Our M1 Garand Rifles - Pics, Photos, & Pictures

All photos on this page can be clicked for larger images.

The newer M1 Garand rifle was darn near perfect from top to bottom the 5 million series had great looks and a truly superb finish. I do mean superb! This included inside and out! On the older weapon there were a few minor rust spots like this sling swivel.

The one disappointment was the muzzle/bore of the older M1 Garand barrel. As you can see in this shot the older (right) barrel has rifling that was worn smooth. I expect this is probably from years of cleaning rods that were not carefully handled. On a positive note it IS the original barrel and is marked and date stamped.

Please click the button marked "CMP Program" on the left to see how they handled this.

Proving it is still an old warhorse, the 1941 M1 Garand rifle sports a 16 inch Bayonet made in 1942. I expected the bayo to be a lot more lose, but it is firm and locks in tight. Oh don't raise your Californicated eyebrows... when was the last time you heard of a drive-by bayoneting?

Considering how low the serial number is on the older weapon (near the first quarter million) and considering how many years of corrosive ammo and abuse this rigfle must have endured, either the field or at training bases, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to see this much wear.

We did have some neat surprises though!

The 1950s Garand rifle shown on the right had an UNcut operating rod! Now what an uncut rod was doing in such a new rifle is beyond me. As I understand it the order to manufacture the 'relieved' rod was given many years before the rifle was made, but there it is! Sweet.

The trigger group from both rifles. The older group is on the right. I was amazed at how elegant the design of the M1 Garand is. I can detail strip a 1911 .45 and put it back together with my eyes closed. I have always loved that design and praised Mr. Browning (who worked for Colt) for his simple elegance. In taking the M1 apart I found myself getting the same feelings for it. All the parts are made to be very rugged and are fairly easy to manipulate. I detail stripped all but the bolt, forward grips, and gas cylinder. John Garand did a lovely piece of design work.

Another little surprise was that we found Dad's rifle had a complete cleaning kit still in the buttstock. This was a surprise as they are not supposed to ship the M1 Rifles with any accessories. If the owner of the rifle used this instead of the metal rods it would explain in part why the rifling in this weapon is so nice.

The 1941 rifle was pretty mixed partswise. Dad's rifle had only one part (the hammer) that was not Springfield. I am very very pleased with Dad's rifle. With a little steam work on the stock the dents should be reduced and he will have a weapon that is in almost new condition.

All in all we are very pleased with what we received.

The bottom line is that I only wish that I could have found a diary in the buttstock of the M1 Garand the way we found a cleaning kit in my father's. If this rifle could only talk...

This is 'my' rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine!

Brought to you by MemorablePlaces Consulting

Next Section - The CMP Program Experience

READ THIS:For obvious reasons I do NOT recommend any of these procedures. This section covers, for good or for ill, how *I* work on my Garand Rifles. I have not been trained by any experts and I may be doing something dangerous to myself or my rifle. Do NOT try any of these techniques yourself. Get a competent and certified gunsmith to help and instruct you you. By continuing further you must agree to indemnify and hold harmless all persons or companies connected with this website and affirm that you are going to use this information solely as a window of education into how the writer works on his own property and as such you understand that it may be a window into a fools paradise.

If you have any questions or corrections please feel free to write me.

Charles

Please feel free to explore the other sections of this website:
[About This Website] [How I Maintain My M1s] [CMP Program - Our Experience]
[Our CMP M1 Garand Rifles] [CMP Ammunition] [M1 Parts Photographs & Nomenclature]
[M1 Garand Accessories] [A Little Important Humor] [Links to Other M1 Garand Sites]




			Our M1 Garand Rifles - Pics, Pictures, &Photos Of The Firearms We Received From The CMP