of the old parts made decades ago and will not retool anytime soon.(at least thats what the told me last fall) as for ammo use between 150 and 180 gr. and it should work fine. M-1's are not set up for lighter or heavier bullets( at least thats what my little M-1 book says) My M-1 shoots 165 gr. handloads just dandy. I did find a left over 308 NEW M-1 for a little over a grand may sell something to buy it.
Go with the CMP. Shaun's statement about the $895 rebuild is very cogent; a new Springfiled Incorporated (commercial) rifle, if available, is well over a grand. Don't forget that SA, Inc. is no longer making these; I'd think the warranty a bit... um... iffy.
The ammo question is a bit trickier. Yes, some commercial/civilian loadings work fine, others don't. At this time, however, there seems to be lots of surplus .30-'06 available. CMP sells that, as well; there are commercial surplus outfits, too.
I got one of the new SA Garands and i love it. Only paid $850 for mine. It was hard to push the en-bloc clip in at first but now is no problem. I have shot commercial and the Greek surplus through it and it is awesome. But like everyone else said if you can't get it for that price go for the CMP, you can't go wrong with them.
A new SA M1 will have no different ammunition requirements than a 60+ year old GI gun. Download SA's M1 manual and give it a read.
You are not restricted to milsurp ammunition. Handloads work. Commercial match ammo can be suitable.
CMP has an enormous supply of suitable ammunition available.
Bullet weight is not an issue. You can break a Garand op rod with commercial 150 grain hunting ammo. Seen it done. Not the end of the world. Just the end of a $100 bill.
Also consider resale. WWII weapon continue to climb in value. How will that Springfied compare? Over the last five years, CMP Garand prices went up several times. Springfield's did not.
I was just at CMP South last month and many of them are on the shelves. Here is a picture taken of them on the shelves just before I was there by the way they have two unissued still in the original paper for 25K a set
definately CMP and to be honest on the ammo issue I've had no problems. I've shot 165 grain hunting ammo through mine with out any issues and my garand is a may of 42. seems to me that mine likes federal.
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AFAIK, the bullet weight, as long as it's under 180 grains, isn't the issue. Nor, for that matter, is the propellant charge (and thus velocity) with handloads, the issue.
The issue is "port pressure," which is determined by the type of powder; the original was IMR (Improved Military Rifle) 4895, although IMR 4064 will serve. Other powders may -- may, mind you -- lead to faulty functioning or damage to the operating rod and ultimately the receiver from an improperly "timed" propellant.
To be sure, I've shot odd-ball .30-.06 stuff in my M1's, and had to no problems... yet. That should no longer be a problem, as I've purchased a wollocking big batch of surplus M2 ball.
Yep you can shoot commercial ammo. You may shoot thousands of rds or one rd before you have any issues. You can bend Op Rods or worse crack the reciever. Its not the bullet weight but the rate of burn of the powder that is the factor. If you don't care about your own well being atleast think about the person standing beside you at the range that you are putting in danger. Besides surplus is much cheaper than commercial anyday.
Go with CMP garands, and yes you can handpick one if you live close to one of the stores. If not close enough and you want a like new garand go with a correct garde. Here are two correct grades that I got from CMP
A Springfield and a HRA Slideshow of Medium Show - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
You won't blow up a Garand with any in-spec .30-06 ammunition. The worst that will happen is a damaged op-rod. This is annoying, and costly, but not dangerous.
Thats the thing alsmost all commercial ammo is not military spec. I never said it would "blow up" the Garand. What can happen is the excessive pressure can bring the op rod abd bolt back with to much force reulting in a bent op rod or worse a cracked receiver.
This is a post made by a man who was a former USMC Armorer ,He knows more about Garands than all of us put together
Gus Fisher's responce...
Hunting ammo not only can cause damage to the op rod, but more importantly it will cause damage to the heel of the receiver where the bolt is going to smack it too hard and that will deform, then crack, then bust chunks off the receiver. Sometimes it goes straight to busting off chunks of the receiver before it does anything else. This all because powders are being used that are not in the correct pressure range for the rifle.
OK, so what do you do if you want to HUNT with a Garand? You HAVE to handload. You use bullets in the 110 to 175 grain area (no matter the style of bullet) and use the powder and amount of powder that is equivalent for the military loadings with those bullets in each weight. For deer, many guys use the 150 to 165 grain soft point or hollow point bullets, BUT of course, load it with the powder and in the amount of the pressure curve for the Garand.
If you do it this way, you don't need adjustable gas plugs. Or, if you do use hunting ammo in the Garand with the adjustable gas plug, you start with the largest hole insert and if that still allows the rifle to function, you STOP with that one. If it doesn't allow the rifle to function, go to the second largest size. However, be aware that if you get the really hot zinger ammo, even with the largest hole, you are probably still battering the heel of the receiver too hard and are setting the receiver up for failure.
So there are the facts, you can beleive it or play roulett its your safety and others around you
by the way they have two unissued still in the original paper for 25K a set
