Hey guys.
I am a new member to the forums and would like to thank you beforehand for viewing my first post. I am a 28 year old Canadian who recently acquired my firearms license. I had been trolling various classified ads and gun forums up here for an M1 Garand for probably a year before I went through the process of getting a license. I spent many hours watching videos and researching what to look for when buying an M1 and some of the specifics in how to date a gun and how to read it’s markings. Finally, during the largest gun show in Canada I found what I believed to be a gem of an M1. Out of probably 5000 guns at the show I came across 6 M1’s with the poorest being 1600$ and unfireable due to a bent operating rod. M1’s demand quite a premium here due to importation costs and limited supply.
When I saw this gun it was one of those moments in life where I knew there was no way I was going home without it. I had saved up and knew that a good gun meant big money. This was also my first firearm purchase and (legally) owned gun. I’ve since shot about 250 rounds and really enjoy the experience of becoming proficient. It’s also been a motivator to get in shape, not the easiest gun to shoot.
Before I saw this gun I knew I wanted a nice quality shooter. What I was told is this particular gun could be considered a collector grade, whatever that means. I was told it has most likely seen combat in WW2 and Korea, but how that could be verified I don’t know. The stock has only two stamps which I found confusing. As far as I could tell the receiver was manufactured in July of 1944 and it was rebarreled in 1951. As for the validity of the claim of this being a collector grade I was wondering if members of this forum could help verify that this is indeed a matching parts gun or if I was mislead and paid too high of a price.
The bigger question I have is should I feel bad about shooting this gun regularly and risk devaluing it if I do?
my first idea was to buy a criterion barrel and switch it out, leaving the possibility of switching it back to retain the guns value if the need arises, which I cannot foresee. I hope the attached photos are enough to give an idea of what I have. If you have any questions let me know. Thanks again for reading this rant and your time.
-Ben.
I am a new member to the forums and would like to thank you beforehand for viewing my first post. I am a 28 year old Canadian who recently acquired my firearms license. I had been trolling various classified ads and gun forums up here for an M1 Garand for probably a year before I went through the process of getting a license. I spent many hours watching videos and researching what to look for when buying an M1 and some of the specifics in how to date a gun and how to read it’s markings. Finally, during the largest gun show in Canada I found what I believed to be a gem of an M1. Out of probably 5000 guns at the show I came across 6 M1’s with the poorest being 1600$ and unfireable due to a bent operating rod. M1’s demand quite a premium here due to importation costs and limited supply.
When I saw this gun it was one of those moments in life where I knew there was no way I was going home without it. I had saved up and knew that a good gun meant big money. This was also my first firearm purchase and (legally) owned gun. I’ve since shot about 250 rounds and really enjoy the experience of becoming proficient. It’s also been a motivator to get in shape, not the easiest gun to shoot.
Before I saw this gun I knew I wanted a nice quality shooter. What I was told is this particular gun could be considered a collector grade, whatever that means. I was told it has most likely seen combat in WW2 and Korea, but how that could be verified I don’t know. The stock has only two stamps which I found confusing. As far as I could tell the receiver was manufactured in July of 1944 and it was rebarreled in 1951. As for the validity of the claim of this being a collector grade I was wondering if members of this forum could help verify that this is indeed a matching parts gun or if I was mislead and paid too high of a price.
The bigger question I have is should I feel bad about shooting this gun regularly and risk devaluing it if I do?
my first idea was to buy a criterion barrel and switch it out, leaving the possibility of switching it back to retain the guns value if the need arises, which I cannot foresee. I hope the attached photos are enough to give an idea of what I have. If you have any questions let me know. Thanks again for reading this rant and your time.
-Ben.
Comment