Back when I lived in ND, I was a LEO for over 10 years. The community I lived in and served had a VETS CLUB, the yougest member was in his early 60's and if I recall he was REMF, meaning he did not know much about weapons ect. Anyway I used to have coffee with some of them. One day I learned that they had M1 Garands that they kept for parades and ect. I asked to see them, I almost wept. They were starting to rust. So I asked if they would let me clean them. They said yes, the guy that used to clean them had died acouple of years ago. They said send us a bill for the supplies and time. I said it was honor to do it for them, and felt privlaged to do it and would not take anything for it.
The rifles 6-8 of them were from various makers HR, SA. They all had been deactivated by, if memmory serves me right by a hole drilled in the gas plug and a small weld on the plug so it could not be removed.
Anyway I enjoyed doing it and often wondered were they had been and what stories went with them; D-Day, jungles, Korea ect.
Many times the guys that are in the ceremonial units are just too old to maintain the weapons. They forget how they may have done it 50+ years ago. I am glad you could help them.
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The nerds will never understand the awesomeness of it.
I did the same thing. However I called CMP and asked for some parts they sent me every thing I needed but gas cyc. and op rods. I took 2 demilled springfield and did a lil CNC work and they are now very fine weapons. I now help out with 3 diffrent organizations and have contacts all over the country to get parts for them. Its a blast I get a life time supply of blank ammo, and get to go out and live fire the guns when I get done working on them!
