I've been following the different Garand threads for a while now and could not resist any longer.  I submitted my paperwork to get a service grade M1 Garand rifle this week.  Now I have to get started on all the equipment I will need to make full use of the rifle.  I'm guessing I am going to need the following:

- safety check of the rifle by a competent armorer
- a technical manual
- a sling
- a bunch of clips
- a bunch of .30-06 ammo
- .30 brass brush and cleaning jags

What else will I need and where is a good place to shop for it?

aTdHvAaNnKcSe

I got a copy of Scott Duff's  book "The M1 Garand: Owners Guide" from Clint at Fulton.(autographed of course!) Well laid out and full of technical data.

Let's see,

You'll need some grease.  Lubriplate, Plastilube, and Tetra grease are the ones most frequently mentioned over on the jouster site.

If you want to load and shoot single rounds, I'd recommend either making or buying a "SLED".  You can find info about the SLED at the Fulton Armory site: www.fulton-armory.com/SLED.htm

Pick up Scott Duff's book on the Garand.  You'll need it not only for the information it contains, but also to help you through the long wait for your Garand to arrive.  

You're gonna love the rifle.

Good luck.

I second Scott Duff's book. It is the owner's manual that every M1 should come with. In fact, all of Duff's books are great and well worth the money spent.

Fulton Armory and Orion7 are just north of you and offer replacement parts and inspection/repair services.

I had my M1 rebarreled by Tony at Orion7 and would/will do buisness with him again. Fulton Armory is also highly recommended.

If you get the rifle from the CMP it will come with a pretty decent manual.  Scott Duff's book is the standard "general info" book on the Garand.  If you get interested in the history and/or collecting Garands, then Bruce Canfield's "Complete Guide to the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine" is highly recommended.

The standard wood finish was Tung oil based, so you might want to get a bee's wax based polish to keep the wood in shape.

Hope you enjoy yours.  I have 3 of them and enjoy shooting the Garand as much as any of my guns.  Don't get carried away, though.  I met a guy at a gun show one time that owned 36 of them.  Now that's a serious addiction!

Ron Smith at Smith Enterprise in AZ

www.smithenterprise.com/m1_garand_service.html#M-1%20GARAND%20TANKER%20CONVERSION

will check out your CMP Garand and do whatever else you want to it.

Mario

I just purchased a m1 garand ,some dork smooth sanded the stock taking off the cartouches or stamps and fine sanded the wood.   Its all SA with a really great bore!  Serial # under 1/2 mill.   Made in 1942.    

The first really high-powered rifle iI ever shot was a M1,which I got in the army in 1963,we shot at the Fort Polk range.   And it was the first training I ever got,And the term lock and load one loose round meant just that!   We never had any sleds we just put one round in the rifle,slammed home the bolt and shot down range.


So whats up?     Is this(or was  this bad practice?)    

    Bob   (8D)

Thanks RAF  I have been there thats where I got my date of manufactor from Ser#.   And I'll bet it's probable that it is much the same as the 1911 don't let that slide fully slam on the cartridge as its not good on the extractor also.

 Gottcha  Thanks    Bob  

BrianC: Do you really need an armor check? I thought they came from DCM/CMP in arsnel condition, i.e. pretty much ready to shoot, with the exception of some possible minor lubrication and cleaning. I guess it never hurts to be too safe.

The rifle is already safety checked, but CMP doesn't warrant that for liability reasons.

Scott Duff's book is a good start, Jerry Kuhnhausen's shop manual is fantastically detailed.

Get a good Turner Saddlery leather sling.  A good sling, properly employed, will dramatically improve your shooting.

Get either a good one piece coated rod, such as a Dewey, or an OTIS pull through kit.  Save that muzzle from cleaning wear.

Get a good supply of clips.  There are places out there that sell them by the hundreds.  By at least that many.  You may not wear them out that fast, but it's nice to have a good supply.

M2 ball ammo is getting scarce out there, but Federal American Eagle brand ammo is supposed to be OK, so is PMC's 150 grain M2 ammo (designed to closely mimick M2 ball).  Standard .30-06 hunting type ammo burns too slow and generates too aggressive a pressure curve for the M1's gas system (especially the carefully bent op rod)  While occasional feeding with hunting ammo won't kill the rifle, It would be prudent perhaps, to buy one of McCann's adjustable gas plugs.  It is basically a standard gas plug, drilled and tapped to take allen headed screws in place of the poppet valve.  These screws are themselves drilled out to release excess gas pressure.  Find the right screw by firing.  The screw that drops the empties between about 1 and 3 o'clock is the right one.   Costs about 35.00 direct from McCann's probably a bit more from Brownell's.

Spare parts.  You'll probably want to get a complete set of small spares for the M1.  Many of these rifles are over 60 years old now, and while they have been through arsenal refurb, some have been heavily used after that.  Firing pins, ejectors and ekector springs, Extractos and extractor springs, followers, follower rods, and the various pins and what not are all good investments. A newer condition trigger guard may also be a good idea, this can significantly tighten up lock up to the stock.  You'll know more when you get your rifle.

Definitely get a good book that illustrates how to strip and detail strip the rifle.  Learn how it works and what all the parts do.  The M1 is a simple machine, and is relatively easy to strip and reassemble.  Some pointers:

Get the Otis cleaning kit.  It allows you to pull a patch through from the breech.  As we know, cleaning from the breech is the best way.

Get a combo tool with a chamber brush.  Keep the chamber clean.

Use GREASE, not oil, on moving parts.  Lubriplate, plastilube and tetra are good ones.  I got stuck using some RIG, and it works OK, but is a little thin when it gets hot.  

DO NOT LUBE the gas cylinder.  It is designed to run dry.  Clean it with a .45cal brush and patches.

The less you dissasemble the rifle, the tighter it will stay.  The tighter it stays, the more accurate it stays.  Get the Scott Duff book and read it front to back.  It talks about how to spot wear on some parts, and as mentioned, the trigger gaurd can wear, causing loose lockup of the trigger group.  Read the book front to back and know it.  It's a handy reference.  

When I got my M1, I got a USGI spring kit from Fulton ARmory.  It included the op rod spring, clip latch spring, ejector and extractor springs and the clip eject spring.  It would be a good idea to get one of those kits and replace the springs when you get the rifle, that way you KNOW they're good, and know they'll last a while.  


Enjoy your M1!