Our Experiences With The CMP in 1999 and 2000 - Civilian Marksmanship Program

The Civilian Marksmanship Program is an organization who has adopted the following mission statement:

"The mission of the Corporation is to conduct the Civilian Marksmanship Program to ensure all qualified citizens, with special emphasis on the youth of America, are provided a safe and disciplined opportunity to participate in rifle marksmanship, firearms safety and other programs."

CMP Logo - used with permission.

One of the ways that the CMP accomplishes their mission is by allowing thoroughly background-checked US Citizens of good character to purchase a wonderful piece of United States history in the form an original US issue M1 Garand Rifle!

M1 Garand Rifles are made available to anyone who can meet a set of well thought out criteria and who are legally able to own firearms. While the emphasis is passing on the shooting sports to the youth of our country, the CMP also is apparently fully behind allowing anyone who meets the criteria to become involved in the preservation of these wonderful rifles.

Am I an avid supporter of the CMP? You bet! Their customer service is second to none, and they seem to have an eye for both the history and future of the M1 Garand and the future of the shooting sports. Additionally, their goal of safe firearm instruction to our youth makes sense for a plethora of political and practical reasons. Their dedication was part of the inspiration for composing this website.

The following pages detail my experience with the CMP's rifle-sales program.

Until recently I did not even know that the Civilian Marksmanship Program existed. Through this website I'd like to share with those of you who have not heard of the program some of what I have learned in the last few months. I'd also like to tell the story of my interaction with the folks at CMP and the acquisition of my very own M1 Garand Rifle.

If you are more interested in the rifles themselves please check out the Our Garands Page after you finish reading this section.

Civilian Marksma-what?

In October of 1999 my father and I learned that the US Government was actively disposing of thousands of surplus M1 Garand rifles. The M1 Garand, for those of you who are unfamiliar with its history, is a truly historic arm which was originally issued to our troops during World War Two, Korea, and Vietnam. These rifles have been superseded by more modern arms and most had come back to the United States and lain dormant in Army depots for decades.

In the summer of 1999, rumors were running rampant that the Clinton-Gore Administration was considering shutting down the program which allowed civilian acquisition of M1 Garands. Worse yet, the word was that the government would then send most if not all of the M1's that were still in government armories into the belly of an evil machine called 'Captain Crunch' where they would be destroyed and the metal sold for scrap. Many if not most of the 1911 .45 pistols in US inventory have met this fate.

We had a chance to save a piece of history!

After reading several sites on the web including Culver's Shooting Page, the Civilian Marksmanship Program Website, Gun & Knife.com, Clancy's M1 Page, Lane Smith's Pages, and others (see my Garand Links Section) we decided to take the plunge and purchase a couple of these historic battle rifles.

Please Go To The Next Page

Please feel free to explore the other sections of this website:
[About This Website] [How I Maintain My M1s] [CMP Program - Our Experience]
[Our CMP M1 Garand Rifles] [CMP Ammunition] [M1 Parts Photographs & Nomenclature]
[M1 Garand Accessories] [A Little Important Humor] [Links to Other M1 Garand Sites]




			Our Experiences Buying M1 Garand Rifles From The CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) in 1999 and 2000