M1 Garand CMP

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kestak

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Greetings,

Here I am again!!! :evil:

I got all my ducks in a row, All my T crossed and I doted. I am about to fill up a CMP order form (And I plan to do a trip in Alabama store in a couple months too) and order a rifle and wait and wait and wait for the gun to arrives.

My dilemna: what grade should I buy? I am really looking at the special grade, but I am not sure.

One thing to take into account: I have a very good friend who is a professional armorer and gunsmith and he can service COMPLETELY a M1 Garand. he can change barrels and work all the parts. In fact, he made barrels for the Military marksmanship team (I do not know what arm, it is the one based in Florida).

Thank you
 
Being a CMP customer myself makes this a hard question to answer, but really boils down to what you want use you put this rifle. Do you want a shooter or eye candy to impress your buddies. The special grade is a beautiful rifle and will look good on the wall or at the range. The rack and service grades are original Garands and a good 'smith can turn these into fine shooters or they are decent plinkers as is. So my friend it comes down to "it's your money, how do you want to spend it"? BTW, I will be visiting the CMP South Store the beginning of September to find the best Garand I can.
 
Greetings,

You are no help!!! :neener:

Seriously, I don't want a collector item. I want one that is precise to shoot and looks good. It is like a woman: A beautiful woman is good, a good cook is better for the long term. If it is both, then it is great!

Frankly, I don't know which grade to take....

Thank you
 
A field grade can be a fine shooter. The wood might not be quite up to what you will want, but most of the time they clean up very nice. One of mine that I hand picked at the South store (always pick a rifle for the metal, not the wood) had wood that was pretty much as black as pitch. Once I got it cleaned up underneath was some of the prettiest wood that I have seen, a very nice tiger stripe. Since I had carefully picked the rifle for the metal (using the CMP gauges) I ended up with the best of both worlds with a field grade.

As to a rack grade, I would only pick one of those in person at the CMP using their gauges. I did end up with a rack grade with very good gauge readings (just below 2) but had to go through every rack grade in the place to find it. The wood wasn't great, and if I remember correctly that one now has a new CMP/Boyds stock on it.

Overall, I would only go with a field grade or above if ordering from the CMP, but would also look at the rack grades if you will be at the store in person.
 
I think the service special is the best thing going now. Correct grade metal with a new stock. Finding a correct stock may be a challenge, but the new one will have a really tight lock up, and look nice to boot. You can bet it will be a shooter too.

I wish I could afford one. I need to start selling blood or something.

Have you looked on the CMP forums? This question has been kicked around a lot there. You may find some value in the opinions over there too.
 
Why not go for a extra-nice one and get a beater too?

At the North Store the Rack Grade isn't all that bad, especially if you have someone to tweak it for you.
But then I appreciate honest wear on a gun, and can't imagine owning one too nice to shoot.
 
Greetings,

Is there a new barrel on the RM1HRASSP like the RM1SPECIAL?

One says special and the other ones say service grade special. I am not sure I understand the differences. Anyone can explain?

Thank you
 
I put in a Oder for a hra field grade this morning. I figure for 495 what the heck? Will let you all know how it turns out. Also bought two 196 round cans of Greek 3006 while I was at it. And a sling. And a bayonet. And some instructional books. And I'm now pushing over 800$ ;)
 
Kestak, basically the difference is that with the Special, you get a new barrel, with new wood, and refinished parts. The finish on the metal will be pretty much brand new.

With the Service special, you are getting a rifle with collector grade metal, and a new stock. Essentially, that means excellent original finish, and time period correct parts with new wood. The barrel is not new, but will be in excellent condition.

FWIW, I have a Special and I love it - but my next M1 will probably be a Service Special.

You aren't going to go wrong with either. Get whichever floats your boat a bit more. Also, take some time to read some of the threads like yours on the CMP forums.

ETA: Conhntr, you had me worried that the bayonets were on sale already and I didn't get an order in.
 
It all depends upon what you are looking for. Some want their Garand to be as close to as original unissued condition as possible, while others (myself included) want a good shooter that shows evidence of the service of the rifle and the men who carried it. My one Garand in a new CMP stock is quite nice looking, but to me is somewhat boring in comparison to my others. Others see it differently.

BTW, the one aspect of th higher grades that I do find to be desirable is period correct parts. That said, there is nothing to stop one from swapping out parts on a lower grade rifle.
 
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For mail order go with at least a Service Grade. From what I hear the Special Service for 895.00 will probably have a great barrel, some guys are getting them with MW 0 to MW1.0, with the new wood give it around 50 or so rounds to settle into the wood for great accuracy....if I wanted accuracy I would get that one...I had bought a Field Grade with MW2.0 an put a new CMP stock set on an I got really good accuracy out of it.
Good luck!!!
 
in all likelyhood, the service grade will shoot as well as the special, but it wont be as pretty.

on the other hand, if you can go pick your own,,,,,,,,,,this is a $595 service grade. (ive seen many other service grades even prettier)
Picture013.jpg
Picture015.jpg
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youve made a great decision either way.
 
Road Trip

Having bought some 10 or so service & collector grades via mail, I can tell you that if you are within a days round-trip of either store, buy it off the rack. I got some absolute jewels (one, an all correct except for the trigger group 3-45 SA with a MW & TE of 1), and a couple of serviceable dogs - they met the criteria, but I would have never bought them off a shelf. I have to admit I have even grown fond of the IHC reparked rebuild with matching AAD wood & electropencil dates. Over all, I am extremely happy with all of mine, but if you can get to the store, take off a day & do it. Pig in a poke, as they say, albeit Grand Champion pigs...
SOOOOO-EEEEEEY! :rolleyes:
 
if you are concerned about it being pretty, go with the special grade, if you are concerned about accuracy, get whichever grade is cheapest [as long as it functions] you can get a brand new parkerized barrel for $325 from [http://www.fulton-armory.com/MParts.htm] and you will have a great shooter that has some serious history behind it too...its all up to what you want.

Edit: You even have the option to get it in .308 for a little bit cheaper ammo with significantly better accuracy.
 
significantly better accuracy??
Click to expand...

ya, i was thinking the same but didnt want to be a party pooper.

you wont see significantly better accuracy out of a 308 m1 (unless its a significantly better barrel) i.e. worn 30 06 bore, muzzle, or throat.

comparable barrels in each caliber will have comparable accuracy.
 
IMO, unless you can touch it and gauge it, you should order nothing less than a Service Grade. I went to the South Store last year and there were no Service Grade rifles available. I came home with 2 field grade rifles. Mixmasters of period parts with mid-range muzzle and throat erosion numbers. One a WWII vintage and the other Post War.

This year I went back and picked up a SA Service Special. All period correct parts, with the original barrel still in the white and strong rifleing. I'm not sure it's ever been fired. No metal scratches dings, etc and a new CMP stock. In my opinion, the Service Special is the current sweet spot.
 
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you can get a good garand in the service grade. eastbank.
 

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