M1 Garand

Yeah, it hurts! Ask the Actor Barry Pepper (no fooling, watch Saving Private Ryan and look at Barry's right thumbnail as he's shooting the 03A4 on the beach). I got mine bitten once about thirty years back...never once since (now I've done it...I'll prob'ly bam myself tomorrow!)
 
Wow, you must be a bargin hunter, M1 rifle is a fine peice of steel.
They are hard to come by kinda. You are a lucky one!:santa:
 
Sukio said:
Wow, you must be a bargin hunter, M1 rifle is a fine peice of steel.
They are hard to come by kinda. You are a lucky one!:santa:
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M1 Garands are easy to come buy. They're sold at every gun show I go to. Springfield Armory makes brand new one (not as good as the originals), and the CMP sells them dirt cheap. Also there are some companies out there that rebuild M1 Garands into new condition. Fulton Armory is one such company.

Only issue is other then getting a M1 Garands from the CMP, you're going to pay top dollar. CMP sells good condition M1 Garands for around $450.00 US. Everyone else is around $800.00 - $2,000.00 US.
 
My buddy Hirby when we were on the rifle range. His M1 thumb wasn't too bad but as you might guess, reloading for the rest of the day was pretty painful for him. By the time he got to the aid truck, it was a purplish, black color.

Unless you got shot, a bandaid was about all the treatment you could get.

M1thumb.jpg
 
The picture came from a BCT Company album that we could buy for a couple of bucks. All of the pictures were b/w and the photographer wasn't very good, but I can still recognize some of the guys and places on Ft. Polk.

"COOL PIC! M37, in the background."

Yeah, only the best for the US Army Cadet Seaman.:army:
 
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Missileer said:
The picture came from a BCT Company album that we could buy for a couple of bucks. All of the pictures were b/w and the photographer wasn't very good, but I can still recognize some of the guys and places on Ft. Polk.

"COOL PIC! M37, in the background."

Yeah, only the best for the US Army Cadet Seaman.:army:
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Well I have a personal exprience with that particular vehicle, my granfahter owns two M37's (53' and 44') and I've changed tires, oil, brakes, split rims (danger stuff right there) and helped drive the thing, no power steering, lol.
 
The M1 Garand has certainly got to be one of the best, if not the best all round military autoloaders, this includes later versions such as the Italian BM59 etc.

Rugged, reliable, accurate, not too fussy, can deliver some "punch" downrange. Just plain "nice to shoot".
 
Sort of off topic a little but too good to not tell. The Garand weighs, as near as I remember, about 10 pounds with a full clip and bayonet. When my company was on the bayonet range, the targets on this particular part of it were two posts with burlap wrapped around them and guys were charging with their best war whoop. As soon as I speared one of them and started around the "dummy", I looked up and a skinny kid was right behind me and his helmet liner was bouncing around on his head and he was just barely making it to the targets. Just as I turned to pull my bayonet out of the burlap, his bayonet hit the post, glanced off and he got me just about the solar plexus.

We had our jackets off and his bayonet went through my tee shirt and into a muscle about a half inch. The medic swabbed it with some yellow stuff and put a butterfly bandage on it. I still have a scar but not as bad as if I had stitches.
 
Missileer said:
Sort of off topic a little but too good to not tell. The Garand weighs, as near as I remember, about 10 pounds with a full clip and bayonet. When my company was on the bayonet range, the targets on this particular part of it were two posts with burlap wrapped around them and guys were charging with their best war whoop. As soon as I speared one of them and started around the "dummy", I looked up and a skinny kid was right behind me and his helmet liner was bouncing around on his head and he was just barely making it to the targets. Just as I turned to pull my bayonet out of the burlap, his bayonet hit the post, glanced off and he got me just about the solar plexus.

We had our jackets off and his bayonet went through my tee shirt and into a muscle about a half inch. The medic swabbed it with some yellow stuff and put a butterfly bandage on it. I still have a scar but not as bad as if I had stitches.
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You sir are one luckly old timer.
 
Quote: Senjokips
Strong Stomach eh?:smil:

Dull bayonets and hard muscles.

I was luckier than one fellow who was pulling targets in the pits. A round hit an angle iron frame and a piece of jacket went straight down and hit his top lip, then went into the ground at his feet. He panicked and crawled out of the pit and ran across the range without getting hit. His wound took stitches but he was back in time to take his turn firing.

After each part of the training courses, you earned points. If someone missed enough points, you were recycled so no one would say he was hurt enough to go back to base hospital. I had two back teeth pulled and was sent to barracks with a note for light duty. I threw it away and caught a ride to the rifle grenade range so I wouldn't lose any points. I used my salt pills and water with APC tablets the rest of the day.

The only recycle we had was a guy who passed out in the shot line. As soon as he stepped up through the door, they gave him a shot with an air gun in each arm and he fell back down the steps onto one of the ever present painted rocks.
 
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M-1 Garand

Howdy,

I bought my M-1 Garand and '03, both Springfield Armory, from the CMP last July. The Garand is from the late 40's to early 50's. The 03 is from 1922. Not a lot of wear or damage. Has storage dings and a lot of cosmoline. I am going into vintage rifle shoots to offset my cowboay action shooting. I recently bought a 1898 30/40 Krag, by Springfield, to use in vintage rifles, too. For a disassembly and maintenance, google milsurp rifles. Amback's Battle rifle site and Milsurp's site are excellent place to learn. Use the CMP site, also. I hope you have as much fun as I do shootin'.

Jkrzos:cowb:
 
I have a Mosin-Nagant that's in great condition. I bought a PU type scope and scope mount for it and am working up nerve to drill the receiver for the mount.
 
my grandfather used a garand while in the army in 1953-54 and truly liked the gun. He had a chance at getting one once he was discharged but he turned it down. He still regrets it.

I've seen them at several gun shows before. Cool looking guns.

I like the nagant, and have handled a couple versions before, though I've never shot one.
 
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