Dupage makes stock sets for the CMP.  You can buy them with or without metal.  They are a nice stock set straight out of the box, and they come pre-finished if that's what you want––but you can also order an unfinished set and put a bit more love, sweat, and workmanship into it.

https://www.dupagetrading.com/m1-stocks/m1-stock-sets.html


I spent a quality day in the shop working on some of them.










Everybody has their own way of going about going about the job of finishing an unfinished stock, but my personal preference is to sand the wood well to close the grain, working progressively finer grits––I go 100/150/220/320/400/600) and then I like to apply a coat or two of Minwax Red Mahogany Stain.



There is no real trick to staining––you just get the wood good and wet, let it penetrate for awhile (5 -15 minutes) then wipe off the excess––whatever has not penetrated should be buffed off with cheesecloth, an old t-shirt, or paper towels.

Looking at the Minwax color chart you wouldn't think Red Mahogany would work out too well––but it sure does.  It just pops a bit more than a standard run-of-the-mill dark walnut.







I think the key to a nice stain job (and where most guys go wrong) is that they leave too much stain on the surface.  That isn't where you want the stain––you want the stain deep in the grain––but buff it off the very surface of the wood, so that the stain doesn't just create a monotonous uniformity.







The stain renders deep browns and reds and (with Red Mahogany) a faint reddish-purple undertone––but buffing off the excess will bring forth the lighter tones––the flecks of yellow in the grain.






I'll finish with 3 or 5 coats of Tung oil on the outside, and maybe a couple coats of varnish in the barrel channel, under the butt-plate, and under the front ferrule.

Last thoughts––replacement wood isn't just about aesthetics.  If you are interested in accurizing your Garand, a replacement stock set is a real good place to begin––especially if you have a loose original GI stock with mediocre lock-up.  I'd say the Garand stock probably makes the biggest contribution to accuracy of all the various elements of the equation––a rifle with a Kreiger barrel will shoot like a rack grade if it is in a bad or a poorly fitted stock.

If you want to pick up a new unfinished stock set and try your hand at custom finishing but want more info, I'd be happy to post my own personal preferences, tricks, and observations  (assuming anybody is interested).


––Eight_Ring


 

They look great! They do need some fitting to get the most accuracy out of them though. Some need it more than others.
New Commercial stocks will sometimes have to narrow of a barrel channel. This can hold barrel up and result in rifle shooting to high. You can check this buy inserting the action into the stock without the rear handgaurd in place. You need a have approx 1/8 inch of clearnace between the barrel and the barrel channel. If not sand or carve off excess wood . (notice relieved wood in barrel channel in pic)
I also had a problem with the stock ferrule setting to high and the Op Rod rubbed on it.
I carved out some of the wood with a utility knife until it set in the proper position


Problem solved? Not yet, I then had to fill in the area on the bottom since the ferrule set lower so it would stay in place when tightened
I taped off the stock, and applied paste wax to the ferrule for a release.
Then placed JB Weld to the bottom of where the ferrule sets on the stock, put ferrule in place and start to tighten the screw but not all they way



Problem fixed.
You need to do the Tilt Test on these stocks
The Op Rod was rubbing pretty good all long the inside, so I removed wood there also


You can see here where the OP Rod was rubbing , I removed a small amount of wood along the whole length

The rear handguard was to long on the nose and extended to far through the band and actually kept the front handguard front sitting where it should. I removed some wood there as needed


Next issue, although it isnt a big one is sometimes the Boyds needs to have a cutout where the firing pin/bolt would hit


Also may need alittle wood relieved so the trigger clears when fired


If there is a small dent there the trigger is hitting and needs some wood removed
Now on to the next issue. Set action in stock and install/lock the trigger assembly. Looking from the side of the rifle there should be a very small amount of clearance starting approx 1 1/8 inch from where the back of the receiver sets to the back of the receiver legs. Hold it up to the light will make it easier to see. I'm only talking about the thickness of a piece of paper
If your stock doesnt have this wrap a piece of sandpaper around a block of wood and sand to proper clearance

These are just a few more things you can do to increase function and accuracy of your commercial stocks

M1G––

I totally agree on the need to fit the stock to achieve the best accuracy, and full clearancing/"tilt-testing" to make sure the op-rod isn't dragging.

The "paper-thin gap" between the heel and the legs of the receiver seems to have a profound effect on accuracy as well.  I'll snap some photos of that for reference.

Inre: fitting, I cheated––I sent my stock set off to Dean at DGR.  He did all the fitting for me.  He charges about $65 or so for the service if you provide the stock, or he'll sell you one of his fitted/unfinished for $175.

http://dgrguns.com/New-M1-Garand-Stocks.htm

I've been told the man definitely knows his business.
.
Question:  The stock you are working in the ferrule photos––that's a Boyd's stock, no?  Have you had the chance to work a Boyds/Dupage spec'd/CMP stock?  Is there a big difference in the inletting?

Question 2:  Does lowering the front ferrule (as you did) increase the downward tension at the front ferrule (which is a good thing)?

Question 3:  I've noticed that a lot of guys have badly fitted hand-guards on their Garands.  Do you have photos of properly clearanced upper and lower handguards you could add to the thread?  If not I'll snap some whenever I get a chance.

Inre: the Dupage stock sets––I had a good conversation with the owner of Dupage and he told me about developing the specs for the stock he offers––he's definitely filling the niche nicely.

Thanks for posting

––Eight_Ring

I have fitted 3 stocks from Dupage. I agree they are really nice but still need alittle work
Willing they function in as in condition ? Yes but alittle tweaking will help accuarcy
The lower band set to high and the Op Rod rubbed, by lowering it the downward tension did increase
Even though they were Dupage stocks and slimmed down I actually thinned the handguards , forearm and butt of the stock alittle more.
I used a Post War Correct Grade stock for reference.
I dont have pictures of the clearences but should have a buissness card width between the rear handguard and receiver and that much thickness movement in the front handguard. It doesnt take much.
You also need to remove some material on the bottom sides of the rear handguard so when you squeeze the stock and the barrel together at the lower band there is still some clearence between the stock and the rear handguard
Although very close they had a slight overhang so I decided to do some work on them
I started off with 60 grit sandpaper until I had it shaped to proper size. I then used 100 and 150 and 180 for final sanding.
I used a set of Post War handgaurds as models for proper size
Here are some before and after pics. The rear handguard as it was fairly close to size and didnt need much







I took quite a bit off the forearm to get it to size




You got some real nice graining in those stocks absolutly beautiful.  Some of the Dupage walnut stocks have little grain and are very plain.

I just finished mine a few days ago.  It turned out nice, but does not have the red tint to it like I thought it would using the mahagony finish.  Oh well.  I'm happy.  Mine didn't require too much fitting.  You guys did a great job on your stocks––they look great.

Wow.  Really nice work, Razzman.  Totally classic.

Did you go Tung oil or BLO?

––Eight_Ring

+1, that is truly beautiful.

I thought of another thing to check on these Boyds/Dupage/CMP stocks. "Sometimes" the stock ferrule will rub against the lower band and you will need to remove alittle wood off the forearm where the stock ferrule sits so there is a space between them.

M1G––

Good point.  That is another important accurizing detail––the front ferrule and lower band should have clearance so as not to be absorbing/transmitting recoil, it ought to go back to the receiver legs and the locked down bearing surfaces.

The Kuhnhausen manual recommends placing a spacer (.015") between the ferrule and band when glass bedding to avoid this.

––Eight_Ring

I like the chestnut ridge stuff.  It's very red and alcohol based.  They come out with that old arsenal red color.

Many Garand guys speak highly of it––it has a really good reputation.

Got any pics?

I'm partial to Fairtrimmer's and Tom's 1/3 mix. I've have a matte, grippable finish. I left the scratches in, as it felt wrong even thinking about sanding down 112 year old wood.

After photo of my Krag.



Before:

BLO.  Thanks for the comments.