Never thought I'd say this but 50 plus years is a long time, gonna get me an M1. I shot one last week and decided anything affordable that'll make you 19 years old for a few minutes is worth having.

I'm looking for a reliable shooter that I can shoot steel plates with out to 300 yards that doesn't look too bad. Looking at the CMP descriptions of their "field" and "service" grade M1s it looks like there could be some overlap between them. I'm willing to pay a $100 more for the service grade if they're consistently that much better but the CMP is upfront about varying degrees of condition within grades. Has anyone here bought one of either grade and what did you think of it? Thanks.

I bought one in 1986 and it was the best $168
I ever spent.
I used it to win the only rifle match I ever took first place in.
It was a 4 position match at 200 yds.
whelennut

Get a service grade. It is well worth the money. Ask your question on the CMP forum. There is a ton of knowledge there. I own many service grades and higher. Some of the best money I've spent on rifles and no one is making any more.

http://forums.thecmp.org

Bruce

Good link, thanks.

probably one of the better buys, for more money, is one of the cmp's garands they are in essence rebuilding. New wood, new barrel, everything working. They start with an original reciever, then build it out from there. Last time i checked, somewhat over 1000 bucks. Which isn't a bad deal, if you have priced just the recievers, barrels and so on.

Even National Match standards are 3" at 100 yards. Most likely even service grades will not have all the same parts of one Mfgr. Hope for a Winchester trigger group. I'd opt for the service grade.

I received a service grade from CMP 2 years ago. It appears almost new, 90%+ metal finish & new CMP walnut stock. I was actually hoping to get one with a bit more "character", showing some scars from WWII, but you take what you get within their description. Get one, you'll not regret it.

I don't post much, but I feel like I can say something here. I have two CMP M1's. One is a service grade special (minty original metal, with a new production stock) and a service grade (original everything). If you want a looker, buy a service grade special. If you want one with a beat up original stock that'll shoot just as well, buy a service grade. I sort of wish I'd bought 3 service grades and forgotten about the service grade special.

No experience with field grades. I bought a lot of the Greek HXP surplus ammo, and no complaints there.

ETA: Looks like they no longer offer the service grade special. Go service grade, all the way.

Almost all are mix and match as to parts, they were designed that way. And when they came in to repair depots no thought was given to a collector.
There have been various periods through the dcm later cmp as to where the rifles came back from. Some of the better ones were from denmark, with the VAR barrels on them. Once in a while a "white bag" garand surfaces, rebuilt in the early 50's and put in a white bag for storage.
I have held, no chance of ever buying, a garand that was completely unfired from the manufacturer. The guy that had it bought it many years ago with the help of a friend who at the time was head of the DCM. To say i was drooling was an understatement.
I have one rifle built for at the time a nationally ranked shooter at perry, built by a gunsmith near ft. bragg. I have the papers for it, would make you sick on what was paid for it, in 1950's dollars, not much.
I shoot it once in a while, and it will always be better than me.
You can find repak ammo from the 40's around once in a while, as in repak'd in the early 50's from the pacific. Problem with it is you don't want to shoot it, just from a collection standpoint.
Actually some of the finer garands are not winchesters, they are real late springfields, built just after the korean war.
recommend the garand collectors association, the GCA for those really interested.
Everybody has their own thing, I like the ones with a WWII vintage as to reciever and barrel. That stuff is getting real expensive today, and you would be surprised at what a properly cartouched piece of wood brings for one. Much less some of the other parts. They kept revising various parts at different stages of production, and just cause a rifle may have been reparted with say springfield parts, doesn't make it correct. Has to be the right revision for the serial number.

this link shows the various ones.
The special i think is an exceptional value for a shooter.
just doesn't have quite the historical significance
http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/rifle_sales/m1-garand/

they are rapidly running out of these, thus the rebuilt guns.
the real bugger tho, there are a whole bunch in south koread some of which are brand new, put away in grease in 50gallon drums.
It came within days of being a done deal for reimportation, and blame the state department and Mrs. Clinton for shooting that one down.
If it would have happened i would have been knee deep in cosmoline these days.

also don't recommend looking at the carbines, they have a tendency to breed in the gun safe.

\
I ended up with 3 Garands from CMP. Down to one as the other 2 went to friends.

Good info, guys. Thanks.

Been thinkin I need of these for a toy. It would be great to play with alongside my buddy's Enfield MkV!

Springfield Service Grade Special I bought a couple of years ago.....get one you'll never regret it.....

At one time I had 6 of them. Now I'm down to 3. The CMP is raising their prices beginning in January so now is the time to buy. You can't just buy one, you have to qualify first and/or be in a qualified club. The requirements are on the CMP pages.

kwg

http://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/

I just got my first, a service grade Springfield, earlier this month. It was ordered back in May. I think I lucked out. My rifle has a matching January 1945 barrel and receiver. The bolt is of correct vintage. The only thing I've discovered that I need for a period correct rifle is a proper lock bar rear sight. I like that my rifle was made the same month Patton declared them the best battle implement ever made.

www.usriflecal30m1.com is a great website to investigate.

I waited far to many years to pull the trigger on a CMP Garand. Number two is on order as I type. I'm happy to have my second order in.

Great looking M1. From what I'm seeing on the internet and recently at the gun club it looks considerably better than some of the DCM "Service Grade" rifles that have been shipped out recently. I've seen a couple DCM shipped that were mechanically sound but with aftermarket stocks that aren't walnut and the stocks look and feel oversized through the grip and hand guard. One that looked like Birch was almost pumpkin colored, another looked like it had been painted brown.

Granted DCM is upfront that it's the luck of the draw and you might get something like this. For $695 plus shipping and they're going up next month I don't know if I'm going to chance it.

Got my H&R service grade last year. Love it. Thinking about another.

This is what they call the CMP Special, its the way to go in my book. $995.00 plus $24.95 for shipping, cant beat it, check �m out on youtube, they look brand new...........

What do you guys do for the en block clip? Are the clips readily available?

$1.50 - $2.00 a pop on ebay, midway, from the CMP, etc. GI and new manufactured stuff.

Thanks. I was just curious with the fact that the clip goes flying off into the stratosphere. The M-1 is not an efficient single shot rifle.

I just sold 100 on here for $1 each a short while back.

From varmints to elk, mine has been shot a lot, after all that's what they were made for...

I carried one in the Marines, really wanted another and one for my son.
I now have two, both came from CMP about 15 years ago.
Nicest one is an H&R CMP Select Grade, it came to me looking like it had just been completely redone. New stock, new parkerizing and a new barrel.
Other one is a Springfield Service Grade, SN puts it at 1956, barrel stamp is also 1956 and all it's other components are Springfield and numbers match the mid 50s. Can't say it's "as issued", but someone could make that argument.

They don't fly very far from the weapon. They'll bounce farther from you than they fly.

Now, when you unload a charged clip via the clip latch, the op-rod spring will help send it and the remaining rounds flying.

I received a DCM M1 in about 1994. I believe it cost $235.

Back then I think you could only get one in a lifetime. You got the luck of the draw. A beater to a pristine one.

I got lucky and got a like new Marine Corp Depot rebuilt rifle. It has a 0-66 scribed on the receiver. Still has the grease pencil serial number assembly marks on various parts of the rifle. I have never shot it.

You are missing out!! Go shoot that bad boy. They are meant to be shot. I got mine around then. I got an IHC for $165.

Ditto. Got one of them and it is outstanding.

if you are really, really serious take time to make a road trip to Anniston, Alabama and talk to the guys and pick your rifle out.

Mike

Service Grade number two arrived today, twenty days after I sent in the paperwork! It's a December 1954 Springfield.

I was planning a visit to the North Store last year, but I called ahead and they were sold out.

I bet that's a nice one!

The clips are easy to buy from Midway and probably lots of other places. The ones I have bought from Midway have worked fine. Original clips may be harder to find.

Apparently they've suddenly become very fast on the turnaround time for orders. I don't know why that is except perhaps the order volume is down, which seems unlikely.

Walnut stock?

Yes, with cartouche. I asked for a Springfield with original GI walnut or their new replacement wood. CMP seems to run an outstanding operation.

Good deal. Did you talk to someone there or request it in writing when you sent your order in? I got the impression from their website I would have to take whatever was next with no exceptions.

Wow, that's quick. Must be the rush from the past couple years is letting up.

43, I just put a sticky note on my paperwork when I sent it in. One guy on their forums spoke of getting a special in seven days in early November.

Thanks.

I recently ordered mine and they had it to me inside of a week.