CMP M1 Garand Service Grade

[sappnasty]

Now I know there are some posts on here based on this subject, but most are older and I know that the CMP's shipments are changing all the time. I finally got my taxes done today and the wife gave me the green light on buying two Service Grade M1 Garands from the CMP. Qustion is, do I order via mail or go to the Alabama store and hand pick them? The benefits by going there and picking is I know what I am getting and thats an A+++++. However, 8 hours of driving and gas (with gas prices the way they are) is a huge negative for me. So what I am basically asking is, is there anyone who recently ordered a service Garand from the CMP? And would it be considered a pretty fair bet that if I order through the mail that they won't be hunks of junk? Will I be happy with what I get? Or do they just randomly select rifles from a crate and send them over? And can you request anything when you order? Like higher serials, or matching wood, etc.? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks

 

[Daniel Boone]

My crystal ball is broken - but my guess is that the really good ones was sold a long time ago and the only ones that are left are in very poor condition and your chances of getting a perfect example - let alone two of them are nearly impossible.

At one time I was told there was a two year waiting list - just to get on the list to purchase a surplus M-1 Garand - when and if they were available.

 

[nfafan]

It's been eons since I got my 2; it's the luck of the draw cosmetically and parts-wise. They are "service grade" no doubt about it.

Best to go - but call first and see if they have any you can pick over.

 

[ncc1701a]

From what I understand most of the Garands that CMP has now are returns from Greece. The ones I have seen were mail ordered and in really nice shape. They were post Korean War (Springfield Armory service grades). There is always the luck of the draw when they pull a rifle to be shipped, might be good might be so-so. That is why CMP puts the descripition of the different grades on the sales page of their site. Chances are if you mail order one you would get a nice one. You might think about adding a post-it note to you order asking for a 5.4 million serial or up and original wood. That serial number range would be post Korean War and those rifles probably only saw limited use. Check out the CMP web site. http://forums.thecmp.org/

 

[P5 Guy]

CMP M1s

Two Service Grade and one Correct Grade.
If you want the best looking least used go for a Correct Grade. About twice the price of a SG, but all the correct for the time of manufacture.
Service grades are a mix of parts, which on its own isn't a bad thing for shooting.
Get a Field Grade for shooting and a CG for looking at.
CMP also has the bayonets too.

 

[sarge83]

If you can go to Anniston, make the trip, its always better to pick the apple from the tree than getting it from the barrel. I went in 2007 and had a blast, planned on staying a couple of hours and buying one garand and ended up staying four and brought home two garands and some ammo.

Check out the CMP forums boards for reports on the selections available.

 

[GCBurner]

I put in a mail order for a Service Grade rifle, bayonet, and can of ammo on Dec. 6. Got an email from CMP that my order was received and accepted on Dec. 9. Got an update that the order was being processed Jan. 24. Credit card was charged, and the bayonet was shipped Jan.24, and ammo Jan. 25. Bayonet arrived today, Jan. 26, FedEx has ammo scheduled to arrive Friday, Jan. 28. The rifle still shows as processing, but the CMP forum folks say it should ship within 30 days after it reaches the processing point. I'm eager to see what it looks like when it gets here; I'll post pictures.

 

[Tim the student]

Do you know for sure that they have them on the floor at Anniston? I have been to the North Store a couple of times, and they didn't have any either time I went. It may be worth looking at the South Store sub forum over on the CMP forums for recent reports.

However, 8 hours of driving and gas (with gas prices the way they are) is a huge negative for me.

Add tax money if you want to walk out the door with it. It is cheaper in Ohio at least to have the rifle you picked out mailed to you.

And would it be considered a pretty fair bet that if I order through the mail that they won't be hunks of junk?

I'd bet they won't be "hunks of junk". Most people are very happy with the rifles they get. Some are not - it happens. But, they will meet, or exceed the descriptions. So basically, don't have hopes of a pristine, correct except for the trigger group rifle, with uncut oprods and a beautiful wartime stock.

Will I be happy with what I get?

I don't know, will you? You will get rifles that meet, or exceed, the grade descriptions. If you don't want to run the risk of getting one that barely meets SG criteria, get a higher grade. That being said, most rifles do seem to be better than the descriptions. They will function. If there are any problems, the CMP will take care of you. They have great CS.

Or do they just randomly select rifles from a crate and send them over?

Yeah, basically, you will get the first SG they grab.

And can you request anything when you order?

Yes, but of course, you may not get it. When I ordered my carbine, I requested one with wood that was hand finished with unicorn blood, and had "AM, B co, 15 In, 3ID" carved into it - but sadly I didn't get that. If you keep your request specific, and basic, the higher the likelihood that it will be fulfilled. If you want a WW2 SN, ask for that specific range of SNs. If you want post war, ask for that range. (I've read repeatedly that the packers may not know what range of SN is wartime etc, so list those specific numbers.) If you want a GI stock, ask for it.

 

[sappnasty]

I know they have them at the Anniston store. I just got off of the phone with a helpful man named Leon. He said they have plenty of service grades and a ton of field grades. He said the service grades are unusually beautiful right now. Wife over heard the conversation and agreed to make the trip there on February 5th or 8th. I can't wait!!! By the way, since I am going up then, anyone else wanna head over to the store with me?

 

[Tim the student]

Good stuff. Don't forget to post pics when you return.

I'll go with you if you want to swing up to Iowa and back

 

[henschman]

Well, almost by definition, a "service grade" isn't going to be A+++ condition... you generally can find one that has a good barrel, but it might have some cosmetic blemishes (non-matching wood, dinged up wood, worn finish). Then you can sometimes find one that has a really pretty stock and some nice finish, but they might have a more worn barrel. Anything that had both a nice stock and a nice barrel was taken and sold as a higher grade.

If you go to the store in person, they will loan you a throat erosion gauge and a bore gauge, and let you walk the aisles and check the rifles yourself. That is the main benefit of actually making the trip... you can go over every rifle in the store if you want to. However, even if you order by mail, you can enclose a little note and tell them that you want more of a "shooter," with a nice barrel, or more of a "looker," with a nice stock and finish, and they will usually try to find something that fits the bill. They won't spend the time checking rifles that you would if you were there in person, but it is better than just going with a random rifle off the rack, which is what you get if you don't ask for anything else.

Another nice thing about going to the store in person is that you don't pay shipping on ammo, which is EXPENSIVE! This alone made it worth it for my buddy and I to go to Anniston last year... we brought 4600 rounds back home to Oklahoma. That and we really wanted to make the pilgrimage to the Rifleman's mecca and pick out our own rifles. It is just a cool experience... especially if you bring a buddy.

 

[USSR]

Well, almost by definition, a "service grade" isn't going to be A+++ condition... you generally can find one that has a good barrel, but it might have some cosmetic blemishes (non-matching wood, dinged up wood, worn finish). Then you can sometimes find one that has a really pretty stock and some nice finish, but they might have a more worn barrel. Anything that had both a nice stock and a nice barrel was taken and sold as a higher grade.

That's not necessarily so. Last year I bought a Mint condition Service Grade from the CMP. Since it was a H&R with a couple Springfield parts on it, it couldn't be sold as a higher grade, which would have been a Correct Grade. So, I swapped my Springfield parts with a guy who had a Springfield rifle with the H&R parts that I needed, and we both ended up with Correct Mint Condition rifles. For the past 8 months, there have been Service Grades in amazing condition. I recommend anybody who can make the trip to one of the stores to do so.

Don

 

[FlyinBryan]

That's not necessarily so. Last year I bought a Mint condition Service Grade from the CMP. Since it was a H&R with a couple Springfield parts on it, it couldn't be sold as a higher grade, which would have been a Correct Grade. So, I swapped my Springfield parts with a guy who had a Springfield rifle with the H&R parts that I needed, and we both ended up with Correct Mint Condition rifles. For the past 8 months, there have been Service Grades in amazing condition. I recommend anybody who can make the trip to one of the stores to do so.

Don

i very much agree. if you can make the trip, do it. if they have service grades on the racks, you will find a cherry.

this is a service grade i picked out at the south store a couple years ago. i actually bought two of them. this ia a 1944 springfield. there were many like it but this one is mine.

 

[ball3006]

I bought a M1D..

last summer. It is a brand new rifle since rebuild in 1952. It was converted to a M1D and put in storage and never fired. It is a tack driver. I also have a select grade, also a new since re-arsenaled, and a collector grade. You can't go wrong with a CMP rifle. If you can, to to the north or south store and pick out the one that speaks to you......don't forget to get some ammo too, if there is some left....chris3

 

[rellascout]

These days a lot of the service grade rifles have had their stocks replaced with new birch ones. Like this... They look super clean but it really does not make them better. From a historical standpoint it makes them worse. Nothing wrong with a service grade shooter with a birch stock but it is what it is.



Looks do not tell the whole story. They can be deceiving. What grade do you think this rifle is?

 

[sappnasty]

FlyinBryan: That rifle is absolutely beautiful. That is what I hope to get my hands on. I have decided that I will just make the drive and pick from the tree and not the barrel. I was told by a nice fellow there that they had plenty of service grades...and he also told me that the $100 difference between the service and field grade is well worth it. I can't wait. The next two weeks are going to draaaaaaaaaaaaag.

 

[sappnasty]

Anyone else have picks of there CMP rifles? I would love to see them!

 

[rellascout]

I gotta ask are you looking for a shooter, piece of history, collector piece???

 

[sappnasty]

Well here's where I have to tread lightly....lol. I have notice usually that Garand guys posts I read are one or the other. Honestly I would want more of a good shooter. I am not a "collecter" by definition, but I like to have rifles that not only look and feel great, but would allow me to put it on the money if ever need be. I hunt alot and would probably use it often...collector's try not to cringe! But, I believe that owning a non-function rifle or rifle which is barely usuable is useless - JUST AN OPINION GUYS! - I am not really that concerned about having non matching parts - But a clean look and good rifling is a plus +++++. Plus I plan to buy two..one Springfield and one HRA...I am going to attempt to make sure if one or the other has non matching parts they are either HRA or SA...That way I can exchange their parts them to make the rifles correct. Ya never know! I may get lucky. Oh and rella scout, I think both of your rifles look awesome...I love the look of the birch and the beat up stock really appeals to me....it screams history! ANd my guess on that rifle is correct grade?

 

[rellascout]

The rifle is a collectors grade from CMP. It is a post war HRA with certification from CMP. Every part installed as it came from the factory.

I think what will find what you are looking for. If you are truly looking for shooters I would not get too hung up on correctness or even looks. I think that function at that point trumps form. You need to check the integrity of the barrel its throat erosion, rifling, barrel crown etc... These things are more important than look or the numbers on the parts. IMHO

Good luck I hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[sappnasty]

Thank you! I will be posting pictures as soon as it's in my hands!

 

[USSR]

Here's some pics of my Winchester. Started life as a woodless Rack Grade, and with the addition of a new barrel and nice wood, I think it looks pretty good.

Don

 

[D94R]

but my guess is that the really good ones was sold a long time ago and the only ones that are left are in very poor condition and your chances of getting a perfect example - let alone two of them are nearly impossible.

The CMP didn't get every Garand ever available all at once, sort them out by what was "best", and sell those off first. They get them by the crate, unsorted, then do their determination on grading them. From there they set them into their grade stock piles and then "blindly" pick from the piles to fill orders. Your chance at getting the diamond in the rough are as good now as ever.



FWIW, I bought 2 service grade HRA's that came with new CMP stocks and metal by mail order, and I couldn't be more happy. Sure I'd love to have a tiger striped original stock, but it makes no difference to me. They both shoot great and look great.

 

[sappnasty]

Beautiful rifles yall! I hope I get two that look as nice as those do! Can't wait to make that trip.

 

[GCBurner]

I got the email today that mine had been shipped FedEx overnight, due to arrive Friday by 4:30pm. You can bet that I'll be waiting for the delivery man. The Spam can of ammo is supposed to arrive at the same time, so after a little cleanup and inspection, I'll be ready to hit the range on Saturday, and see how this Service Grade HRA shoots.