Hi everyone been a while since I've been able to get on here, but I would like your opinion, I'm thinking about getting an M1 Garand from the CMP. What do you think?

From what I've heard ofCMP rifles, the price may be good butit's hit or miss as far as the quality rifle you end up with. I prefer to be able to put my hands on a rifle and look it over real good before I buy it. Especially when it comes to Milsurps like the M1 Garand........lots of things to look for.

Good luck

How were you planning on using it?

for a military collector.....it's a fine addition.....for a hunter.....you could do a lot better!

Thinking about using it on high power rifle comp and occasional hunting. Also thought it would be neat part of history to have and add to my collction.........Dont know if the wife will think so

The price is low enough that you could spend a little making it accurate enough to use in service rifle competition. And it is definitely a piece of history. The one I had weighed 11 pounds even with sling andloaded with 8 rounds.(Beech stock) I did not mind using it at the range, but humping it over the Rocky Mountains from 9000 up to 14000 feet was definitely a pain! (Watch that thumb!!)

Unfortunately, CMP has been sold out of Garands for awhile now. They have some on hand for sale at Camp Perry and a few collector grade$$$$ rifles, but that's about it unless they prep some more to sell- they have listed on their site that they might start taking orders for Garands in sept though.

If you buy one, get a service grade if possible- they are listing them at $600, which about $150 more than I paid for mine 4 years ago, but it'd be worth it. The next choice would be to buy a rack grade rifle and plan on rebarreling it. You can have it shipped off to Krieger to have a Criterion barrel installed- the price is reasonable and the barrel is of the original profile and a very good barrel.

With all due respect, you are far off the mark. CMP grades each rifle before selling them. They grade them on throat, muzzle, and stock condition followed by a complete function check. The rifles that are repaired there are repaired by very experienced garand-smiths. Unless you are handy and knowledgeable about checking throat erosion and muzzle wear and have a set of guages to do so, there is no better place to buy a M1 than CMP (though Springfield Inc manufacture new m1 rifles as well for 2x the price). If in the odd event thatsomething is wrong with a rifle from CMP, CMP will make it right for you.
My advice is to not buy a garand on the seconday market unless it came with CMP papers. Too many people get burned (including a former poster from this board who I had correspondence with) who buy garands with worn out barrels or by sellers who buy cheaper rack grade rifles from CMP and sell them for $800-1000.

If you want to buy a historical rifle, the M1 would be hard to beat. Fortunately, CMP has started selling M1 carbines as well this year and will be selling them in batches for the next 3 years or so. The price they are selling them at is a steal.

If you want to compete in Highpower competition, an M1 is a fun rifle to shoot, but a AR-15 is far more accurate, easier to shoot, and much cheaper to shoot as well. If you stick with Highpower shooting, you WILL eventually get an AR-15.

Here's my M1. It has a HRA (Harrington and Richardson) receiver, a 1966 Springfield barrel (one of the better barrels put on M1s, the only barrels that are more desirable are LMR barrels and Danish VAR barrels for accuracy) a Springfield stock and was last serviced at Rock Island Armory. With handloads its a very accurate rifle.

$600 sounds like a bargain to me, if you can get one.

Briman I already shoot AR's and M16'swith the Gov., this is for when I want to get away from them.


Nice M1 by the way