Does setting up the M-1 Garand to fire .308 Winchester cause any inherent little problems like ammunition sensitivity? Chambering or ejection problems? Any kind of problems at all?
Thanks for any info.!

I have no experience with .308 Garands...but as I understand it, a properly barreled M1 will not have any more difficulties than would one in the original .30-06.

The reliability/saftey concerns come from the Navy using "glue-in" adapters to shorten the original chamber so a .308 would fit. This was in the '60's as an attempt to make a cheap conversion.

The problem was sometimes the glued in adapter came un-glued and ejected with the spent cartridge. Leaving the next round with WAY excessive headspace problems.  

Quoted: I have no experience with .308 Garands...but as I understand it, a properly barreled M1 will not have any more difficulties than would one in the original .30-06. The reliability/saftey concerns come from the Navy using "glue-in" adapters to shorten the original chamber so a .308 would fit. This was in the '60's as an attempt to make a cheap conversion. The problem was sometimes the glued in adapter came un-glued and ejected with the spent cartridge. Leaving the next round with WAY excessive headspace problems.

A much nastier problem was loading .30-06 into a Garand with the chamber insert in place. Totally uncool.

I happen to have a Garand rebarreled for .308. Mine was bought used, works just fine.  Barrel says Arlington, on it, as I recall. But considering I paid $600 for a genuine late WWII relic, and can shoot lots of cheap .308, I'm happy as a clam.

And the sights are far enough away I can actually shoot it with the iron sights.

Thanks guys. I'm not modifying an existing M-1. I'm getting one of the new ones being made by Springfield Armory. www.springfield-armory.com under new products.

The only inherent problem with .308 Garands is that these don't qualify for JCG matches.

Only problem I had was that the 1/2 block thatfills the mag well gets loose sometimes

You really don't need the 308 spacer block. The 30-06 will not fire in a 7.62 M1 if you accidentally load a clip of 06 in it  but 308 will in a 30-06 M1 and makes a cool looking fire formed 308-06 case !!!!

Ken Smith in Fort Indian Gap Pa. built me a NM Garand in 308, it is an awsome piece of work. totally reliable and accurate as hell. He cried when I picked it up and handed him a Smith muzzle break to install but he did it. It's been 3 years now and I'm still thrilled.

Thanks for the info everyone! The old NM M-1 I have now is in the original .30-06 and I want to retire it while it is still running well. Receiver was made in 1941 and a previous owner took it to Camp Perry twice. I thought if I got an M-1 in .308 I could use the same ammo I keep on hand for my FAL's and bolt actions rather than having to buy .30-06 just for it.
This Springfiled Armory rifle will hopefully be in my hands around the end of this month and I'll post some impressions.  

There is nothing wrong with it except that it is BLASHPEMY, I tell you.  

Oh, well. Since I am such an unrepentant heathen I don't reckon I'll get flang any deeper into the pit for this than for any of my other sins!

How much do the 308 M1 Grands go for? Do they also take the M1 clips with out any modification

I'm paying $860 for my SA M-1. They use standard, unmodified clips.

You can also pick up a Danish from  CMP for $400 and have Springfield put on a 308  barrel for just over $200. That is what I ended up doing.  I hated to because that Danish had the worst bore of my Garands but shot the best groups.  I just hated paying so much for 06 ammo.

Well, as usual I can't get a break. Stopped by my dealer yeasterday to put a down payment on my rifle and was informed that Springfield has now announced they will not produce any .308 Garands until April at the earliest. Plus, they are going to charge more for them. Just because.
I decided to just take a .30-06 at the price I had been promised. So now I have to keep finding sources of ever dwindling M2 ball.
Oh well. It certainly is more authentic.
Also, Springfield says the receivers are "Australian." (Lithgow?)

Thanks, raf!

Just to correct a bit of misinformation listed earlier:

The 7.62mm NATO M80 Ball and .30 M1 Ball are essentially the same bullet at the same velocity, 7.62mm NATO is not "less powerful" in military loadings.  The Army gave up nothing by adopting this cartrige.  (The large case size of .30-06, however, does allow much more powerful custom loadings than the small 7.62mm case can produce.)

If you enjoy shooting the M1 Rifle it makes more sense to shoot dime a shot surplus 7.62mm NATO than quarter a shot M2 Ball -- to me anyway.  Can pay for a replacement barrel in a couple of cases of ammo and still restore the rifle to historical correctness if needed.

Smith Enterprise makes a steel magazine insert which locks tightly in the bullet guide to prevent .30 cartridges from loading in the magazine.  Ron can also furnish proper 7.62mm NATO chambered barrels (vs. .308) for general shooting of military ammo.

There are no down sides I know of with this conversion.

However, why buy a cast M1 reproduction when real M1 rifles are still $400 (Danish) and $500 (never left US control) from CMP?

-- Chuck

.308 Garands tend to suffer psychological problems about their length.  Other than that, just as good as the .30-06.