I made good on a 2 year quest today...I just went and picked up a CMP Garand from a guy who lives a couple of blocks away. I'd run in to him at a gun show a few months back, and he said he was selling it.
I called him last week, and he still had it. It's a Springfield, Danish turnback in good condition with the VAR barrel, throat erosion 2...he had the guage. At least this way, I could see what I was getting, and I can shoot it tomorrow...and I had the money now hehehe....I always worried about the CMP charging my bank card 6 months from now when I'm broke.
He charged me what CMP is charging, minus the wait hehehe. I got the rifle, an extra stock, manual, sling, and 2 clips of ammo for $445...can't wait to get out on the range to shoot it.
I think I'll watch SPR tonight, to help me realize what our fathers (if you're old like me hehehe)went through protecting our freedoms with this tool.
I looked around for a while...most of the Garands in these parts are going for around $1000 or so; I've even seen people selling Danish CMP rifles like this one for $700, so I feel pretty happy all in all. At least this way, I could see what I was getting.