What is a GOOD GARAND???, how can you tell???
To determine the quality (we are talking function, not looks) we want a rifle that functions. Meaning you can load the clips into the rifle, and it will keep firing, and the action will keep functioning as long as you feed it ammo and do the proper maintenance (clean and grease, etc).
The CMP Armors take care of that before they leave the CMP stores so thats not a problem. So that leaves us with the barrel. We all know a good barrel will shoot better then a bad barrel. How do we tell? We use a throat erosion gage and a muzzle gage.
Here is the caveat. I got my rifle in '81-82 from then DCM. They didnt offer grades, they sent what ever rifle that was next in the sales rack. Mine was a 6 diget early WWII verson. First time I shot it was at a rifle match at K-Bay in Hawaii. Didn't do that bad considering it was the first time I fired that rifle. (love beating Marines at their own games).
Since then in my Sniper Schools using the Garands I shot the heck out of my rifle. Several times shooting it until the sap boiled out of the hand guards. I've shot it in NRA HP and 1000 yard matches, buy all accounts the barrel should be shot out. Maybe, maybe not.
The Throat Erosian gage measured "8", the muzzle gage measures just a hair short of "2". A barrel like that should be a NO-GO when picking out a Garand, but is it??
Below is a NRA 200 yards reduced to 100 yard target (SR-1). Using the normal prone position (sling unsupported) I fired 8 rounds (174 pulled surplus bullets and LC 62 M-72 Brass). As you can see, if I would have came right one click and up one click I would have cleaned the target. Thats a hair over 3 MOA. A "3" MOA rifle would clean the 600 yard target (assuming the shooter could). Examining my SA CMP (DCM) Garand, it would be considered a "Rack Grade", Even as wore out as it is, the Rifle is Capable of Cleaning the Targets used in the CMP GSM Garand Matches. Its the shooter that's the weak link in the chain.
So next time someone tells you the CMP rifles are Junk, take this into account. If you can shoot them, the worse Garand coming out of CMP is more then capable of shooting excellant scores on the GSM Course of fire. Ask yourself if the $1000 pawn shop gun is really any better then the $500 CMP Garands. Plus you need to add in the fact that if you CMP rifle some how sneaks out of the CMP stores with a problem, CMP will rectify it, not sure the same can be said for your Pawn Shop Guns.
To determine the quality (we are talking function, not looks) we want a rifle that functions. Meaning you can load the clips into the rifle, and it will keep firing, and the action will keep functioning as long as you feed it ammo and do the proper maintenance (clean and grease, etc).
The CMP Armors take care of that before they leave the CMP stores so thats not a problem. So that leaves us with the barrel. We all know a good barrel will shoot better then a bad barrel. How do we tell? We use a throat erosion gage and a muzzle gage.
Here is the caveat. I got my rifle in '81-82 from then DCM. They didnt offer grades, they sent what ever rifle that was next in the sales rack. Mine was a 6 diget early WWII verson. First time I shot it was at a rifle match at K-Bay in Hawaii. Didn't do that bad considering it was the first time I fired that rifle. (love beating Marines at their own games).
Since then in my Sniper Schools using the Garands I shot the heck out of my rifle. Several times shooting it until the sap boiled out of the hand guards. I've shot it in NRA HP and 1000 yard matches, buy all accounts the barrel should be shot out. Maybe, maybe not.
The Throat Erosian gage measured "8", the muzzle gage measures just a hair short of "2". A barrel like that should be a NO-GO when picking out a Garand, but is it??
Below is a NRA 200 yards reduced to 100 yard target (SR-1). Using the normal prone position (sling unsupported) I fired 8 rounds (174 pulled surplus bullets and LC 62 M-72 Brass). As you can see, if I would have came right one click and up one click I would have cleaned the target. Thats a hair over 3 MOA. A "3" MOA rifle would clean the 600 yard target (assuming the shooter could). Examining my SA CMP (DCM) Garand, it would be considered a "Rack Grade", Even as wore out as it is, the Rifle is Capable of Cleaning the Targets used in the CMP GSM Garand Matches. Its the shooter that's the weak link in the chain.
So next time someone tells you the CMP rifles are Junk, take this into account. If you can shoot them, the worse Garand coming out of CMP is more then capable of shooting excellant scores on the GSM Course of fire. Ask yourself if the $1000 pawn shop gun is really any better then the $500 CMP Garands. Plus you need to add in the fact that if you CMP rifle some how sneaks out of the CMP stores with a problem, CMP will rectify it, not sure the same can be said for your Pawn Shop Guns.
I've read a little bit about them and was thinking a field grade H&R and a service grade SA. I have no real reasoning behind it aside from one being a bit cheaper then the other, and wanting to see if there's even the slightest difference aside from an extra ding or two.
