M1 Garand

[stovebolt_six]

Hello all. I'm looking for advice please. I'm wondering if it is okay to leave a loaded enbloc clip in my Garand for long periods of time or not, what do you all think? Thanks in advance!

[jak]

Aside from the safety factor, I don't see a problem. Personally, I would not do it. Too many people get shot from "I didn't know it was loaded" weapons.
If you are really intent on keeping your garand loaded, load 7 rounds in the enbloc and ride the bolt over the rounds. This way you have a loaded garand, but
an empty chamber.

[FlyJS41]

Aside from the safety factor, I don't see a problem. Personally, I would not do it. Too many people get shot from "I didn't know it was loaded" weapons.
If you are really intent on keeping your garand loaded, load 7 rounds in the enbloc and ride the bolt over the rounds. This way you have a loaded garand, but
an empty chamber.

...AND safety on!

[Orlando]

Why??.................

[stovebolt_six]

Ok, thank you for your advice, I don't keep it loaded. This Garand is my SHTF weapon, so I just keep a loaded enbloc clip close, only takes a few seconds to load anyway.

[m14brian]

This Garand is my SHTF weapon

For your SHTF rifle, keep many clips loaded and ready to go in a bandolier or bag ready to go.
m14brian

[lapriester]

Honestly, unless the M1 was the only choice I had for a SHTF weapon, it would be very low on my list of choices. The rifle is too heavy, too dangerous to use in the home, you can't carry enough ammo to make it worthwhile as a grab and go weapon and ammo choices when you run out of what you could carry are limited. If you intend to keep it loaded, lock it up securely and follow jak's suggestion keeping a round out of the chamber until needed. Not locking it up securely gives an intruder you are unaware of an effective weapon to use against you and opens up a world of legal and personal liability for you if an accident were to happen....even if the intruder has the accident. My grab and go rifle is an AR and a large ammo box full of loaded mags readily available. Across one shoulder I can carry a rifle case with two carbines and 2 spare uppers in it and that ammo box with almost 500 rounds in it in my other hand. If I choose to, I could carry my long range varmint bolt gun in the left over free hand. With an M1 you could carry the rifle and, maybe, 200 rounds of ammo for it.

[TJT]

My SHTF rifle just so happens to be an M1 rifle simply because I don't own any black rifles nor will I until I make the exodus from this communist state.
JT

[RDS]

The M1 served well in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. It can kill at both ends and take a hell of a lot of abuse. The one down side is the 8 round clip. Make sure you have good US GI clips and not current after market clips. I know of other guns that would be a worst choice.

[Garanditis]

As of now, my M1 is my SHTF gun as I too live in a commie state. But, if the SHTF, does it matter if your SHTF gun is "legal"? In the meantime, I just picked up this "scary black Weatherby rifle" for some distance fun.

[m14brian]

But, if the SHTF, does it matter if your SHTF gun is "legal"?

Probably will not matter unless you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, I'm no expert on it but if it is a large scale or protracted event, I think then it would be classified as WROL (Without rule of law). In that case there will be so much going on, so much lawlessness, looting, fires, shootings, deaths, possibly no communications and electricity, the ratio of police/emergency services/military to troublemakers will be so low that any law enforcement effort would not be feasible to check gun owners unless they just happened to get caught by happenstance then charged with something. The police and military will be too busy trying to restore order. I think the guy that stayed in his house and swapped his bullet button to use 30 rd mags for self defense against roving gangs would probably not get caught like the guy out in public causing real problems. Just my guess.
m14brian