Dropped of a 1943 SA Garand at Fulton Armory

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  • Trepang

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2015
    3,310
    Southern Illinois
    I don't know how many of you are members of the Garand Collectors Association and get their magazine but in the past couple of articles they have been doing a series on a Garand they bought from Royal Tiger Imports and then sent it off to Fulton Armory for a complete overhaul.

    The most recent issue showed the final product - Fulton Armory basically restored it to like new shooting condition, not collector, all original condition but like new shooting condition. The pics in the article were impressive which got me to thinking..........

    I have a February 1943 CMP Rack Grade Garand that came from CMP as a mix master and would be an ideal candidate for a Fulton Armory overhaul.

    This past week I had to go up towards Savage for a USCG PHYSICAL so I made arrangements with Peggy to drop it off for the full monte.

    I will be sure to post pictures when I get it back but she did tell me to be patient.

    I did request that they use SA parts where possible and to replace the IHC bolt with a SA. The rifle came from CMP with an uncut Winchester Oprod which I did ask that they return after the overhaul.

    It is the bottom one in the group photo.

    Screen Shot 2023-01-31 at 5.09.12 PM.png
    18 May All CMP Rifiles BR.jpg
     
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    spoon059

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 1, 2018
    5,333
    Do you mind giving a description of what they are planning to do and how much they expect it to cost?

    I have a GREAT 1943 Winchester service grade, but its a mix master. Wood has some 1950s era cartouche from Rock River Arsenal.
     

    antco

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 28, 2010
    7,044
    Calvert, MD
    I really need to get one of those beauties some day. I don't know enough about them to not end up with a piece of hodge podged garbage though. Great looking rifles.
     

    John from MD

    American Patriot
    MDS Supporter
    May 12, 2005
    22,726
    Socialist State of Maryland
    Do you mind giving a description of what they are planning to do and how much they expect it to cost?

    I have a GREAT 1943 Winchester service grade, but its a mix master. Wood has some 1950s era cartouche from Rock River Arsenal.
    Fulton has never been cheap. You would have to take a night security job to pay for it. :innocent0
     

    Trepang

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2015
    3,310
    Southern Illinois
    They are going to:
    Bead last all the metal
    Re-parkerize everything
    New barrel
    New springs
    Replace the uncut Winchester Oprod
    Change the IHC bolt to a SA bolt
    Gauge and spec everything out
    Replace any out of spec parts
    New walnut stock with matching grain and color - not bedded but hand fit

    I have no idea as to the cost. I just dropped it off with a work list and their work authorization form. I’ll let you know when it’s done but it won’t be for a few months at the soonest.

    Last year they built me a M1 Carbine on a 1943 USGI Winchester receiver. I have no doubt as to their quality of work and I have full confidence in what they will do to this Garand.
     

    spoon059

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 1, 2018
    5,333
    Fulton has never been cheap. You would have to take a night security job to pay for it. :innocent0
    Ha, they do have some steep prices, I saw around $3000 to essentially build a new rifle around an old receiver. While that is certainly interesting, I only have one M1 and I like the "originality" of it. It's my understanding that by the end of the war they would often be mix-masters by armorers that would piece together damaged rifles.

    Sent from my SM-N970U1 using Tapatalk
     

    HiStandards

    Active Member
    Aug 1, 2017
    569
    Anne Arundel Co
    Ha, they do have some steep prices, I saw around $3000 to essentially build a new rifle around an old receiver. While that is certainly interesting, I only have one M1 and I like the "originality" of it. It's my understanding that by the end of the war they would often be mix-masters by armorers that would piece together damaged rifles.

    Sent from my SM-N970U1 using Tapatalk
    Ernie Pyle wrote an article about an ordnance company after D-Day. They gathered weapons from the battlefield and aid stations., stripped them down. Set up buckets of solvent (gasoline if I remember correctly), bolts in this bucket, gas cylinders there, etc. Slosh, scrub, reassemble, lube, test fire, reissue. Certainly not tracking heat codes.
     

    Ponder_MD

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 9, 2020
    4,554
    Maryland
    Charlie Maloney told me that the fellow at Fulton (Richard...something, eludes me right now) is basically his successor. The only guy he trusts. It does sound like Fulton is far, far more expensive than Charlie was.

    I paid $700 for a new stock, new op rod spring, Criterion barrel and the competition trigger, rear sight repair and a few other odds and ends. Got it back in like, 2 weeks.
     

    Doco Overboard

    Ultimate Member
    Unless I had a problem with it I would probably just leave it alone and maintain it.
    I thought CMp was offering refinished/ rebuilt rifles recently.
    Maybe W marked expert grades or something they were calling them.
    Either the GCA has spec build sheets included in quarterly issues and on their site for sure that can be downloaded.
    That RtI rifle was beater to begin with so no harm done there.
    I would make sure I got that IHC bolt back and anything for that matter they changed out on the rifle even a wore out op rod spring.
     

    Trepang

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2015
    3,310
    Southern Illinois
    I have 4 of them. 1943s and 1944s.

    Charlie Maloney went through one of them a couple years ago.

    The other two are mostly "correct" with good war time barrels, period correct parts and stocks with the correct cartouches on them.

    This one was a Rack beater and I wanted a Fulton Garand to go along with my Fulton Carbine.
     

    Trepang

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2015
    3,310
    Southern Illinois
    Ernie Pyle wrote an article about an ordnance company after D-Day. They gathered weapons from the battlefield and aid stations., stripped them down. Set up buckets of solvent (gasoline if I remember correctly), bolts in this bucket, gas cylinders there, etc. Slosh, scrub, reassemble, lube, test fire, reissue. Certainly not tracking heat codes.
    There is an awesome picture of that I saw awhile back. I think it was taken on Okinawa. Just piles of parts with a guy reassembling Garands out of the piles. No one was worried about headspace back then.
     

    spoon059

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 1, 2018
    5,333
    There is an awesome picture of that I saw awhile back. I think it was taken on Okinawa. Just piles of parts with a guy reassembling Garands out of the piles. No one was worried about headspace back then.
    Exactly. Mine still goes bang and hits steel at 200 yards without me touching anything. It would be cool to have all WRA parts, but I'm fine with the mix master. It seems fitting for a rifle that survived the war!

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    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    I'd be skeptical of a Garand that did match codes. Ya gotta expect a blend of bits, especially on a WW2 era example. There's a photo of FN factory staff at their work stations surrouned by Garand parts/stocks in late '45. FN got a contact from the US Army to rebuild Garands in theater at the war's end. Definitely no parts matching going on!
    As to Fulton, Clint personally built an M1A for me from a TRW parts kit I got from Charlie around 25 yrs ago at the Silverado show in Upper Marlboro. Clint did a magnificent job and waaay under charged me with what he jokingly called a relative's discount. That M1A will be in my safe when I pass, along with my IHC Garand. If Richard was mentored by Clint and Charlie then he got quite the education.
    vanderlinden-us-arms-p4.jpg
     

    Straightbolt

    unindicted co-conspirator
    Apr 4, 2015
    2,502
    The 'Burbs
    Orion 7 did mine and I was very happy. Price was a bit better than Fulton Armory. I had the "The Lieutenant" service done on mine with a .308 barrel which I believe is not available now. I got a new stock from the CMP to finish mine off. Luckily the CMP stock needed no fitting and had a tight lockup and passed the tilt test when installed.
     
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