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Thread: Any experience with CMP 'Special' grade M1s?

  1. #1

    Any experience with CMP 'Special' grade M1s?

    I have an opportunity to scratch an old itch. A local private seller has a CMP 'Special' grade H&R M1 Garand with new wood and barrel, all metal either refinished or new, unfired and with all the CMP stuff and a bandoleer of HXP in en blocs. Certainly not cheap at $1500 asking price. IIRC the CMP was selling H&R 'Special' grade for $1250 when I was at the North Store last July, so the price isn't out of line with the added ammo. From the description and pictures there doesn't appear to be any pitting on the receiver or op rod.

    I have owned a couple of Garands for years, a Winchester and a 4 digit SA. Neither are collectors, being mismatched and the 4 digit having been rebarreled. I have always wanted a 'like new' M1 Garand and this seems to fit the bill. However it isn't cheap, my Garand match shooting days are behind me and the aging eyes aren't getting any better, as was evident while trying to shoot my then new M1a last summer! Therefore I want to make sure as best I can that CMP Special grades are intrinsically worth the freight. Anyone had any first hand experience with them?

  2. #2
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
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    In the desert, looking for water.
    It is as close as you can get to a brand new rifle. My one experience with one was very nice - an old friend of mine got one when he decided to finally scratch the CMP itch. We shot it a lot while he lived nearby. Military .30’06 from a Garand is a very pleasant shooting experience.

    If you’ve got the money, I’d say grab it - you may have trouble finding ammo any other way, even if you decided getting a Garand that nice wasn’t exactly what you wanted. I know some prefer the service worn rifles because dad or granddad could have carried it in the Belgian forest or at Guadalcanal, and I get that. But if what you want is as nice a Garand as can be had (generally), then this is your Huckleberry.

  3. #3
    Frequent DG Adventurer fatdog's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Rural Central Alabama
    Know several owners. They tend to be very nice rifles. The crew building those at CMP are pretty experienced, and it is pretty much a hand built rifle with hand picked parts and a new barrel. I would imagine it is on par at least with what the arsenals and Springfield themselves were putting out with their rebuilds in the 50's, and those Criterion barrels they have been using are probably better in most cases.

    Same crew operating as the CMP custom shop took in my "field grade" Springer about a decade ago and rebarreled it with one of those Criterion barrels, put in a new bolt and op rod. It is the best shooter in my M1 collection now, even better than the high grade Harvester with the LMR barrel I earned back in '87.

  4. #4
    I checked out the Fulton Armory site and it appears the equivalent FA rifle would run almost $1k more. The seller is offering to break in & lap the barrel for an additional $50, not including ammo. I have always just cleaned & shot a new rifle/barrel so I am not sure if that would be a good idea.

  5. #5
    I've been to the CMP Advanced Maintenance Course given at Anniston AL. They essentially walked us through building our own CMP Special.

    Based on that experience, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one off the rack, in fact I'd like to get one in .308.

  6. #6

    Buy it.

    I have one. It’s a different flavor from the service grade rifles. You’ll appreciate how well things were made then and
    what it would cost to replicate in today’s environment.

    Wish the Greek ammo was still cheap. They always made their way to range trips at .29 a round.

  7. #7
    Site Supporter CleverNickname's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    TX
    Buy it. I made a detour to CMP South on a road trip last October and picked one up in person. They had a dozen or so in a rack you could choose from, and I would have been happy with any of them.

    Buying one for $1500 instead of jumping through a few extra hoops and getting one direct from CMP for half that amount seems like a poor choice though.

  8. #8
    After doing some more research I found that HRA Special M1s sold for $1050, and not the $1250 that I thought I had seen last summer. IHC Specials sold gor $1250. Also found on the Criterion web site that all M1 Garand barrels are hand lapped at Criterion. Therefore if I do buy it I will forego the break-in/lapping of the barrel and do some lapping on my own.

    Still pondering. It has been up for sale since early November with no obvious interest or price drops. While I don't begrudge the seller making some $$ I figure he has about $1125 into it not including possible travel expenses. However, if it is in the shape he claims it may very well be worth the cash. Beyond that I justified buying my M1a last year because I decided my Garands were getting too old to shoot, given the cost of placement parts unless using Garand specific ammo, a pretty good justification I think .

  9. #9
    Site Supporter
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    Aug 2011
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    TEXAS !
    Quote Originally Posted by JimLob65 View Post
    I checked out the Fulton Armory site and it appears the equivalent FA rifle would run almost $1k more. The seller is offering to break in & lap the barrel for an additional $50, not including ammo. I have always just cleaned & shot a new rifle/barrel so I am not sure if that would be a good idea.
    Barrel break in is a contentious topic. Sone swear it’s necessary 100% of the time, some never do it and claim it’s 100% unnecessary.

    Here’s the deal. It depends on how much finishing your barrel maker does. So I would go off the recommendation of the barrel maker.

    Here’s what Criterion has to say: https://criterionbarrels.com/media/b...v=00dc5da36527

    If I’m reading that correctly Criterion says their barrels are already lapped from the factory.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by HCM View Post
    Barrel break in is a contentious topic. Sone swear it’s necessary 100% of the time, some never do it and claim it’s 100% unnecessary.

    Here’s the deal. It depends on how much finishing your barrel maker does. So I would go off the recommendation of the barrel maker.

    Here’s what Criterion has to say: https://criterionbarrels.com/media/b...v=00dc5da36527

    If I’m reading that correctly Criterion says their barrels are already lapped from the factory.
    I read that on the Criterion web site as well. Generally, my break-in procedure for a new barrel or rifle has been to take it to the range and shoot it! Rarely do I shoot a bunch of rounds through a rifle during a range trip, opting to shoot a few guns during a trip. Also, I am not sure either of the ranges I frequent would allow that procedure to be done!

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