Crushing on the M1 Carbine

Email today from Dennis Kroh at Empire Arms

Update from Dennis Kroh
Exactly two weeks ago I underwent abdominal surgery and am recovering quite rapidly. I am still restricted from driving or lifting anything that weighs 5 pounds or more, but that should only last another 2-4 weeks. This also means that any "New Stuff" lists we may have been planning will have to wait until I am fully recovered.

In mid-late June we are planning another BUYING TRIP up the East Coast, primarily with stops in the Philadelphia area. If you live in the I-95 / I-80 / I-81 / I-77 / I-75 corridors and are considering selling a quantity of your collection we may be able to stop by, pay for, and pick up the items with little to no effort on your part. Unlike MOST of your local dealers (whose motto is "buy low and sell high") we will pay VERY competitive prices (usually MORE than you would realize if you attempted to sell the items yourself, either locally or online). We especially want to buy back items you originally purchased from us.

If this interests you, please CONTACT us via email so we can have a conference via telephone to figure out the details.

Unwrapped M1 Garand Sniper rifles

The U.S. Army Department of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) was the precursor of the modern Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). Although both programs allowed qualified civilians to purchase excess military firearms directly from the government, the DCM rules were much more stringent. A person that was fortunate to qualify could only purchase ONE example of each type IN THEIR LIFETIME under the DCM rules (and it usually took nine months to a year or more for the firearm to make its appearance).



Of course under the DCM there were, at various times, not only M1 Garands available but 1903 Springfields, M1 Carbines, and even 1911 & 1911A1 handguns (with a limit of ONE per person, per lifetime).



In the late 1990's the DCM offered for sale, via AUCTION, a small quantity of M1 Garand Sniper rifles, direct from the U.S. Army reserves. These included very few of the earlier M1C Garands as well as the more common M1D. Again there was a limit of ONE example per person, and all these earlier rifles were sold immediately.



They were shipped out to the purchasers via U.S. Mail, and when they arrived collectors were THRILLED to find that the rifles (most in UNISSUED condition), scopes and accessories had been sealed in individual bags, marked with their contents and (when applicable) serial numbers. The M1C rifles included documentation that details the markings of each and every part on the rifle.



What we have to offer you is exactly what the fortunate purchasers of these items received: The original shipping boxes were cut open to determine what (if anything) the parcel contained, however the contents of each bag (including that containing the actual rifle) remains sealed. I have been informed that there is a large contingent of Garand collectors that prefer them this way, and I would be flushing hundred dollar bills down the drain if I was to remove these items for the purpose of taking photographs or examining any markings on them in detail.



All rifles come with original DCM (M1C) or DCM (M1D) documentation , exactly what they were shipped with. This paperwork ties the serial number of the rifle with the serial number of the scope, and all rifles and accessories are in excellent shape (it has been over 20 years, after all) and included.



The available rifles are as follows:



M1C #3251860 $8,750

M1D #1116966 $4,750

TheOriginalMexicanBob said:

My uncle never really talked about combat until the last time I visited him before he passed away at 95. By then all he had were long-term memories. He talked about the Normandy hedgerows and such.

Prior to that he would only talk about the more humorous experiences of Army life. He had taken ROTC in high school and after he enlisted the Army wanted him to apply for officer's school. He said he had already seen the stats on the life expectancy of junior officers in combat so he declined. He said about midnight that night when he was cleaning latrines with a toothbrush he decided to rethink that decision.

Once I asked him if he had seen "Saving Private Ryan" and he looked at me and said "That's just Hollywood" and said nothing more. After my parents were gone I found some letters to them from my uncle from during the war. There I discovered why he was in the first wave...his platoon was assigned to work with the combat engineers destroying beach obstacles for following boats. He said he hit the beach with forty men and only had ten left by day's end. He was in the 29th Division, 116th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion.

I met Jim Cirillo once when I was at FLETC...the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. He was a legend among old timers. Pretty nice guy as well.

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You story of your uncle reminds me of an old friend who just passed a few years back. When Saving Private Ryan came out, I couldn't find anyone to go (my wife wanted nothing to do with the 'violent movie'). I asked Paul to go and he simply said 'what the hell would I want to go see that for? I was there for thw real thing and didn't like it much'. His daughter told me years later that he saw it on TV and often made atatements like 'that is't the way that happened'. Paul was wounded...nearly killed..in hedgerow fighting. However, he recovered, continued to serve in Europe, and he ended up living into his 90s as well. I remember taking him to what may have been his last gun show. We had to walk aways and he kept stopping to catch his breathe. He finally said during one pause that ' I walked my ass all over Europe, now I can't walk to a damned gun show'. I miss that man.