Yeah, be aware that the "tanker" stuff is advertising hype. The cut-down Garand was experimented with by the government (it was one of about a dozen Garand variants tinkered with) but was never issued. A bunch were ordered, but the war ended shortly afterwards, and the order was cancelled.
That said, I love my .308 tanker M1. It is significantly shorter, lighter, and handier than a stock M1. I added a Smith Enterprise muzzle brake, and I find the recoil more controllable than my 7.62x39 AK (it is pretty loud, though).
A lot of people suggest getting a Scout M1A in place of a tanker, but there are a couple good reason to choose the tanker. A tanker is going to be significantly cheaper than an M1A, both for the gun and for magazines/clips. My M1 cost me $675, and I've never paid more than $0.50 for a clip. An M1A will cost much more. Secondly, I prefer the handling of an M1 to an M1A. I like to pull my support hand back under the magazine well of a rifle - I can do that with a Garand, but an M1A magazine prevents me from do so. An M1 also allows one to use a lower prone position, FWIW.
For a person looking for a handy .308 autoloader, I think the tanker M1 is an excellent choice.
A lot of people complain about them being unreliable, but I don't have experience with enough examples to make a judgement myself. I passed up four or five tankers while looking for mine because they looked like junky crap. The one I finally did purchase is an Arlinton Ord conversion, and has been nearly malfunction-free over several thousand rounds of surplus ammo (including 4 days at Front Sight and a number of IPSC rifle matches). If you send your rifle and conversion kit to a reputable Garand gunsmith, I have no doubt they can make you a perfectly reliable tanker.
