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Posted: 11/28/2007 5:12:33 PM EDT
| I got a quick look at a Springfield taker model today that was in excellent condition. I don't know much about the Garand so... how rare is the tanker, how can I tell if it's been re finished and how hard is it to cut down a regular Garand to make the tanker, are they more valuable? |
I'm not an M1 expert but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.  
It was commercially available for several years.
Easiest way - remove the handguards or the gun from the sotck and check for consistency of color. Many folks in a hurry to refinish don't do the part's that don't show.
Several places offered kits to DIY - consisting of a shorter barrel, handguard and Op Rod IIRS.
Maybe - in part it depends if it's in .30-06 or .308; I remember seeing "tankers" in .308 that weren't just equipped with chamber adapters and clip blocks. YMMV & I may be wrong on all counts. 
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They are somewhat common, but not as available as a regular Garand. None are military made. Some are better than others. Most are less valuable than most Garands, but some are well done from reputable gunsmiths. It's very "hit or miss". They are a pain to make properly as the gas system is on the end of the barrel, the oprod is not straight, and when the barrel length and oprod length is changed it causes other problems. Buy it because you like it, but not as an investment. Do some research on the actual PURCHASE price of sold rifles as most want too much for them. Most good prices are between $400 and $800. However, if Warbird's Custom Guns starts making them again you can have confidence in his builds. |
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+1 on Warbirds He built quite a few till about 5-6 months ago. All were 308 and everyone said they funtioned as they should. I think Warbird said he's trying to get chrome lined barrels made but, Criterion wants him to buy 100 barrels at a time. He was looking for alternatives last time I talked to him. I fired his when I was at his shop 3 weeks ago. It grouped 1-1/4" at 100 yards with LC ammo. BTW, his M14 mag fed tanker is the cats meow....... |
| Well, if you're a skilled machinist and have experience with Garands, you can probably cobble up a half decent tanker using both Garand and BM-59 parts. I have heard that some Tanker Garand are sort of hit & miss in terms of reliability - some are excellent and some are just junk. Is all in how well the person building it does his job. |
| I bought a IHC receivered tanker a couple years ago. It looked like brand new and only set me back $700. I feel it was well worth it even though it wasn't original. Extremely good shooter and gets lots of comments but as I said it isn't original. Shorter barrel makes it handy for hunting. As already stated, buy one because you like it and maybe for the novelty but not for any collector value. My tanker was not marked as to the builder but be advised that some have huge markings on the receivers that render them unsuitable for future collectors. If the receiver is marked I would pass since buyers down the road that might buy it with a rebuild in mind will reject it if it is marked. Fed. Ord. is one that defaced the receivers real bad and some from them were rewelds too. Careful inspection is an absolute must on a tanker since they are built using modified parts and were never in actual production for the government. Look for correct op rod geometry and proper fit of all parts. Make sure they will stand behind it if it doesn't cycle correctly since fixing it can be a bear. Every tanker I have seen has been refinished.... Fun rifles though! |
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