Looking to buy M1 Garand

#1

Hey Folks, I am a new subscriber but definitely not new to Full 30 as I have been viewing the site for months now. Anyways, there is 1 gun that I want to own for my gun collection which is the m1 Garand. I do not care whether it is all matching or not. I just want the gun and will shoot it a good bit. I will be attending a gun show in my area in the next month. My question is, if I am looking for an average M1 Garand that will be shot frequently, what price range is reasonable? I am also wondering if I should hold out and hope that we get all of M1ā€™s that South Korea currently holds. Does anyone know of any good places to try and buy the gun?

Any help is appreciated and I thank everyone who participates on this site.

#2

Off hand you might try Gunbroker. Price are kinda ll over the board, but for a decent user I might go $1000.

#3

I was in the same fix about two months ago. A friend sold me his M1 Springfield Armory June 1945 for a ridiculously low price. If youā€™re looking online, Gunbroker is best. The supply of Garands in the US is dwindling. In 2014 you could get a good arsenal refit (nonparts/make matching) for about $650-750, but now, your looking at a minimum of $900, and thatā€™s rare. Expect to pay $1000+. Once Trump OKs the CMPā€™s request for the import of S. Koreaā€™s M1s, M1 Carbines, and M1911A1s, the price fill plummet. There are 89,000 Garands over there, and the CMP and S. Korea have already concluded a deal, to the best of my knowledge, but O-Barry blocked all the CMPā€™s requests for import. Your choice on whether to get one now or later. I will probably buy a second when the SK M1s come in, but a Garand is a Garand, and worth every penny you pay for it, no matter the price. Your call.

#4

If you qualify to buy from the CMP, that might be another avenue you can go. There are a couple hoops to jump through to qualify (listed on the site) but it may be worth your while to check it out.

#5

Thanks for all of the input. I will definitely try either of those. I actually only live about an hour from Camp Perry in Port Clinton, OH so I am going to give the CMP a call. I am in my mid-20s and know that if I do not own in an M1 Garand in the coming years, it will be too late and I will forever regret itā€¦

#6

At the moment the CMP is mostly sold out. Field grades were $630, Service Grades $730. They are not out of guns but working to clear a 6 month plus back log. How long they last once they take orders again who knows. For a first time buyer Iā€™d suggest an SG, best chance of a good running gun that shoots nice, either via the CMP or second hand. On second hand purchases, I find people tend to overpay for M1 Garands at local auctions, you should be able to find a nice one around $1000.

As for what they have in stock the Field Grade Specials have new barrels and stocks and should run fine. However, they do say the receivers have considerable pitting - from what Iā€™ve seen this really varies from barely noticeable to ugly. I do not know if they have FG Specials in the store, if they do Iā€™d pick one that way rather than taking a chance mail order. There are threads on the CMP that will give you an idea what is in stock in the stores any given weekend. Remember that like mail order, you need proof of a marksmanship activity and membership in a CMP affiliated club to buy in store.

As an aside I wouldnā€™t hold out hope for the Korean gunsā€¦ multiple people report the Carbines were in really bad shape and the Garands arenā€™t much better. There were some imported in the 90s and you can find them floating about, typically for a bit less than a CMP gun due to the presence of an import mark; they run the range of ugly but function to just ugly. The 1911s mentioned above are a different matter - the Army has them in their possession right now but hasnā€™t released them.

#7

Arenā€™t we all! So sickening that our own Garands are illegal imports.

Certainly be patient on Gunbroker, thereā€™s a lot of ridiculous prices on surplus guns there, but no need to hurry if the Korean ones come back. One other option if youā€™re patient and bored is Cabelaā€™s gun library (their used guns listed per store). They are typically not that knowledgeable on surplus guns and just take a gunbroker search guess. Hence you can sometimes find something like an M1 Garand that some meathead employee price searched ā€˜Used+30-06ā€™ and listed it accordingly. I have seen that happen with a Garand once and it was listed under make ā€œotherā€ or some such thing. I also saw a nazi stamped German made K98 in good condition like that, which even with Cabelaā€™s enormous markup both were $200 below typical price. Similarly, they overprice Mosin Nagants, but take no notice of hex bore Tulas for instance and donā€™t mark them up accordingly.

#8

Call the Copper Custom shop (www.coppercustom.com) as we have a selection of M1ā€™s on hand at any given time. We work with the local Garand Collectors Assoc. to obtain very clean, fully checked out, and serviceable M1ā€™s. We try to keep them in stock along with 1903ā€™s when we can find them.

#9

The CMP (civilian marksmanship program) is one resource for retired military Garands. The problem is limited availability, however nothing ventured nothing gained. I have had reasonable good luck on auction sites. As with most things educate yourself first,especially before purchasing an expensive Garand at auction. Get comfortable with your own knowledge of the gun and buy accordingly. Good luck on your quest.

#10

My Garand will never leave my side. When I go to my reward, Mrs Mcgraw can sell mine.

Another vote for the CMP.

You get what you pay for. No pig in a poke there.

#11

UPDATE!:

From the CMP:
There are 87,000 M1s in the Philippines and 89,000 from S. Korea awaiting the OK from the Secretary of the Army. Until we get a Secretary of the Army, the shipments are on hold.

#12

The CMP hoops are not as difficult as they might seem. Join your stateā€™s rifle association and find out when they hold their next CMP qualifier. I donā€™t know how your state does it but our state association (or members thereof) loaned guns and gave ammo to those qualifyng for CMP.

As a bullseye pistol shooter, I didnā€™t know anything about rifle competition. The folks made me feel very comfortable. If you own an AR15, take it along. Who knows ā€¦ you may enjoy the competition.

#13

NEW UPDATE:
We now have a Secretary of the Army who has approved the importation of 86,000 M1s from the Philippines and 13,000 from Turkey. 80,000 M1s and 600,000 M1 Carbines in S. Korea are still in limbo, though.