COuld someone please help me out a bit and let me know what the proper cleaning kit, bayonet, etc. are for a WWII period Garand?

I am pretty sure that either a 10" or 16" bayonet is correct, but I wasn't sure if there was a post war issue cleaning kit that is different from the WWII one.  I have seen a couple on ebay with a tubular looking handle/tool/thingy that is has a screwdriver built in for the gas nut and hardware and was wondering if that was correct for the WWII issue or not.

Any other accessories (and pics) would be helpful!

Dawg

Cheaper than Dirt has the butstock cleaning kit...a good supply of the little grease pots is required...as far as a bayo is concerned the shorter post ww2 one is prefferred by myself, its more useful. A good sling...I like the cloth ones...a good cartridge belt, can't beat it, and one of the repro Garand rilfe cases...made in China, true, but sheepskin lined and oh so nice! An origonal ca of GI bore cleaner ca be found at gunshows, and it really works great...that is the blue milkey stuff...

Whats a grease pot?

The cleaning gear carried in the butt varied according to the time frame, AND according to what the Quartermaster had in stock.

The correct bayonet for a very early war M1 would be a 16" version, likely with the black bakelite handles.
From around 1942 on, it would be a 10" model, either a earlier version cut off to 10" or a Model M1 bayonet made with a 10" blade.  
The "official" bayonet for most of the war was the Model M1 10" bayonet.  (The bayonet was called the Model M1).

For the onboard cleaning gear, the top hole would usually have a canvas tube containing:
4 sections of the cleaning rod.
A loop tip and a brush, joined together by a short section of clear tubing.
A tiny plastic "jar" with grease.  During the war it was Lubriplate, a white lithium grease.  Later it was Plasti-lube a brown grease.
A couple of patches to fill any excess space.

The bottom hole storage varied quite a bit, depending on what was available.
"Standard would be a long nickel plated brass tube, containing:
The front of the tube is full of oil.
The rear would have either a rolled up thong and bore brush, OR more likely, a M10 Cleaning rod handle.
The handle would be wrapped in a patch, and more patches would be on the end of the handle to prevent rattling inside the tube.
Any excess space in the hole would be filled with more patches to prevent the tube from rattling.

Later in the war, the plated brass tube was replaced with a amber colored long plastic tube.

In some cases, instead of the tube, the M3 or M3A1 Combination tool would be carried in the lower hole.

There are many sources of buttstock cleaning gear, and the tiny grease pots or jars can be bought in cases of 144, cheap.

After Korea, a chamber cleaning tool was introduced which has a plastic "ratchet" mounted behind the brush, and a short amber colored oil and grease tube used on both the M1 and the M14 was used.  This IS NOT "correct" for WWII gear.

Here's a link to the CMP's pages on M1 accessories.  This shows the various gear and some different ways it could be carried:
www.civilianmarksmanship.com/accessories.html

Watch out for Asian made copies of nearly everything. The plastic tube oiler ends should be a dark yellow color and the tube will probably be a bit opaque.  The bright yellow caps (color of a yellow plastic highlighter) are copies.  I am told that even some M10 short combo tools (I think this is the tubular thing you refer to) are copies now!  The cleaning rod set and M10 tool is postwar.  In WW2 the soldier used a pullthrough cord which fit in the oiler.  During the war the combo tool was a fold out affair with a patch holder on one end for the chamber .  Late in the war (about early 44) the one with the chamber brush came into use, many of those are post war though.  If you find a brush one marked S or with a screwdriver blade that tapers instead of steps down it is supposedly WW2.

Well, I slapped down a couple of bucks on the rod type cleaning kit with teh M10 tool.  It may be a repro, but it will work well enough for now, and it came with 5 grease pots, which are probably also repros.  Truth be told if I got an original kit it would have been a lot more expensive and I would feel bad about using it.  

To boot I also got 20 USGI en bloc clips plus the cleaning kit and grease pots for $27 plus shipping, which isn't too bad of a deal.  The only place that carries Garand clips around here sells them for $1.25 each plus tax, so I basically wound up getting the cleaning kit for free by ordering them online.

I'll just have to stick a cigar in the bottom hole of the stock like Sgt. Randleman in Band of Brothers, at least until I can get an M3 tool on the cheap.

I DO NOT recommend using the GI cleaning rod to clean your rifle.
These were issued for military use, and over time will wear the delicate muzzle, ruining the rifle's accuracy.

The GI rod should be used as an emergency field rod, and to make the rifle "GI complete".

For normal cleaning, invest in a stainless steel or synthetic coated Service Rifle rod.
This is a high-quality rod that's exactly the right length to clean the rifle, and usually comes with a muzzle guide to protect the rifling.
You can buy a number of brands of these from Brownell's.

All normal cleaning will be done with my Dewey coated rod or with my boresnake, but thanks for the tip!

Years ago I picked up a nickeled oil tube complete with pull through string, brush and brass pieces at a flea market for $5. Hell of a find. But I didn't have a rifle for it at the time. So I had to take care of that little problem. After I got my M1, found out it's an Oct. 1943 receiver I got a later WWll type combo tool with chamber brush and an M1 bayonet. Personally I'm of the opinion the later cleaning rod kit is more appropriate for a post war rifle.

But it don't matter. It's your rifle. Have at it and have fun.

If you want a good deal on en-bloc clips give Lou or Paul a call at LRB Arms  I just picked up 150 from them for a very decent price way under a $1.25, they are not listed on the LRB website

www.lrbarms.com