SIGforum.com Main Page Mason's Rifle Room I'm ordering a CMP Custom Shop Build M-1. What should I ask for?
Main Page Mason's Rifle Room I'm ordering a CMP Custom Shop Build M-1. What should I ask for?Page 1 2
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goodheart |
CMP is offering custom shop builds in either .30-06 or .308, I'm planning to request .308. Link
I just got a response from the CMP Custom Shop, and will forward the necessary info. At some point an armorer will call me prior to doing the build. I have never owned an M1; I've shot one once and was very impressed at 100 yard accuracy in MY hands with iron sights. Is there anything specific I should ask for when I speak to the armorer? _________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!" | ||
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Member |
Doesn't sound like you need to discuss much; all of their work is intended to fit within the "as issued" CMP standards, so you can't have it bedded, or the trigger done better than it already will be. Sounds like it will be a nice rifle! If they really do the work to achieve original GI specs for the stock and handguards, that alone will be worth the price IMO. Nearly all aftermarket stocks and handguards feel huge compared to a WWII GI set. I guess you could ask for a milled trigger guard if you prefer how they look, but they are getting pretty scarce and the stamped Korean-era ones are generally considered superior in actual function and lockup, and can be adjusted, unlike the milled ones. I wouldn't also bother with asking for lock-bar sights unless you are trying hard to make a WWII-looking rifle. In that case the "blackening" they are applying to the gas cylinder/lock/screw will be anachronistic anyway. If you want a shooter, rather than a WWII cosplay rifle, ask for their standard build and maybe specify a stamped trigger guard (which IMO there's like a 95% chance they were going to do anyway). You might ask if they offer walnut furniture as an option, rather than beech/birch or Hackberry. Not sure what they're doing now. But even if it's one of the latter it can still look good. ETA: the top rifle in the pic on the link you posted has a milled trigger guard, so if that's one of the examples, you might get one. If you don't have any preference, I recommend you ask for a later/spring steel stamped one. And it looks like walnut is an option based on the pic, which is good. --------------------------- My hovercraft is full of eels. | |||
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| Member |
Looks like these are built to be eligible to compete in service rifle matches, so if that is your goals for this rifle there isn't really much more you could opt for. True 'match' M1s that don't have to comply with 'as issued' rules often have further work done, such as unitizing the front handguard and installing a heavier contoured match barrel necessitating having the front handguard wood hogged out, and installing national match sights for example. You may get to opt for a specific manufacturer if you want. Generally the later the date of manufacturer of the receiver the more highly thought of they are as all the incrimental improvements over the years are incorporated into it, and generally the less use they have seen. I am not sure if that really makes a huge amount of difference at the end of the day to your average shooter though. I have a total of five Garands spanning the period of manufacture. Earliest one is dated mid-late 1938 with a 4 digit serial number, a couple are WW2 era manufactured dates, one a Winchester, and two mid 50s Harrington & Richardsons. Three are CMP Specials (new wood and barrels, new or freshly reparked metal), two of which are 308s. One 308 was a problem child at first, the other an exceptional shooter. They are all excellent shooters, better than I am. You will be very happy with your new M1. | |||
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| goodheart |
Thank you! That's just what I wanted to hear. I've wanted an M1 for almost 20 years since I shot one; saw choices at CMP dwindle until a recent pickup in offerings. Thought I might as well go for the best shooter. _________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!" | |||
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| Member |
They are a ton of fun to shoot, and a real piece of history. Can't wait to see pictures and to hear your impressions. | |||
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Mistake Not... |
Thanks sjtill, that's $1,650 that you've just cost me. Actually though, I'm going to order this for my son in .308 so he will have the option of the M1 I currently have in .30-06 or the new one in .308. ___________________________________________ Life Member NRA & Washington Arms Collectors Mistake not my current state of joshing gentle peevishness for the awesome and terrible majesty of the towering seas of ire that are themselves the milquetoast shallows fringing my vast oceans of wrath. Velocitas Incursio Vis - Gandhi | |||
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fugitive from reality |
I did NOT need to see this.  _____________________________ 'I'm pretty fly for a white guy'. | |||
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| goodheart |
Glad to be of help!  I'm thinking of my older son, "dilettante" who got me into shooting. He now has a 2-year-old son, and I'm sure that if anyone else in the family is going to take up shooting it will be little Ben. The M1 Garand is one of the most iconic historic firearms, including the encomium from Patton as the "greatest battle implement ever devised". It just happens to be a heckuva fun rifle to shoot, and just handling it makes one nostalgic and grateful. I pray that someday my grandson will pass it on to his, reverently saying "This was Bapa's favorite rifle". _________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!" | |||
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| Green grass and high tides  |
That is really neat, Curious as to not going with the 06. Weren't most WWII rifles 06's? "Practice like you want to play in the game" | |||
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| goodheart |
I want a .308 because I find the recoil less punishing. _________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!" | |||
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| Member |
All were. 308 versions were all post war. | |||
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Fighting the good fight |
Yep. No USGI Garands were originally produced in 7.62 NATO/.308. All were .30-06. In fact, 7.62 NATO wasn't even adopted by the US until May 1957, nearly 12 years after the end of WW2, and the exact same month the final batch of USGI Garands finished production. The .308 Garand conversions didn't appear in US military service until almost a decade later in the mid-1960s, when the US Navy contracted with American Machine & Foundry and Harrington & Richardson Arms to convert ~42k of their Garands from .30-06 to 7.62 NATO, with most of these being converted using a chamber insert (known as the Mk 2 Mod 0) but ~8k being converted by installing new 7.62 NATO barrels produced by Springfield Armory (known as the Mk 2 Mod 1). And .308 Garands weren't used by the other branches besides the Navy, outside of a few test rifles and some competition rifles. | |||
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| Member |
IIRC Beretta made newly manufactured M1s in 7.62X51. | |||
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| Fighting the good fight |
It's possible/probable that Beretta made a small number of new factory 7.62 NATO Garands from unused receivers in the very late 1950s and early 1960s for sale to a few countries like Nigeria and Indonesia. But most/all of the Beretta-provided 7.62 NATO Garands for contracts like these were conversions of existing .30-06 rifles. (And these weren't for the US anyway.) They did also produce the BM-59, which was a 7.62 NATO magazine-fed Garand variant that was used by the Italian military for a while, along with a few smaller nations. | |||
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| goodheart |
So you're all saying I'm making a terrible mistake if I don't get an M1 in .30-06? It's not really an M1? Maybe. Here's a table from Chuck Hawks via Lucky Gunner:  _________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!" | |||
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| Fighting the good fight |
Well, I'm not. I'm merely adding some historical context to the discussion of .30-06 vs. .308 Garands, and whether there were any WW2 .308 Garands. In my opinion, considering that they're going to be building you a rifle from refinished parts and partially commercial parts anyway, I don't think going with .308 detracts further from its remaining historical value. And if it means you're more apt to shoot it, that's a big plus right there. | |||
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| goodheart |
Thanks, RogueJSK, for the perspective. Based on the Chuck Hawks chart above, in a rifle of similar weight recoil is a little higher, not a lot; but getting close to the 20 lbs thought to be the maximum tolerable for "sustained fire", which obviously is not going to be the case. From Field and Stream:
I'm not a hunter. My Dad was, and his favorite was .30-06. I find that 308 Winchester is about the maximum I'm going to want to shoot much of, based on my very limited experience. _________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!" | |||
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| Member |
I have both. All are M1 Garands. 308 is a bit softer shooting. Get what you want! It's your rifle after all. Whether it's in '06 or 308, you are still shooting an authentic M1 Garand. By the way, it is a pretty soft shooting gun and not fatiguing to shoot. You will enjoy the experience. | |||
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| Green grass and high tides |
Sjtill, I shoot both .308win and 30.06 as a matter of calibers. Pretty wide range of ammo for both. pretty similar. Especially in a heavier rifle. It sounds like you have made up your mind on .308win. Which I like as a short action round. But the .06 long action would get the nod if I were going to go down the road you are fwiw. I think the difference in actually shooting would be very minor and not detract from wanting to shoot, Ymmv. The main difference as was noted is the availability or ammo and the variety. Best of luck. "Practice like you want to play in the game" | |||
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| Fighting the good fight |
"Long action" and "short action" aren't a thing in Garands, like they would be with some bolt rifles such as a Remington 700. Whether in .30-06 or .308, the receiver and bolt length of the Garand is identical across calibers. | |||
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