Garand Help
I looked at a garand at a yard sale a couple of days ago only briefly. It is a winchester serial no 1395xx it apprered to in good shape. It was left to him by a family member. He has a lot of loaded mags and ww11 ammo in the spam cans. My question is what should I look for on this gun and the gun is in good shape what should I offer him for it?Thankyou Beltfed
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I bought a m1 Garand here on GB. The first 150+ rounds I put through were remington 150gr and they worked fine. later at a gun show I bought 500 rnds of '68 lake city M2 ball. after about 20 rnds of that the gun started failing to reload about every 3-5 shots (ejecting brass fine but not loading the next round) so to find out if the problem was the ammo or the gun I was going to put some 150gr winchester through it when the range master tells me I shouldn't use factory ammo because it could bend the op-rod. but before I ever used the gun I read through the manual and it didn't say anything on using factory ammo only not to use reloads. What do you think? How likly is it the the factory rounds would do damage? should I try a new operating rod? BTW I did clean the rifle gas port and all after every time a went shooting. 0 -
You need to consult with our resident Garand Expert....Mark Christian....He's the best......
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff0 -
I'm always more pessimistic than Mark. The odds are that it's a rebuild, worth $600-700 retail if unmolested. A $500 offer would be fair.
In the unlikely event that it's all original, value could be in the $2,000 + range. Things to look for would be WRA over WB in a box stamped on the stock, WP in an oval on the barrel (shows when the slide is locked back), WRA on the op rod, trigger housing, trigger guard. If it has all of these things, there's a chance that it's something scarce.
Neal0 -
Thank you Capt. Kirk but I really don't deserve that...you should see me bowing and kneeling at the Garand Collectors Association annual when the "REAL" experts stroll by! Beltfed, ANY Winchester Garand is going to have some interest as the name Winchester makes it instantly collectable. How much this particular rifle is worth is going to depend on how much of it is still original Winchester and not replaced by other makers parts- like Sprigfield. And guys, I KNOW that nearly none of these rifles are as issued and that most have been rebuilt several times...I've only been collecting M1's for over 20 years!
The first thing to check is the barrel. Open the action and look at the barrel in the gap between the stock and the top handgaurd. On Springfield barrels there will be a series of numbers and a date stamped. On Winchester barrels the will be nothing there except a round punch mark. If you have a Winchester barrel you have a M1 that is worth buying. Check the stock for any markings on its left side below the rear sight. Your Winchester was produced in August of 1943 (I have one made just one month prior) and the markings on the stock you are looking for should be WRA W.B. or possibly WRA G.H.D- a case could be made for either in your serial number range. If you have one of those stocks and a correct barrel you are good to go for a very nice rifle!
From this point on you simply need to check the rifle over for as many parts marked WRA as possible. This would include the bolt, opertaing rod, and trigger housing. Many parts like the safety and trigger are also marked WRA but you'd need sharp eyes to spot them without tearing down the trigger group. Winchester gas tubes are not marked but it you check the top of the rear "ring" where it meets the forearm, it will be nearly round- Springfields have a flat top. What does the rear sight look like? Is there a flat bar across the right side elevation knob? Other than the stock and barrel, these other parts can be obtained without too much trouble or reaching too deeply into your wallet. If the rifle has no Winchester parts other than the receiver it is worth what the CMP was selling these Winchester miss matched M1's for- about $600. If it has all of the correct parts I mentioned it is worth about twice that much. If it can be proven to be original and have ALL of its original and correct parts- very few are- it is worth even more- A LOT MORE...but I would not hold my breath! Go back and get a better look at it and feel free to e-mail me personally if you want to bet into the hard details. I've got 12 others doing the same thing so one more won't kill me.
By the way Neal, I am the eternal firearms skeptic...but I am the always hopeful Garand collector- those as issued M1's are out there- I just never seem to find them!
Mark T. Christian0
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