A Few Questions From A New Garand Owner

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Achilles11B

New member
Picked this up today:

35je138.jpg


It's a Springfield, serial number 355XXXX, made February-March 1945.

I'm pretty sure I could find answers all over the internet for these questions, but this forum has never steered me wrong in the past, so I figured you guys would be the most helpful.

I know that Hornady and Springfield both make .30-06 specifically for the Garand, are those the only options I have for factory ammo?

Where is a good place to purchase clips?
 
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jrothWA

New member
Did you buy thru the CMP (ODMP)?

Google "CMP" for website and get more answers and possible source for "en-bloc" clips.

Some Greek "HXP" head-stamped ammo, come with the clips loaded.

Do you have a US Cal >30 round available, if so, the gently insert the bullet iinto
the muzzle, and note the distance from the crimp on bullet to muzzle surface,
if 3/16 or greater then little muzzle wear, if sinks to the "crimp" then muzzle in worn, possible rebarrel or counter-bore the muzzle to get to sharp rifling.

Swing open the trigger guard, till about 1/4" above the wood, then try and move the action is the stock, MUST be tight, any movement degrades accuracy. May have to glass-bed, BUT if planning to use for CMP Garand matched, then need new stock.

Gas cylinder need to have lock on tight, for best functioning.

Buy copy of Kuhnhausen Book of the M1 & m14 rifle, best info available.

If you reload, dedicated a sizer die for rifle only, and adjust die to give some perceptible axial movement of stripped bolt, this will give maximum case life.
MIL_SPEC brass best, SAAMI wil have less case life.
try www.jouster.com for better forum on the M1.

Enjoy and appreciate giving a veteran a home.
 
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overland

New member
Is yours a CMP rifle? If you got it from them then you can order ammo from them too. You can get 200 rounds in an metal ammo can loose for $98 which is pretty cheap. You can also order it in the spam cans in clips and bandoleers. Its great to see the look on the Fed Ex guy as he's carrying those wooden crates up to your door clearly marked as military ammo. I have shot a ton of it with no misfires or problems whatsoever.
 
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Ozzieman

New member
You can shoot any ammo in your Grand with one of these.
It allows you to adjust the gas system to lower the pressure and reliably shoot factory commercial or CMP.
Back years ago when I bought my first Grand I was working in a gun store and purchased a truck load of commercial 30-06.
The gun in the past 20 years has had thousands of commercial rounds through it with no problems. But doing so without an adjustable gas plug will damage your grand.
Welcome to the club. Once you own a Grand, you will never be the same.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=777146


PS their called enbloc clips and if you buy from CMP you get them with the ammo.

http://www.thecmp.org/ammosales.htm
 
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kraigwy

New member
Hornady makes some good ammo for the Garand. But compared to reloading its pricey. As mentioned, the CMP sells surplus ammo for the Garand. It's good ammo, in reloadable cases.

Unless you have a stock pile of brass, bullets, powder and primers, you wont beat the price of the CMP ammo.

Brass is about $27 per 50, bullets are about $30 per 100, primers $3.50 hundred, Powder $20 per lb.

(prices vary depending on location).

That's about $1 per round, cut that in half for future loading, which gets you to 5o cents per round.

CMP ammo is about $.50 cents per round.

Of course if you really want target grade ammo, you don't mind spending more go for it, but if you just want to shoot CMP is the way to go.

I know a bit about the Garand and its ammo, I've been shooting them for over 30 years, military ammo and reloads, I've taught sniper schools using the M1C/D. I'm also a CMP GSM Master Instructor. The reason I'm blowing my horn is to show you where I'm coming from.

Having been around Garands I've learned, most (just about all CMP) Garands are capable of shooting 3-4 MOA at the worse using surplus ammo. The X-10 Rings on the NRA SR Target used in CMP Garand matches are 3.5 MOA in diameter.

What I'm trying to say is most any Garand w/surplus ammo is capable of cleaning the targets used in the Garand matches.

Like any other rifle, the limiting factor is the shooter.

My advise is to get the CMP Surplus ammo, and learn to shoot the Garand.

Save the brass and clips in case you decide to reload. If you don't ever intend on reloading, you can supplement the price of the surplus ammo buy selling the brass and clips to dummies like me.

I do reload, but I have a fair supply of M-72 brass and still have a few thousand pulled 174 bullets on hand, plus I do a lot of cast bullet shooting in my Garand.
 
A

Achilles11B

New member
Thank you all for the advice.

Kraigwy, your advice is always welcome, the credentials are definitely there.

Due to budgetary and space restraints, reloading isn't a feasible hobby to pick up at this time, but I won't rule it out later on down the line. I'd like to take it to Garand matches but I'm not trying to set world records with groups on it, so I think CMP ammo might be the best way to go. I want to take it in to a gunsmith to get it looked at before I shoot it just to make sure everything is in good order.
 
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kraigwy

New member
Of course if you are interested, you can pm me with your e-mail address and I'll send you a Garand manual in .pdf format that would help you get started.
 
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dmazur

New member
I want to take it in to a gunsmith to get it looked at before I shoot it just to make sure everything is in good order.
Click to expand...

This is an excellent idea, provided the gunsmith knows something about Garands. There is some very specialized stuff going on in there, and it just isn't the same as checking out a Remington 700.

You could send it to Fulton Armory for what they call a Technical Inspection.
It's only $80, and I understand it is well worth it.

http://fulton-armory.com/m1garandshopservices.aspx

If you don't like the idea of shipping it to Fulton Armory, I would at least read up (several books) on the Garand before discussing it with a local gunsmith. If, at that point, you know more about a Garand than he does, keep looking... :)
 
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lmccrock

New member
As said, best place to get clips is preloaded with Greek ammo, from CMP.

Federal has an American Eagle load designed for the M1, AE3006M1. Cheaper than the Hornady, but Hornady loads the AMAX bullet which will probably be more accurate through an M1 than the AE FMJ.

Lee
 
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Achilles11B

New member
I recently found out that the rifle received the 'C' designation. Art there any technical differences between the 'C's and regular Garands that I should know about?
 
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kraigwy

New member
Look on the left side of the reciever. If it's a "C" or M1C, it should have some screw holes for mounting a Griffin & Howe Mount fo rmounting the M82/84 scope.

In other words you should have a sniper version.

The scope would be offset, requiring a check piece on the stock that would push your face so as it would line up with the scope while still giving you a cheek weld.

This offset scope is necessary to allow one to load the 8 Rd. Clips.

Without the scope, cheek pad and the added flash hider, the M1C is not differant then a normal M1.

It's not like the M21, which is the M14 Sniper System that was build on National Match rifles.

National Match versions of the M1 were not used in the M1C nor M1D sniper versions.
 
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Achilles11B

New member
Would the holes be on the receiver or the stock? I'm willing to bet that the stock isn't original, seeing as it's 66 years old. After a cursory check, I didn't find any holes, which could mean that it saw sniper duty, then got restocked, and continued service life in a non-sniper role. Thanks again for all the information.
 
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dmazur

New member
Here's a link to Fulton Armory's page for a M1C "reproduction". Note that this rifle uses GI receivers, sent to Griffin & Howe for drilling and tapping the receiver as was done in WWII with the M1C's. The difference is, the new rifle has 1" rings so the purchaser will be able to use a modern scope. The original scopes fit 7/8" rings, I think, and they just can not be compared to modern scopes in performance.

http://fulton-armory.com/fultonarmoryusriflecal762mmm14-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.aspx

If you don't have holes in the L side of the receiver, I'm not sure how that can have been a M1C.

A replacement stock would not be relevant. Scopes weren't mounted on stocks... :)
 
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Achilles11B

New member
I think I may have misread the info. Here's where I got it:

http://myplace.frontier.com/~vzewegj7/id11.html

The 'Serial Number Ranges Of Interesting Variations'

Perhaps he meant that all M1C's were in that range, but not all in that range were 'C's. Regardless, I didn't see holes for a mounting bracket. Oh well. I'm taking it in to a local gunsmith who happens to be a Garand collector on Monday, so we'll see if it's in firing shape or not.
 
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Achilles11B

New member
Two guys at the gun store by the apartment just so happen to be Garand owners, which has to be a sign of some kind. They told me grease is the way to go vs. oil. Is there any truth to this (I've only recently discovered this gun store, not sure if they're pulling my leg or not)? And if so, what kind of grease am I looking for and where should I look? Thanks again everyone.
 
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Tim R

New member
Yes, a M-1 uses grease. Any general purpose grease will work. High speed wheel bearing grease (the kind used for aircraft) works pretty well too if you can get some of that.
 
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