Is it Proper to Shoot Garands with GI Barrels?

[mountaineer273]

This is going to seem really dumb but I have a question regarding a point that was raised to me recently. That is whether it is okay to shoot Garands that have GI Barrels on them. This point was raised by a friend who recently visited the North Store. He told me that he was told by the clerk there that it is best to only shoot Garands that have Criterion or other new production barrels on them. The reason that he gave was that since the supply of GI barrels is finite, we should not be shooting them.

This made me want to go buy an Expert Grade and refrain from shooting my Service Grades one of which is an IHC with what I believe is an original LMR barrel and is a tack driver as well as an SA 3.3 Million with a 9-43 barrel and a WRA with an LMR barrel. I have been thinking about this though. Is this concern true or should I just shoot them. I know this sounds like a very stupid question but I am curious to hear the opinions of the forum on this topic as you guys know much more about these rifles than I do.

[bonemorrow98]

I think most people will agree that this is taking the historical preservation idea too far. What about GI hammers, GI stocks. I dont think 30 06 is even cheap enough to dump enough rounds to burn out the barrels.

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[JW_Pepper]

There was a GCA article long ago that tested barrels and found 10,000 rounds (iirc) was the limit and time to swap barrels.
My thoughts on that are shoot 9,000 rounds and say "That was fun son. It's now yours. You'll need to buy a new barrel".

[longgoldsilverandlead]

Originally Posted by JW_Pepper

There was a GCA article long ago that tested barrels and found 10,000 rounds (iirc) was the limit and time to swap barrels.
My thoughts on that are shoot 9,000 rounds and say "That was fun son. It's now yours. You'll need to buy a new barrel".

This^. In the extreme long run, every single one that was ever made is worn out or rusted into dust.

Enjoy them.

[Shomway]

Originally Posted by mountaineer273

This is going to seem really dumb but I have a question regarding a point that was raised to me recently. That is whether it is okay to shoot Garands that have GI Barrels on them. This point was raised by a friend who recently visited the North Store. He told me that he was told by the clerk there that it is best to only shoot Garands that have Criterion or other new production barrels on them. The reason that he gave was that since the supply of GI barrels is finite, we should not be shooting them.

This made me want to go buy an Expert Grade and refrain from shooting my Service Grades one of which is an IHC with what I believe is an original LMR barrel and is a tack driver as well as an SA 3.3 Million with a 9-43 barrel and a WRA with an LMR barrel. I have been thinking about this though. Is this concern true or should I just shoot them. I know this sounds like a very stupid question but I am curious to hear the opinions of the forum on this topic as you guys know much more about these rifles than I do.

Guess that's one way to sell what they might have had in stock at the time. Sounds almost like a scare tactic....
You're very unlikely to ever shoot out a USGI in your lifetime of shooting.

[ZvenoMan]

Perhaps the CMP employee was quoted out of context, but these are military grade rifles, designed to be used in less than ideal conditions. CMP as an organization sells these to be shot responsibly.
There are plenty out there (now) so that concern regarding the TYPICAL shooter grade (majority) Garand is baseless. Obviously rare/correct/collectible Garands deserve a separate discussion, not the purpose of this post of course.
Your typical Garand owner puts how many rounds down the barrel each year, or in 10 years?
I have a few dozen milsurps, I won't be wearing ANY out in my lifetime.
JW is on the same path as me.

There is one subtype of collectors that worship the history and untold stories of every milsurp (actually it seems to be US milsurps in particular) and as such you should thank CMP, your deity and John Wayne every day to be the caretaker, temporarily, of this one of a kind peice of history, and only shoot it on patriotic days, gently, while weeping. If you identify as one of these, by all means buy a CMP special and lock up all your other Garands.
That was a bit of sarcasm, spare me the PMs (you know who you are :-) )

JH

[jeremy69]

I would not do mag dumps on a original barrel correct rifle, but a few hundred rounds a year will take a long time to hurt anything.

[Bml]

Even at 10,000 rounds, the barrel will not gauge worn out at the muzzle if they were properly cared for. Our club rifles must be in the 5000-10000 range and still have great muzzle readings.

[adanac]

One could use the same logic and say that since the supply of receivers with GI barrels on them is limited, the CMP should not separate those barrels from those receivers by putting on new barrels.

If I had something super rare, and in great condition, I might not shoot it. 99% of us don't own that rifle, however. I say shoot it!

[austintexas]

I have 6 extra GI barrels in my closet, 12 op rods. I don't ever worry about a worn out barrel. You see GI barrels for sale on this forum all the time. I wouldn't worry about it.