quote:

Originally posted by bozman:
I need some trusted website where I can purchase M1 supplies and accessories.

I have found a couple already. Are these reputable sites?

www.ammogarand.com
www.garandgear.com

If there are others that have better pricing or are associated with SIGForum members, I would like to know.

Thanks in advance...

Garand geer is good to go,I have bought slings and clips by the hundred a couple of times

So did you go to the North Store on Friday? I read on the CMP's North Store site that there were some service grade in the racks.

Phil...

No, I am going to the North Store this coming Friday (01/11/19).

Ok. Good luck on your search. Don’t be bashful about asking the guys that work there about help in your search. Tell them you’re new to the garands and what you would like to find and they can get you as close as posible. If there’s nothing in the store that speaks to you, maybe they can find something in the back?

quote:

Originally posted by bozman:
I need some trusted website where I can purchase M1 supplies and accessories.

I have found a couple already. Are these reputable sites?

www.ammogarand.com
www.garandgear.com

If there are others that have better pricing or are associated with SIGForum members, I would like to know.

Thanks in advance...

Great idea going right to the source...very smart.

https://www.fulton-armory.com/M1-Garand-Parts.aspx

http://www.riverbankarmory.com/parts8.html

One of the most knowledgeable...

http://garandguy.com/

For outstanding refinishing and restoration if you ever decide..


http://www.dgrguns.com/

Or just reparkerizing…

http://shuffsparkerizing.com/


I'd stay away from the cheap Cheaper Than Dirt crap.

Good luck on your trip

I have never been to the South Store, but I have been to the one at Camp Perry. They had all of the clips and bayonets and slings and G.I. cleaning gear you would ever need. You might wait until you see what they have at the South Store before you buy anything else.

quote:

They had all of the clips and bayonets and slings and G.I. cleaning gear you would ever need

I must have went at all the wrong times I went.
No clips few bayonets used as farm implements for digging potatoes,never saw any cleaning kits or bolt tools.

Other than ammo... I am not purchasing anything else until I have the rifle in hand.

I have sourced, established accounts and even have "shopping carts" full with everything I need or want. Once I have the rifle, I will "checkout" at all of the online retailers from which I still need supplies.

quote:

I must have went at all the wrong times I went.

Timing is everything. I don't know what they have all of the time, but I know when I have been to the North Store they have had all of the things I mentioned. But I have not been lately.

Okay... Question. Of the Garands that may be available to me, is there a manufacturer that I should steer away from?

Reading the internet, everyone has a differing opinion.

Who, if anyone, made the best, most durable rifles and parts?

H&R, IHC, Springfield, ???

Any input would be appreciated.

The four manufacturers are all the same with regard to quality, durability, etc. None of the USGI manufacturers will be noticeably better or worse than the others.

There are various other factors among advanced collectors, but in general, desirability (and corresponding price among collectors) tends to go roughly by rarity.

Springfields are by far the most common, and in general the least expensive/desirable.

Winchesters are second most common, but carry a bit of a premium because of the name, and some folks seem to go ga-ga over Winchester, for some reason.

HRAs are third most common, but usually have the same price and desirability as equivalent Springfields.

IHCs are the least common, and tend to command significantly higher prices among collectors.

For the $750 Service Grade price, you'll be looking at Springfields and HRAs. The CMP even specifies this on their website. Neither one is better than the other. For your purposes, get the prettiest rifle with the lowest M/E and T/E that you can find.

(You're not going to stumble across some ultra-rare, ultra-valuable gem hiding in the racks at the CMP Store. These rifles have already been closely inspected and graded by the CMP's Garand experts, and anything out of the ordinary has already been culled for auction. The Service Grade rack will have bog-standard Springfield and HRA Garands.)

I bought mine from the GarandGuy so it was completely rebuilt and a new barrel. The only thing I requested from Tony, the GarandGuy, was a receiver that would place it in WWII.
It has a 1943 Springfield receiver, Looking down at that serial number always makes me wonder where that receiver has been and what it could say if it could talk.
That makes my rifle special to me.

I wasn't even looking for one for myself when I bought it years ago, but was at a show in AL right after Katrina and a guy was selling off his collection. I picked up a low 5 digit Springfield, which clearly had been redone, for $400. Couldn't resist at that price.

I sent in my order to the CMP today for two Service Grades.
I really didn't know what I wanted in terms of all the options people suggested I "sticky" for - original stocks, early serials, Korean war era serials, "original" barrels, and even the big question of just which manufacture. Since the current Service Grades are HRA or Springfield, and after looking around and definitely overthinking it, I realized that a luck-of-the-draw from The CMP was much better than trying to find some perfect example that I wanted to buy, so I'm fine with whatever. I did "sticky" and ask for one of each manufacturers, though. we'll see if that works.

quote:

I sent in my order to the CMP today for two Service Grades.

Please keep us posted on what you get and how long it takes. I already have one Garand and am thinking of buying another. I will be passing near the South Store in June and thought I might stop and look. But I am worried that if I wait, they might be gone.

I doubt the CMP will run out of rifles before June. They just received nearly 100,000 more Garands last year.

Granted, it takes time to unpack and grade them, so short-term temporary shortages are a possibility if there's a big spike in demand all of a sudden. But the CMP will continue selling rifles for many years to come.

Unless the money's just burning a hole in your pocket, I'd suggest waiting until you go to the South Store in June. If the store is sold out for some reason, or you can't find one you like, you could still send off for a mail order afterwards.

Rogue, excellent advice, I did not know about them getting any more. Thank you very much.

So... I went and I bought

I purchased a 1945 Springfield Armory with nearly 100% period correct parts (meaning they were probably on the rifle its entire existence from what the armorer said as he broke it down and went over it with me). The only way to really know is to check all of the lot numbers, heat treat numbers and other identifiers. I won't do that now, but may try to do that in the future if the references exist. It has been rebarreled 1 time they believe and has a newer than '45 bullet guide.

Buying guns is always an adventure for me. Sometimes I get amped up/delirious and I turn into a buying monster/hoarder

My credit card hates me right now and my wife hasn't stopped laughing since I got home. She knows me too well, tolerates me and really does not care how I spend MY money (I got lucky with her)...

The second rifle I purchased was a CMP special in .308. It is basically a frakengun that has been completely rebuilt from refinished parts, a new barrel, and new wood. And it has an IHC receiver (I really wanted an IHC gun). It is a beautiful gun.

I did get a new canvas web sling in OD free with the CMP special. Other than for these particular rifles, they had no slings to sell.

I also got a bayonet that is not too bad looking. It had a broken tip (which I can fix) and a small chip out of the plastic/bakelite scales. It is well used. I'll keep it but may look for a better example online as I need one for each gun.

The last items I purchased were 40 Enbloc clips for $30. I will get more clips and the other sling I need from one of the sites mentioned earlier in the thread.

It was an expensive day, but an awesome day.

Pictures to follow later today/tonight...

Congrats on your purchases. The Garand is great fun to shoot. I've never shot one in .308, but I'm guessing it's pretty sweet.

Just curious whether with the op rod of the .308 one has to be careful with the .308 loads
or get an adjustable gas plug as one does with the .30-06?