Wanting to shoot M1 in 2020

[achancesw]

I inherited one.

Long story short, my dad bought it surplus in the 80s, in rough shape. In the 90s he sent it off somewhere who restored it. They replaced the stock and I think the barrel

Thats all I know about.

I need a sling to compete? Where do I get one?

I would also like to buy more clips.

Is there anything I need to know to be able to shoot?

[letterman]

You can find everything you need on the want to buy forum, and the for sale forum. There’s a lot of knowledge on this forum you can find out about what you need to shoot on the ask each other. Mike

[letterman]

There is a member selling clips on the Garand forum now.

[USriflecal30]

Originally Posted by achancesw

I inherited one.

Long story short, my dad bought it surplus in the 80s, in rough shape. In the 90s he sent it off somewhere who restored it. They replaced the stock and I think the barrel

Thats all I know about.

I need a sling to compete? Where do I get one?

I would also like to buy more clips.

Is there anything I need to know to be able to shoot?

Where are you located? Hopefully you'll have a CMP affiliated club nearby and they offer new shooter clinics. I would not suggest going to a match until you've done a clinic so that you know what to expect at a match. The match will be no fun if you don't know all the procedures. As far as material, you should be able to find anything on the forums. You don't have to have a sling, but it will help with prone and sitting. You can have the sling on during standing if you want, but it can't be used to support your hold. You can get a pdf copy of the Games rule book from the CMP website.

[achancesw]

Originally Posted by USriflecal30

Where are you located? Hopefully you'll have a CMP affiliated club nearby and they offer new shooter clinics. I would not suggest going to a match until you've done a clinic so that you know what to expect at a match. The match will be no fun if you don't know all the procedures. As far as material, you should be able to find anything on the forums. You don't have to have a sling, but it will help with prone and sitting. You can have the sling on during standing if you want, but it can't be used to support your hold. You can get a pdf copy of the Games rule book from the CMP website.

Jackson MS area

[Johnho]

Look at Magnolia Rifle and Pistol club, they seem to have M1 matches. While it's a private club it looks like they let non-members shoot in matches. Best to call them first and tell them you just want to watch first. https://magnoliarpc.com/

[Stewbaby]

Yes, non-members are very welcome at the Magnolia Rifle and Pistol club CMP matches. We’ll start back up in March. Achancesw, PM me your email and I’ll add you to our email list and update on our schedule when it’s finalized.

I’ll also send you a link to our presence on a local forum. Good place also to discuss the essential and nice to have tools and accessories for our matches and see who local to you may have extra they can sell. We can loan you a shooting mat to start with and I can give you a few clips at the match.

Chad S.

[NuJudge]

You will need a sling, some sort of monocular/binoculars/spotting scope and mat to lay on. A shooting coat with shoulder pad would be nice, but a 'sissy pad' is ok. You will need something to hold your gear on your way to the firing line. Bug dope. Rain gear. Water. Food of some sort. Sight black. Use grease for lubrication, but not much or you won't be able to see through your glasses. Don't take your rifle out of the stock any more than absolutely necessary, or you will put wear on the clamping system and the wood, and your rifle will shoot worse.

The US Army has put out several guides for rifle shooting, and you would to well to look at several. The only one I could find quickly was this one: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a544533.pdf
You would do well to test yourself to see which is your dominant eye.

If you shoot corrosive primed ammo, you will have to clean your rifle with water-based solvents before oiling it up. You need to be careful to pick ammo which has a pressure curve that will not over-power the gas system, and also ammo which is suitable for the range you will shoot at. If you are going to shoot a 200/300/600 yard match, you need bullets in the 165/168 gr weight class, because anything less will go subsonic before it reaches the target at 600, and groups will go huge. If you are shooting a 100 or 200 yard match, you can get away with bullets as light at 125gr.

Get some clips. Get good ones or your rifle will not work. I believe the Chinese are making them, and they are trash. The clips never wear out, but you will lose them.

[Frederick]

Something I learned a while ago about clips, sand/grind some of the parkerizing off those that are over parked. I actually had to scrape several of mine on the cement slab at the range. They wouldn't fit in the rifle! To top it off I have no idea where they came from!

[hebes405]

Originally Posted by achancesw

I inherited one.

Long story short, my dad bought it surplus in the 80s, in rough shape. In the 90s he sent it off somewhere who restored it. They replaced the stock and I think the barrel

Thats all I know about.

I need a sling to compete? Where do I get one?

I would also like to buy more clips.

Is there anything I need to know to be able to shoot?

I think technically you do need a sling to complete. I believe the rules state it must be attached to the rifle during the offhand stage. I’d recommend starting with GI web sling. They can be found about anywhere and are under $20 for a nice one. I prefer nylon.

You will also need eye protection, it’s a new requirement for CMP 2020(I’m not very happy about it, neither is majority of the shooting community but apparently the shooters opinions/ concerns don’t matter to the CMP rules committee). Apologies for the opinionated ********ing and moaning but I figure the more they see it maybe they will start to listen

An empty chamber indicator is also required.

You will also need at least 2 clips. If you need som, PM me your address

Other than that the other equipment is nice to have but not necessary to compete . I started out with a bucket (to rest the rifle in offhand) and a shooting mat.


If you have never been to a rifle match, you may find the line commands strange and some the procedures a little confusing. There are lots of YouTube videos to watch and will help you prepare for the match. I believe in the how to section of the forum there are some good sources for a new competitor.

As mentioned a clinic would be a great start. If you decide you want to get more competitive, the Appleseed program is excellent instruction for the money and unlike the small arms firing school, they are offered almost all year round all over the country