We will be Shooting the M1 Garand on Monday

[TucsonMTB]

It's just our way of observing the holiday. :amflag:

Nothing like bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, ping!

We always include a government sized 1911 as part of the traditional shooting on this day.

SWMBO will accompany me, just to make sure we end up with some targets worth bragging about.

Why, yes, she usually is a better shot than I am. How did you know? :o

Here's a warm up picture from a couple of years ago, before we got the Garand.

http://viewsfromtucson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/5.-Target-Results.jpg

Uhm, yeah, that is my 15 yard target, not hers . . .

[gb6491]

American classics:Amflag2:.
Have a great day at the range young sir (and a "hello" to the missus)!
Regards,
Greg

BTW. nice photo and nice shooting. That Kimber (Stainless Target?) looks good to go.

[DeaconKC]

Great tradition!

[BEARDOG]

Enjoy Tucson!

I got my Garand out to range just last week, great fun to shoot!!!
I bought mine some 20yrs ago now. I am very proud to own this American classic, just to hold a Garand is cool, they feel so strong and capable.

Mine has a Winchester receiver that dates to April of 1942... Also have a U.F.H. Bayonet dated 1943... I always wonder where all its been, and what it has been through???

Also, Wanted to say Thank you to all who served on this Veterans Day!!!:Amflag2:

Couple pics of mine,
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/BeardogV1/M1GARAND.jpg (http://s958.photobucket.com/user/BeardogV1/media/M1GARAND.jpg.html)
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/BeardogV1/M1GARAND2.jpg (http://s958.photobucket.com/user/BeardogV1/media/M1GARAND2.jpg.html)

[gb6491]

Enjoy Tucson!

I got my Garand out to range just last week, great fun to shoot!!!
I bought mine some 20yrs ago now. I am very proud to own this American classic, just to hold a Garand is cool, they feel so strong and capable.

Mine has a Winchester receiver that dates to April of 1942... Also have a U.F.H. Bayonet dated 1943... I always wonder where all its been, and what it has been through???

Also, Wanted to say Thank you to all who served on this Veterans Day!!!:Amflag2:

Couple pics of mine,
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/BeardogV1/M1GARAND.jpg (http://s958.photobucket.com/user/BeardogV1/media/M1GARAND.jpg.html)
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/BeardogV1/M1GARAND2.jpg (http://s958.photobucket.com/user/BeardogV1/media/M1GARAND2.jpg.html)
BEARDOG,
That there is poster/Fat Head /wall paper quality work. Thanks for sharing it:)
That's a fine rifle you have there.
Regards,
Greg

[BEARDOG]

Thanks Greg! :yo:

[jocko]

Thanks Greg! :yo:

those leaves just fell naturally like that!!

[BEARDOG]

those leaves just fell naturally like that!!

Yes sir, They just keep falling, and I keep blowing them away!...but not with the M1:D

[Bawanna]

I just crawled in from leaf blowing, literally. Battery crapped out in the chair. Got 2 pickup loads, have probably 4 more to go but wife will have to go it alone, both chair batteries are dead. Even the riding lawn mower don't have enough juice in the battery to run the blades so guess I have to just watch.

That is a fine looking Garand, I like that machined trigger guard better than the stamped like I have on mine.

Just something about a Garand that is just so perfectly right, hard to put words to it.

[BEARDOG]

I just crawled in from leaf blowing, literally. Battery crapped out in the chair. Got 2 pickup loads, have probably 4 more to go but wife will have to go it alone, both chair batteries are dead. Even the riding lawn mower don't have enough juice in the battery to run the blades so guess I have to just watch.

That is a fine looking Garand, I like that machined trigger guard better than the stamped like I have on mine.

Just something about a Garand that is just so perfectly right, hard to put words to it.

Thanks Col B!

Sorry to hear about your chair. Batteries suck! It will be a long time till they convince me that they can make an electric car that would be reliable.

Did you guys ever see a Garand bayonet scabbard that looks like this one?
I picked it up from a guy I use to work with who didn't know any history on it.
It has a rawhide like cover over wood with a small leather tip slide over it.
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/BeardogV1/M1BAYONET.jpg (http://s958.photobucket.com/user/BeardogV1/media/M1BAYONET.jpg.html)

[Bawanna]

Not me, I have a couple of that same bayonet, just gave one away to a fella down in Texas. His burnt up in a house fire so I sent him one.

Never seen a sheath like that for them. Doesn't look like its a issue item as is but I got nothing to back that up with.

[BEARDOG]

Yeah I agree, maybe someone just made it up???
What were the standard issue ones made of?

[Bawanna]

The one's I've seen are almost like a fiberglass body with metal at the top to clip into the bayonet itself.
I know there are some variations and maybe the one you have is early but I don't think that's the way it was originally. The bayonet itself looks exactly like the ones I have.

[wyntrout]

Thanks for sharing your experience and the pictures! I shot one as a kid... don't remember the age, but my favorite uncle had it and many others that he let us shoot during family gettogethers in rural Mississippi near Star in Braxton County, I believe. I shot my first 1903 Springfield there, too... back in the 50's!

I've kind of always wanted a Garand, but I'm not a collector and have no place to shoot rifles other than .22.

Great pictures, for sure!

I got up at sunrise to put The Flag up and took it in just before dark.

Wynn:)

[gb6491]

The standard bayonet when the Garand was adopted was the 16" blade M1905. The scabbard at the time was the M1910. It was constructed similar to what BEARDOG describes, being made of wood covered with canvas sporting a leather tip. From what I've read, when the M1 bayonet was designed many of the M1905 bayonets were recalled and cut down to 10" and reissued: perhaps the scabbards were shortened as well.
http://www.thegca.org/pdfs/Bayonets409.pdf
Regards,
Greg

[BEARDOG]

The standard bayonet when the Garand was adopted was the 16" blade M1905. The scabbard at the time was the M1910. It was constructed similar to what BEARDOG describes, being made of wood covered with canvas sporting a leather tip. From what I've read, when the M1 bayonet was designed many of the M1905 bayonets were recalled and cut down to 10" and reissued: perhaps the scabbards were shortened as well.
http://www.thegca.org/pdfs/Bayonets409.pdf
Regards,
Greg

Awesome info Greg!
Thanks for posting that, I have it saved now.
That makes sense to me, if you shorten the blade why not the scabbard too?
I always wondered about that thing, and now I know. Cool!

[Bawanna]

It looks like maybe the leather wrap on the body of that sheath has been peeled off. Thats what is making it look different. The tip and the top are right, just the middle messed up.

I had one of those 1905 long bayonets, have to look around and see if I still got it.

[TucsonMTB]

American classics:Amflag2:.
Have a great day at the range young sir (and a "hello" to the missus)!
Regards,
Greg

BTW. nice photo and nice shooting. That Kimber (Stainless Target?) looks good to go.
Thank you, kind sir! SWMBO shot the Kimber Stainless Target (good eyes!) better than I did, as usual. It was close, honest! http://home.mindspring.com/~justsomeguy/icon_lol.gif

But, the Garand was not as happy an experience for her. She broke a collar bone during one of our mountain biking expeditions several years ago and that area is not good fit for steel butt plates.

I, on the other hand, had a very good day . . . or maybe it was just an old war horse rifle showing off. :cool:


Enjoy Tucson!

I got my Garand out to range just last week, great fun to shoot!!!
I bought mine some 20yrs ago now. I am very proud to own this American classic, just to hold a Garand is cool, they feel so strong and capable.

Mine has a Winchester receiver that dates to April of 1942... Also have a U.F.H. Bayonet dated 1943... I always wonder where all its been, and what it has been through???

Also, Wanted to say Thank you to all who served on this Veterans Day!!!:Amflag2:

Couple pics of mine,
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/BeardogV1/M1GARAND.jpg (http://s958.photobucket.com/user/BeardogV1/media/M1GARAND.jpg.html)
http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae70/BeardogV1/M1GARAND2.jpg (http://s958.photobucket.com/user/BeardogV1/media/M1GARAND2.jpg.html)
Great pictures of a beautiful rifle, sir . . . as several others have already told you. Thank you for sharing!

Admittedly, the green background really shows off the colors of your wood. That's a novelty we usually don't have that here in the Tucson area. :o

And, yeah, I am amazed how often fellow shooters approach me at the range on our traditional rifle shooting Tuesday to share their enthusiasm for the Garand, along with some great stories.

Surprise! Mine looks a lot like yours, with my favorite WWII style trigger guard and GI stock from the same time frame, even though they are not "correct" for a Korean era H&R rifle. The rest of the rifle has correctly matching H&R parts, making it a great shooter, as I suspect yours is too.

As I understand it, Winchester is sort of "the holy grail" for a lot of Garand enthusiasts. :cool:

[BEARDOG]

It looks like maybe the leather wrap on the body of that sheath has been peeled off. Thats what is making it look different. The tip and the top are right, just the middle messed up.

I had one of those 1905 long bayonets, have to look around and see if I still got it.

You were right B it is an early version..
.
Actually the covering is still there over the wood, those are stitches going down the middle of it with some areas separated and the wood showing through.

I guess it is some kind of petrified 100 yr old canvas from the info Greg posted

[BEARDOG]

Thank you, kind sir! SWMBO shot the Kimber Stainless Target (good eyes!) better than I did, as usual. It was close, honest! http://home.mindspring.com/~justsomeguy/icon_lol.gif

But, the Garand was not as happy an experience for her. She broke a collar bone during one of our mountain biking expeditions several years ago and that area is not good fit for steel butt plates.

I, on the other hand, had a very good day . . . or maybe it was just an old war horse rifle showing off. :cool:


Great pictures of a beautiful rifle, sir . . . as several others have already told you. Thank you for sharing!

Admittedly, the green background really shows off the colors of your wood. That's a novelty we usually don't have that here in the Tucson area. :o

And, yeah, I am amazed how often fellow shooters approach me at the range on our traditional rifle shooting Tuesday to share their enthusiasm for the Garand, along with some great stories.

Surprise! Mine looks a lot like yours, with my favorite WWII style trigger guard and GI stock from the same time frame, even though they are not "correct" for a Korean era H&R rifle. The rest of the rifle has correctly matching H&R parts, making it a great shooter, as I suspect yours is too.

As I understand it, Winchester is sort of "the holy grail" for a lot of Garand enthusiasts. :cool:

Thanks Tucson! Glad you got to enjoy yours today.

Mine is just a shooter too. It still hits what I point it at and functions 100%.
I do have the more rare Winchester rec. but from what I can decipher most of the rest of the parts are Springfield Armory. I refinished the stock back when I first got it. Looked like it went through a couple wars LOL, Probably lost some value doing that, But I don't care it isn't going anywhere anytime soon ;)