I wish them luck and commercial success, but I don't have any great hopes for their long term prospects.
Its not that they won't sell some, I just have doubts that they will sell enough to keep doing it.
Its a really "tough room" these days, and re-creating the M1 Garand is going to draw some love and a lot of "hate" or at least complaints...
Some of the questions have already popped up in this thread. Cast vs forged, not original GI, price point? and that's tip of the iceberg I think...
As a desirable military collectable, ABSOLUTELY. The M1 Garand deserves all the honors and praise it has earned over the years. No question about that. However, the design has a number of limitations and restrictions.
Price point and quality of manufacture will be key issues. Are they going to make what they made during WWII, the same way they did then? And what will they have to sell that for, to make a profit, and how likely is the buying public going to be thinking its too much?? (no matter what it is?)
What's a decent price for a non-historically valuable 8 shot semi auto .30-06 that needs unique clips, and is designed to run on GI spec .30-06? (there is very little if any surplus ammo of that type left). Its a couple pounds heavier than needed for a hunting rifle, I would expect "service grade" accuracy, but nothing more.
Its not "tacti-cool" isn't going to have (and won't easily take) all the add on bells and whistles demanded by one part of the market these days.
As I see it, its got one niche, and that's people who want to have and shoot an M1 Garand without worrying about its historical value being damaged through further use. That IS a good slice of the potential market, but is it going to be enough? No idea, it will depend on many, many things we just don't know yet.
and then. there is this...not a complete ban, but restrictins...
And - even though it is a semiautomatic rifle, can you imagine the ridicule anyone wanting to ban a rifle design that was adopted my the US Military in 1936 would experience? Maybe I'm totally off base, but I think anyone proposing that would be laughed out of town.
No, sorry, they weren't laughed out of town, it became law a couple of years ago, in Washington state.
EVERY single semi auto rifle in WA was legally reclassified as a "semiautomatic assault rifle" in 2020. Every one. That includes the M1 Garand. Extra fees, 10 day waiting period, "enhanced background check, training requirements and several other things are needed to purchase one today.
Don't think the M1 Garand is immune to semi auto restrictions just because it doesn't look like AR or AK. Its not. All it takes is writing the law a certain way, which the anti's have finally discovered and put into practice.
