Minivan or Postage Stamp?

[greypilgrim76]

Hi all,

So I'm new to the forums, and also new to the CMP in general and Garands in particular. I'm in the early stages of collecting each of the major service rifles from WWII (just a Soviet Mosin-Nagant so far--man, you can almost find those things just laying on the sidewalk these days), and have decided to focus on the Garand as my first major purchase, before they get too rare/prohibitively expensive. I'm not trying to put together some sort of pristine collection, just functional representative samples of each rifle, so I'm fine with a mixmaster. Ideally, I'd like to get a SA SG with a WWII reciever and USGI wood. (Which, I gather, makes me not very special.)

I'm still waiting on my FFL 03, so I won't be able to order for at least another couple of weeks (or months, depending on how backlogged the ATFE is these days, and my guess is: very). When I am ready, though, I'm wondering about mailing in an order vs. traveling to the North Store. I'm just north of Milwaukee, so Port Clinton is a haul, and I've been seeing that the shelves are pretty bare these days, so I'm wondering--if the store stock doesn't see a major influx of SGs before I'm ready to order, do you think it would be a better idea to roll the dice on a drive, or mail an order with a sticky regarding the SN & wood and hope for the best? It really wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't get either--just a preference. Mostly, I just want a good, shootable example of the M1, and I've gotten the impression that almost any SG will fire just fine. (I'm not the world's best marksman anyway, so it's not like I'll be disappointed with a gun that doesn't hit dead center every time.) If I do order through the mail, and the Garand is half as awesome as the ones I read about on here, I suspect I'll make the Ohio pilgrimage someday anyway. (Garanditis, they call it?) It seems that they're working to fill mail orders first right now, so my interpretation is that I'm likely to find a better SG that way, but am I missing any important considerations?

Also, while I've searched the internet and the CMP forums a few times with mixed results, I'm wondering if any of you can point me to an online resource that addresses all or most of the variations you're likely to find with a CMP Garand. I've seen a few stories on here of people altering a rifle before they realized they had a valuable part, and I'd love to have a sense of what to look for when the gun shows up (some day, too far from now).

That's it for now. Thanks for any replies. I've found these threads compulsively readable so far!

[weimar_police]

You realize that a C&R won't help at the CMP? You have to fill out proper paperwork and be an accepted member in a club, unless you are in the military or retired, etc.

Buy some basic books, study the forums, especially the 'stickies' at the top of pages.

Ed

[greypilgrim76]

Ed, it's my understanding that an FFL 03 meets the "Marksmanship or other Firearms Related Activity" requirement, as it's included in the list on the Eligibility Requirements page of the CMP website. Of course, I may be misunderstanding, so if anyone can correct me on that, I'd love to be certain one way or the other.

I should have mentioned in the original post that I'm already a member of the Garand Collectors Association, which I believe meets the membership requirement. I was just pointing out the paperwork that I was still waiting on before I can order.

I'll definitely continue to read through the stickies and look around for some good books. Thanks for the tips!

[n8huckins]

You'd be hard pressed to find a SA SG WWII w/ USGI wood from the CMP these days man!

You're much better off reading the Garand sale forum and talking to a member there and purchasing from him/her!

[n8huckins]

Also, this is a great list of part numbers, heat lots, and their associated manufacturing dates and rifle serial numbers for "correcting" purposes. I love this page!

http://usriflecal30m1.com/Parts/Parts.aspx

Also, a lot of people swear by "Hatcher's Book of the Garand." A great resource.

[greypilgrim76]

Thanks for the link, n8. It looks pretty great and I've already bookmarked it!

I figured the situation was pretty dire on the WWII/USGI combo--I think I waited a couple of years too long to discover the CMP! It'll look good hanging on the wall either way, though, right?

[n8huckins]

Originally Posted by greypilgrim76

Thanks for the link, n8. It looks pretty great and I've already bookmarked it!

I figured the situation was pretty dire on the WWII/USGI combo--I think I waited a couple of years too long to discover the CMP! It'll look good hanging on the wall either way, though, right?

Is is a great site indeed. The rifles have really dried up recently during the panic and a seemingly slow restocking period by the CMP. Most recently, this summer BEFORE the games @ Perry there was a good selection of HRA SG's, but still no SA. Actually there was 1 lonely SG SA but it was in an UGLY birch stock and stayed there for weeks XD

I have the rifle you're describing and interested in... but I think you're looking for service grade price and you're not going to find that within your wish list I've got a 6 digit, usgi wwii wood, SA. I love it and I think it kind likes me back ;D

[greypilgrim76]

Yeah, part of the problem is that the $625 price tag the CMP offers is at the tip-top of my price range (I'm a lowly graduate student), so my options are not to buy a Garand or to roll the dice on a CMP SA SG and be happy with whatever I get. Like I said, though, the most important thing is to get guns that shoot and look good on the wall, WWII or otherwise. My Mosin-Nagant is 1939 and looks like it was used through most of the war, so a newer, prettier Garand might be a good compliment.

Now if only the UK had a version of the CMP selling Enfield No4 MkIs...

[TLB]

From your title, I thought you were deciding whether to spend your savings on a used car or an IHC Garand.

[n8huckins]

Originally Posted by greypilgrim76

Yeah, part of the problem is that the $625 price tag the CMP offers is at the tip-top of my price range (I'm a lowly graduate student), so my options are not to buy a Garand or to roll the dice on a CMP SA SG and be happy with whatever I get. Like I said, though, the most important thing is to get guns that shoot and look good on the wall, WWII or otherwise. My Mosin-Nagant is 1939 and looks like it was used through most of the war, so a newer, prettier Garand might be a good compliment.

Now if only the UK had a version of the CMP selling Enfield No4 MkIs...

Well, I would wait if I were you on rolling the dice because, sadly, right now, there is absolutely no luck to be had in your gamble

If I were you I would look at the store for an HRA rack grade. You'll find a nice early 1950's Garand with GI wood that was probably used in Korea, that will shoot great and look exactly how you want it to next to your Mosin. And you'll save some more $$

Originally Posted by TLB

From your title, I thought you were deciding whether to spend your savings on a used car or an IHC Garand.

As did I! That's why I originally clicked on this thread, but of course then I got sucked in anyway