Of all the manufacturers who produced Garands, is one more desirable/valuable than the other? They all look pretty much the same to me. If you could choose one Garand over another, which would you choose? Springfield, IHC, Smith Corona, IBM, Winchester... are their any others?

Panzer Out

I currently have around 30 M1's from all manufacturers and from 1938 thru 1956 production and the best fit and finished M1's are the late 5 mil to 6 million serial # Springfields IMOP.

Desirability depends really on what you like, Most people get a woody over Winchesters because their Winchesters. Some people like IHC some SA's and H&R's. I like them all !!

Collector wise and $$ value wise ? All correct and original WW2 production SA and WRA's are very desirable and are hard to find and bring big $ ; esp uber rare gastraps..

panzersargent,

Re Garands....  You are mistaken in who actually made M1 rifles....  Smith Corona and IBM were makers of the M1 Carbine and the '03 Springfield rifle.

The US Army's Springfiedl Armory made approx. 4 million M1's from the beginning of production in 1937 all the way to the end in 1957.

Winchester made approx. 1/2 million during WWII.
International Harvester Corp. and Harrington & Richardson each made approx. 1/2 million during the early 1950's.

There were NO other makers of the M1 rifle in the USA.  Total production, all US makers, approx. 5.5 million rifles.

All of the M1 rifles, regardless of maker, are as reliable as any other..... i.e... GOOD.

Re collectibility...  Any rifle that is truly ALL ORIGINAL to the date of manufacture is going to be collectible, with a VERY high price attached when compared to the run'o' the mill shooter grade rifle.  The VAST MAJORITY of M1's however, have been through one or several armory rebuilds in which they may have received a new barrel, new wood, and replacement internal parts....  i.e. little or no collectibility regardless of manufacturer.

In general, Winchesters are sought after purely for the "Winny" name on the receiver heel.  H&R's have a rep for very fine metal finish work.  IHC's are harder to find and command a slight premium purely because of rarity.  Rifles with barrerls made by LMR Corp (mostly IHC's and H&R's) have a rep for good accuracy, as do those with SA armory replacement barrels made in the mid 60's.  Winchesters have a rep for extremely cruddy finish machining on the receiver and other metal (not all are this way, but enough to prove and perpetuate the reputation).  Winny's also have rep for slightly less than stellar accuracy (with original Winny barrel).  SA's have a rep for being all around well made, decent metal finish, and good accuracy.

Hope this helps....

Best regards,
Swampy

Garands forever

Don't confuse collector pricing with the functionality.  

Winchester produced M1 Rifles were produced to 1940-41 specs until the US Government not only threatened to stop paying for new out of spec rifles, they were were going ask Winchester to refund much of what had been paid to them!  This resulted in the production of the "dash 13" Winchester M1 Rifles, which are nothing more than what they should have been producing all along.

Collector value often has a rarity factor, hence Winchester dash 13 rifles have high collector value -- as well as shooting good.

Best rifle?  Probably the mid 1950s IHC and H&R rifles, especially if you can find one that wasn't shot much.  My main M1 Rifle is a 1942 Springfield in the 940,000 serial range.  Pretty much original as received from CMP, other than a M14 sight which I swapped out to a M1A which came with a WW2 lockbar.

-- Chuck

Quoted: panzersargent, Re Garands....  You are mistaken in who actually made M1 rifles....  Smith Corona and IBM were makers of the M1 Carbine and the '03 Springfield rifle. The US Army's Springfiedl Armory made approx. 4 million M1's from the beginning of production in 1937 all the way to the end in 1957. Winchester made approx. 1/2 million during WWII. International Harvester Corp. and Harrington & Richardson each made approx. 1/2 million during the early 1950's. There were NO other makers of the M1 rifle in the USA.  Total production, all US makers, approx. 5.5 million rifles. All of the M1 rifles, regardless of maker, are as reliable as any other..... i.e... GOOD. Re collectibility...  Any rifle that is truly ALL ORIGINAL to the date of manufacture is going to be collectible, with a VERY high price attached when compared to the run'o' the mill shooter grade rifle.  The VAST MAJORITY of M1's however, have been through one or several armory rebuilds in which they may have received a new barrel, new wood, and replacement internal parts....  i.e. little or no collectibility regardless of manufacturer. In general, Winchesters are sought after purely for the "Winny" name on the receiver heel.  H&R's have a rep for very fine metal finish work.  IHC's are harder to find and command a slight premium purely because of rarity.  Rifles with barrerls made by LMR Corp (mostly IHC's and H&R's) have a rep for good accuracy, as do those with SA armory replacement barrels made in the mid 60's.  Winchesters have a rep for extremely cruddy finish machining on the receiver and other metal (not all are this way, but enough to prove and perpetuate the reputation).  Winny's also have rep for slightly less than stellar accuracy (with original Winny barrel).  SA's have a rep for being all around well made, decent metal finish, and good accuracy. Hope this helps.... Best regards, Swampy Garands forever

Thanks for the info, Swampy! The Garand is a terrific rifle and has a storied history. I am looking at buying an IHC with a 444xxx serial number. It is in great shape with reparkerized metal and a new SA trigger group. The barrel is in good condition (looks new). The wood is dark walnut and has the usual dings and scratches.

What would a gun like this typically go for?

Panzer Out

From your description; $ 650-750 would be a reasonable price range for a arsenal rebuilt early mixmaster IHC.

I gotta agree with Chuck with the exception of including the post war Baretta and Bersa M-1's. The Italian Garands were made on US supplied machinery, and are the finest examples of the M-1 in terms of workmanship I've ever seen. With the exception of an original gas trap Garand, the Italian's are also the most expensive as well.

Does anyone have an opinion on the newly manufactured (I think) M1's that Springfield Armory is making?  Are they any good and worth the $800-$900 price tag that I've seen?  Just curious.  Thanks.