I mentioned the paucity of new guns in the G armory earlier this month, and pondered over what I should get next. One of the guns on the list is the venerable M1 Garand, called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S*. Patton. What's not to love about a semi-automatic rifle that won WWII and is available from CMP for around $500?
I know I should want a Garand. But it's just not all that high on the list. It's heavy. It's a pain in the ass to clean. It uses clips rather than magazines. The ammo is pricey - even the military surplus available from CMP is running $6 per 20 rounds. It's not on the latest version of the Assault Weapons Ban, nor was it on the 1994 version, so it's available even in MA.
So... Convince me. I'm halfway on board due to the historical significance. I've heard the various and sundry rumors: CMP's running out of them; they're going to be banned; re-importation will be banned; etc. I want to get one, that's not the issue. It's a matter of priorities.
I just need to be convinced that I should get one right now...
That is all.
*Thanks to alert reader Brad for correcting me
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Should you want a M1? I dunno, should you want a 66 Mustang convertible? Duh!
Do you have ANYTHING with Garand's rotating bold action? You'd seek out Browning (pbuh) designs, and Garand is almost as high up in the pantheon. And I thought you were low on functioning full-size guns.
I'm with you. M1's are like swimming pools. Its great to be friendly with someone that has one, but I'd rather not deal with the upkeep.
Jay,
Apple pie. Hot dogs. BBQ & beer. All things very, very AMERICAN, you bald-headed scooter-riding pasta-snarfing oaf. The M1 is just so AMERICAN.
Rugged, dependable, solid. Worked in the desert. Worked in the jungles. Worked in Europe. Worked in the arctic. Worked at Kent State (oops). The damned things just WORK. Sure they need a little TLC, but what fine companion doesn't?
BTW . . . you have a factual error in your post. The name is George S. Patton Jr., not George M. Patton. Just sayin'.
- Brad
What other guns are you considering? Anything you want slated to be banned?
Traded an FNFAL years ago for one. Had it reworked to use 7.62X51. Makes for a really soft-shooting rifle.
It doubles in value once you take possession of it.
At least doubles, I've seen them in gun stores for $1100 - $2200.
Heh.
Bill appeals to my motorhead side.
Brad appeals to my patriotic side.
And Rustmeister appeals to my dirty, filthy capitalist side...
Allow me to appeal to your EVIL side. Nothing like having the clip fly from an empty M1 at the range and go arcing over someone's head while they're firing an AR. When retrieving the clip you can look at their AR and say "How cute."
Jay,
I've cleaned M-16s for years, and had occasion to clean the half-dozen M1s stored at my armory that had been used for funerals by the VFW with blanks, then simply returned every time w/o cleaning. I'd rather clean an M1 any day, if you go by military standards of clean. It's not much harder than cleaning a bolt action, in my experience, other than taking care not to damage the muzzle with a rod, or dumping fluids down the gas tap in the barrel.
On the shooting side, $6/20 seems reasonable these days, especially if you buy bulk Greek on clips, which also allows for at least five reloads, or more if good reloading practices are used.
Last, the CMP Garand matches are great fun, and shooting .30-06 with relatively gentle recoil is simply enjoyable.
Still not motivated? Allow me to speak like R. Lee Ermey for a moment...
What do you mean you don't want a Garand right now? What are you some kind of limp-wristed, panty-waste, communist-loving, weasel? When God was handing out brains your parents must have thought he said pains and they didn't want you to have any. Am I to understand that you might not actually be worthy to own the greatest battle implement ever devised? Drop and give me 50 you maggot! And for those of you miserable dirt-bag pukes who don't like the upkeep on this fine weapon I say what a bunch of pansies! If you are man enough to clean any civilian weapon surely you can muster enough of your puny brain power to disassemble and clean this superior but simple weapon! Do I make myself clear? Am I getting through to you? Now you go out there and get your meat hooks on a Garand today or you will be doing PT in the rain for the rest of your God forsaken life! Semper Fi.
I have one and it truly speaks with authority on the range. It is something special...get one...and a bayonet for it as well. The next Teletubby won't know what hit it.
BTW: R. Lee Ermey's first Marine Corps shooting qualification test was with an M-1 Garand. He achieved an 'Expert' score. In Mail Call Season 1 Episode 28 - R. Lee Ermey answers questions about the Garand.
I'm with Rustmeister. Even if you don't care about the fact that it's the greatest battle implement ever devised, even if you don't care about the people young and old drooling over it, even if you don't care for that awesome PING as a clip goes flying, you MUST care about the fact that they are skyrocketing in price. And you make it sound like clips are a bad thing. Besides, enbloc clips are dirt cheap, mags are expensive.
Hey, I was like you once. I put off buying one when a nice SMP one was $200. I put off buying one when they were $400. Then there were none to be had for a long time. When they hit $600 I bit the bullet and bought one, pissing and moaning and kicking myself the whole time because I didn't buy one when they were $200.
Grrr... SMP=CMP of course. Stupid fingers.......
The way that I convince myself. I look at my CMP Garand and realize that this gun doesn't just represent history it *is* history. That gun might have been at Omaha Beach, or the Ardennes or in Africa. It might have been there to help liberate a concentration camp. It might have killed an enemy of the United States. It might have butt-stroked a SS Colonel that got mouthy with some of our boys!
Maybe it was at Chosen or Inchon or some other place too. The one thing to understand -- and to make your kids understand -- is the rarity of what our government is doing: it is making a historic military rifle available to YOU, for minimal dollars, so that you can become more proficient at shooting. That something like the CMP still exists today is somewhat of a miracle.
For $500, you can own history...
Ahem....
BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM..Ping!
It's poetry.
I find myself wanting a Garand. I have a Glock 22C and an AR now. There aren't many pistols that I want, maybe a .22 and a 1911 at some point.
Okay, okay. I think y'all have me convinced. I'm going to sit down this weekend and get the paperwork filled out. Think I'll order up a field grade (that's the one above rack, right) and a couple cases of ammo (one of the 192-round packs in clips and one of the loose 240 round packs).
Unfortunately, the lead time's like 3-4 months.
Which, of course, means I'll have to buy something else for Buy A Gun Day. What a shame...
Jay, look at it this way... what the AR-15 considers to be cover, the M1 considers to be concealment... and shoots right through it.
Hey, if a DWARF can shoot the M1 (which I can, very nicely, thank you!), surely you can muster enough testosterone to handle it's manly recoil.
Ross,
I don't believe recoil was ever on my list of apprehensions - remember, I'm the sick bastard who shoots a 12 ounce .357 Magnum. For fun.
:)
I'm going to sit down and work out the paperwork this weekend so that I can hopefully find a notary on Monday when I'm off.
That means the Garand will be in my sweaty little hands sometime this summer. Yeah.
Jay, Consider spending $100 and going for a service grade. Since you have a 4 month wait anyway, All ya need to do is scrape up less then $1 a day extra while you're waiting. If I remember right (and I may not be) all the SG SAs are shipping with new wood, and all/most of the SG HRAs have old wood. That may be a factor in deciding which manufacturer to order.
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