RE: Late-War Garand...To Recrown Or Not To Recrown?
Aught,
While I have never had any of my Garands recrowned, I have had a couple reworked or repaired. The barrels were not cut just the crowns were redone. All I had to do was to touch up with some cold blue and it was very difficult to tell they had been worked on. They shot much better after the work, the groups went from 4-6in at 100 yards to 2-3in. Good enough for me to have fun plinking with them. I think cutting and recrowning would ruin it as a collector. Does the barrel match the receiver? If so I would not touch it at all as they (matching barrel to receiver) are getting harder and harder to find. Most (if not all) M1 Garands went through some type of rearsonal at some point in their lifes. I will never touch my matching Garands even if they shot bad.
My father served in Koreaas acombat infantry rifleman (1950-1953)and he remembersthat most of hisM1'swererearsonaled WW2 rifles and most of them with new barrels. Infact when his Infantry regiment (38th) was dispatched to Koje-do to guard prisoners of war in April of 1952 he was issued an M1 Carbine (higher mag capacity) and even those had been rearsonaled with the updated windage and elevation adjustable rear sight and the bayonet mounts as well.
After that the unit was sent back to the front to help out the 23rd regiment on "Old Baldy" and "Pork Chop Hill" he was again reissued an M1 and it also was rearsonaled.
To this day that is his favorite rifle and he has spent his lifetime collecting them (as well as other firearms). That riflesaw him through many battles including"Old Baldy", "Pork Chop", "Bloody Ridge" and "Heartbreak Ridge", two Purple Hearts, twoBronz Stars and a Silver Star.He was one of the "Marnemen" and they called themselves the "Bastard Regiment" as they were put together from other regiments of WW2. He has many, many interesting and riviting stories......
Got a little off track here, sorry for the hijack. I'm just very proud of my dad.
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