30 Government cartridge, the M1 was loaded via an eight-shot, en bloc stamped steel clip, which ejected with a loud "ping" after the last shot was fired. Designed to replace the Springfield 1903-A3 bolt action, the popularity of Garand's rifle would become so great that it became synonymous with the inventor's surname.Ĭhambered for the standard. Douglas MacArthur who brought young Garand to Springfield Armory, where he subsequently developed the Model 1 rifle (hence "M1")-a "gas operated, clip fed, semi-automatic shoulder weapon," to quote from the Army's field training manual. Most are in museums or private collections, and when they come on the market, their prices reflect their scarcity. Of course, some perfect specimens still can be found, but these are, for the most part, guns that saw little or no battlefield use or were otherwise preserved in their "as-issued" state. Parts were swapped and stocks were changed with no thought that these firearms would one day become collectible. But those cherished examples existed just prior to and during World War II-and only as each rifle rolled off the assembly line.Īs soon the Garand went into battle, it immediately became subject to the mix-and-match vicissitudes of military armorers whose job it was to keep these accurate and rapid-firing rifles battle ready. To be sure, there was a time when every M1 Garand had all matching parts, original wood and no import stamps. This is especially frustrating for those who are looking for the Holy Grail of M1 Garands: a gun with all matching armory components. Thus, while the demand for Garands keeps increasing, the number of existing originals is diminishing-especially those with GI parts.
#FOREIGN SALE M1 GARAND SERIAL NUMBERS TV#
Likewise, these same factors are at play in both old and new TV programs such as Combat! (1962-67), M*A*S*H (1972-83), Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010). Much of this increased demand is due to the realization of the Garand's growing historical significance, which is being kept alive in movies and on TV. Consequently, prices have been rising over the past few years. Today's surviving M1s have become much more than that as the supply of good shootable and collectible versions is starting to dry up. In fact, it is as a collectible that the M1 Garand has come into its own in a way that might surprise many who simply saw it as a rugged, no-nonsense wartime tool. 30, M1," as it was officially known, is still very much with us.Īlthough no longer our official battle rifle, the M1 Garand continues to prove itself as a National Match gun and in events that include CMP and 3-Gun competitions, not to mention reenactments, casual target shooting, hunting and collecting. After all, with more than 6 million M1 Garands produced between 19, the "U.S. And although there was a time when WWII vets didn't have a choice of Garands-they simply had to take the gun that was issued to them-today's shooters and collectors can select from varying conditions, styles and price ranges. In fact, the Garand continued to serve our GIs throughout the Korean War and was reenlisted as a sniper rifle in Vietnam. He was, of course, referring to the M1 Garand, the primary shoulder arm of U.S. once called "The greatest battle implement ever devised."
Nostalgia, desirability and collectability are closely linked, and such is the case with what has arguably become one of America's most popular wartime weapons, a rifle that Lt.
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