Time to Buy a Garand... Need Your Help!

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Which caliber?

    • .30-06

      Votes: 61 91.0%
    • .308

      Votes: 6 9.0%

    • Total voters
      67

    smores

    Creepy-Ass Cracker
    Feb 27, 2007
    13,493
    Falls Church
    What do you really want to do with it?

    If it's a collectors piece that you might compete with occasionally or informally, get a service grade.

    If you want to use it seriously, get a special grade. You can put a modern finish on the wood, bed it, NM parts, dick with the handguard and stuff that needs to be done to accurize it, without ruining an original (I consider standard CMP mix-masters to be original. As they are as they would be in service).

    Or buy a receiver and put all the parts together yourself.

    30-06 can do JC Garand matches, 308 cannot. Otherwise I don't really see a difference.

    If unsure, my standard answer: Get the less expensive one and see if you like it or not.

    You will make money on your CMP service grade if you need to sell it to fund another purchase.

    Yeah, I want a pure shooter that I can feel ok working with if I wanted to. Due to all the helpful posts, I've decided to stick with the .30-06. It just wouldn't be right to go .308! If I like this rifle enough, I'll probably end up getting a service grade as well... I just like things to be shiny and newish sometimes, you know? The Special grade is $300 more than the service, so $300 for a new barrel (and possibly other parts), wood and a refinish is a great deal.

    I'd be interested in doing one myself, but I've seen all the tooling needed and how much that will cost. There's a guy in Rockville I've met who is a U.S. Service Rifle enthusiast and has all the stuff. His collection of parts, gauges, tools and rifles is mind-boggling. I don't know if I'll ever get to that level but for now I'd like to get a complete rifle. I will likely contact him and see if he'll help me look the rifle over when I get it and make sure everything is good to go. I'm sure it will be, it's just good to know the proper inspection procedures and how to use the tools & gauges.

    I have no immediate plans to compete with this rifle, but I am a good shooter and have been getting more and more into IDPA, and want to start Sporting Clays. Having a brand new barrel gives me a lot of confidence that I'll be starting off with a bore free of pits and damage.

    Thanks for your help guys. :thumbsup:
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,927
    Messages
    7,259,345
    Members
    33,349
    Latest member
    christian04

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom