Humble Brag Happy Trade (Colt 6920 for CMP M1 Garand)

[JAD]

I have mostly the same rifle. I kind of think of my several carbines as surplus to my reality, but damn I love shooting that thing. Eight rounds works out to perfectly punctuate “F*ck you, you commie* piece of sh!t {ping}!”


*’commie’ gets two rounds, because... commies get two rounds.

[DDTSGM]

I like Garands and M-14's (M1A's). Went through boot camp with the M-14.

These are my Garands:



The bottom one is an IHC manufactured between 1954-1956. It was rebuilt at the Red River Arsenal, it has an IHC bolt and a NM operating rod handle.

The top one is a SA receiver, manufactured between 1955-1957. It was built by me at the CMP Advanced Maintenance Course. New walnut stocks, Criterion barrel, it is a shooter.

The CMP AMC is a great course: https://thecmp.org/training-tech/adv...tenance-class/

This class is not intended for gunsmiths or students with advanced knowledge of the M1 rifle. No prior armorer or shooting experience is required to attend the class. Students will each assemble from parts their own rifle (manufacturer of receiver may vary depending on the current inventory available) that is included in the AMC fee.

Some of the key components of the class will include:

Component purpose and function
Use of gauges
Commercial barrel installation, chambering and headspace
Component selection and inspection
Fitting and proper assembly of a complete Field Grade Special or CMP Special rifle
Some discussion of malfunctions and their remedies
Accurizing techniques for the M1

And it's really not too pricey, I'm going again in a year or so:

Total cost for the 2020 AMC will be $1,868.50 or $2,068.50, depending upon rifle selection (Field Grade or CMP Special). The class fee of $1018.50 will be charged to the credit card when paperwork is received. ($150 of your class tuition fee should be considered as a non refundable “registration fee”).

The cost breakdown is as follows:

$1018.50 course tuition fee
Rifle purchase fee of $850 for Field Grade Specials or $1,050 for CMP Specials

Cost will also cover three provided lunches.

The difference between the Field Grade and the CMP Specials is the condition and serial number of the receiver, they put the parts out on tables and let you select what you want, the CMP Special Receivers were all put on a different table. I didn't really see the point, same stocks, same barrels, almost all the parts were reparkerized, but some guys spent a lot of time selecting their receivers.

In addition to the course and rifle cost, I dropped over another grand at the CMP store buying a 1903 scant stock and bunches of ammo. I didn't know what a scant stock was before I walked into the store LOL.

[farscott]

08-DEC through 10-DEC was free on my calendar. I guess my wife and I need to head to Anniston then as it is only a 2.5 hour drive.

I forgot just how good the sights are on the M1 Garand rifle. There are not too many rifles that I can shoulder and the sights are right there. This rifle is one of them. And they adjust simply and logically. I had to aim at some steel on my short backyard range because it was a nice day and the rifle needed to be out in the sunlight. My backyard backstop is not capable of handling this rifle, but my farmhouse range is (backstop is a big hill). It also offers a 200 yard range.

[19852+]

That Garand will still be around kickin’ @ss after that 6920 has been worn out and turned into beer cans...

Very funny but there is some element of truth to that. 1) when ammo was scarce I did see 30.06, .30 carbine, 10mm auto, .38 super, etc., for sale when 5.56 and 9mm was all but impossible to find. Having an alternate viable ammo choice is valuable. The recent scarcity has made me want a 7.62 or 5.45 x 39 russian alternate to my 5.56 choices.

[JRB]

That is one hell of a nice trade, Farscott!

A Garand is on the short list of weapons I don't own, but 'need'.

[farscott]

Very funny but there is some element of truth to that. 1) when ammo was scarce I did see 30.06, .30 carbine, 10mm auto, .38 super, etc., for sale when 5.56 and 9mm was all but impossible to find. Having an alternate viable ammo choice is valuable. The recent scarcity has made me want a 7.62 or 5.45 x 39 russian alternate to my 5.56 choices.

While there is a fair amount of .30-'06 ammo on shelves, the M1 Garand can only use a small subset of that ammo. Most modern hunting ammo runs at too high pressures and generates too much gas volume for the action. The results can range from bent operating rods to cracked and fractured receivers. The rifle needs M2 Ball equivalent or an equivalent to one of the match loads (e.g., M72). Federal, Hornady, Prvi Partizan, S&B, and others offer loads, none of which seem to be available at present. I assume most people reading this know it, but younger shooters may not as the rifle has been out of service for more than sixty years.

[JRB]

While there is a fair amount of .30-'06 ammo on shelves, the M1 Garand can only use a small subset of that ammo. Most modern hunting ammo runs at too high pressures and generates too much gas volume for the action. The results can range from bent operating rods to cracked and fractured receivers. The rifle needs M2 Ball equivalent or an equivalent to one of the match loads (e.g., M72). Federal, Hornady, Prvi Partizan, S&B, and others offer loads, none of which seem to be available at present. I assume most people reading this know it, but younger shooters may not as the rifle has been out of service for more than sixty years.

As I'm sure you already know, but for the sake of being informative, an adjustable gas plug and other parts can be changed to permit a wider range of ammo to be used.
Though none of those combinations, AFAIK, are as reliable as M2-spec ammo used with a sorted out Milspec Garand.

[farscott]

As I'm sure you already know, but for the sake of being informative, an adjustable gas plug and other parts can be changed to permit a wider range of ammo to be used.
Though none of those combinations, AFAIK, are as reliable as M2-spec ammo used with a sorted out Milspec Garand.

Yup, the adjustable gas plug allows ammo flexibility. At least some do. The Schuster plug can be adjusted to run pretty much every load below the M2 operating rod speed. It can even be set fully open to turn the rifle into a single-shot. The negative is it is adjustable and needs set screws. The flexibility comes at the price of a bit of complexity and something else to inspect. The Garand Gear plug is not adjustable and seems to help little with higher bullet weights with slower powders. The simplicity comes at the price of reduced effectiveness with heavier loads, risking the rifle.

I will stay with either M2 ball equivalent factory ammo or my M2-equivalent handloads as M2 ball will do everything I need, and I see no upside to stressing the rifle with heavier and/or faster ammo.

[farscott]

This has escalated quickly. Because the CMP-provided wood is an aftermarket hackberry stock and the rifle has a variety of parts (IHC bolt, SA barrel, SA receiver, postwar sights), it is going to be a shooter. I have a "Java" laminated stock from Dupage Trading Company on the way. I decided to go with laminate to add a bit of weight as well as moisture tolerance. The below picture is an example of the Java laminate.

Since this one is a shooter, I decided I wanted a historical piece. My FFL buddy in Texas is liquidating the collection of a serious Garand collector and GCA member, and I now have an all-original SA from January of 1944 on the way. That one will be preserved for the future and see minimal use.

[MDFA]

Congrats on your Garand. My Wife bought my CMP Special Grade as my wedding present. I love that Old Gal, and my Wife too..... LOL