HELP!!! weird looking garand

[Jsel301]

Hello, first time on here.
I have been looking at a garand that a guy has and he doesn't know much about it. He says he got it from his dad who got it from his uncle and he has never owned one before. I know some about garands and I know this one doesn't look right but it's a good price and I want to turn it back to a normal garand. Basically the barrel looks like it's sticking out of the gas cylinder about 4 inches or so.

I hope someone can help me

[Jsel301]

I should add that it is in 308. He said that it is a 1943 springfield

[RCS]

Articles were in the American Rifleman magazine around 1961-62 that showed how to sporterize your M1 rifle. Require turning down the barrel
on a lathe and relocating the gas cylinder. You had to re-bend the operating rod after making it shorter to fit the gas cylinder and replace the tip.
The follower rod had to be cut back as well as the operating rod spring. I have shot these rifles, muzzle blast is very bad when they worked.

[RDS]

I have a copy of that American Rifleman article. I also happen to have a modified SA 52 barrel with gas cylinder and ramp front sight.

[Jsel301]

So what would I have to do to make it normal again? New barrel, op rod, follower, operating spring and new furniture? Are all these parts interchangeable?

[Orlando]

IMO its not worth messing with, would cost more than its worth. Better off leaving it as is

[Jsel301]

Then on a side note. I want to get an m1 in 308. If I were to get an 06 chambered m1 what's the easiest and most reliable way to convert it

[Orlando]

By the time you buy the rifle, buy the parts, pay a gunsmith to build the rifle it would probably be cheaper or as cheap to buy a Garand .

[RDS]

Then on a side note. I want to get an m1 in 308. If I were to get an 06 chambered m1 what's the easiest and most reliable way to convert it

Rebarrel it.

[lapriester]

Hello, first time on here.
I have been looking at a garand that a guy has and he doesn't know much about it. He says he got it from his dad who got it from his uncle and he has never owned one before. I know some about garands and I know this one doesn't look right but it's a good price and I want to turn it back to a normal garand. Basically the barrel looks like it's sticking out of the gas cylinder about 4 inches or so.

I hope someone can help me

Trying to return that to a "normal" M1 would be a waste of time and a total waste of money. I'm totally with Orlando in that regard. Buy a real M1 and if you want it re-barreled to 308 there are plenty of options available to you. FG's at CMP are selling for $630 right now. Shuff's, CMP, Fulton, and several others can do the work for you. Shuff's Parkerizing being the least expensive and he does good work. Or, when available, just buy a CMP Special Grade in 308. A bit expensive but you'll be getting a virtually new rifle in the caliber you want. It would cost you the same to turn that thing back into a real M1, if you even could. Even then you'd have a drilled and tapped receiver making the rifle useless for resale.

What you pictured is a typical post WWII M1 sporter conversion. It probably functions fine and would make a decent hunting rifle if you could get past the looks of the thing. How cheap is it being sold for. Note I said "how cheap" and not how much. Cheap would be OKAY, much would be too much.

[TJT]

It has probably had the rear sight ears milled off. That was a common practice when sporterizing them. There's no way to put those sight ears back on. Run from this one.
Jon

[RDS]

I would not be surprised that its a welded receiver.

[lapriester]

It has probably had the rear sight ears milled off. That was a common practice when sporterizing them. There's no way to put those sight ears back on. Run from this one.
Jon

Since the sight ears are not part of the receiver this wouldn't apply.

[RDS]

Since the sight ears are not part of the receiver this wouldn't apply.

I believe what was refered to as ears are the receiver "loops" that the elevation and windage knobs pass thru. On many of these sporters they were milled off to form a flat to mount a scope mount or a Williams peep sight. Once milled off there is no way to mount the original rear sight.

[TJT]

Thanks RDS. Yes, those are what I was referencing.
Jon