Our M1 Garand Rifles - Stories & Photos

Side by side views of our M1 Garand Rifles

All images and pictures on this page can be clicked for larger views.

The older M1 Garand rifle (serial number 225,xxx) was made in 1941 It is pictured at the top. The lower one (serial number 5,42x,xxx) was made in the late 1950s. On first look you can see obvious differences in the condition of the stocks and the general wear on the metal.

Older and younger brother side by side. On the left you can barely see one of the two 'dings' on the newer stock. Other than this one imperfection and another one on the foregrip the stock and handgrips on the 5 million series Garand was nearly perfect. Both Garands had grips that matched their stocks perfectly.

The barrels and Gas Cylinders of the M1's. The older M1 (on the top) has a lot less finish. The gas cylinder finish on the newer rifle is pretty worn down too. (Stainless steel is hard to keep black.)

Pistol Grip area of both M1's.

Note the brass 'pins' which were placed to reinforce the stock of the older M1 Garand. A reproduction of an army maintenance manual that I have mentions that it was common practice to do this with small brass screws and then to file the heads off. The beautiful grain of the walnut on the 1950s Garand is also apparent in this shot.

Another shot of the repair/reinforcement of the older stock.

Chips and dings are quite evident on the older rifle. As you can see above the rack number there is a pretty good chunk taken out of the stock. there were several smaller ones as well.

In this pic from the bottom (with the trigger groups removed) you can see another expertly done repair job around the action-well. Note the brass 'pins'. Its also interesting to note that the newer rifle and trigger group slip in very snugly to the stock.

What the older stock lacked in beauty it made up for in history. There were three distinct markings on the stock. The first on the pistol grip was a P in a circle. This is a proofer's mark. It almost looks like this was struck twice one on top of the other.

The second mark reads 'SA' and is in a square box. It ooks like something was once embossed into the wood below this stamp but it has been sanded or worn away.

The third mark is an RIA-EB mark. I have it on good authority that this is a rebuild mark for the Rock Island Armory.

[2003 Note: According to Bruce Canfield - The "EB" marking represents Elmer Milton Bjerke. He went to work at Rock Island Arsenal on February 20, 1939 as a classified laborer assembling small arms. In September of 1940 he was promoted to Shop Inspector under the supervision of Frank Krack ("FK"). During WWII, Bjerke was one of many inspectors working at RIA. On January 6, 1947 Bjerke became Foreman of Small Arms Inspection and his "EB" cartouche began to be used. He held this position until 1958. Therefore, the "EB" marking indicates that the weapon was overhauled at Rock Island between 1947 and 1958.]

There is one other part on the pistol grip on the older rifle that looks a tiny like a hairline crack where a vestige of a knot is.

[2003 Note: The CMP later replaced this stock for me for free as it was in rather rough shape. Click here for more details on how they treated me when we had problems with this M1 or continue on to the next page.]

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READ THIS:For obvious reasons I do NOT recommend any of these procedures. This section covers, for good or for ill, how *I* work on my Garand Rifles. I have not been trained by any experts and I may be doing something dangerous to myself or my rifle. Do NOT try any of these techniques yourself. Get a competent and certified gunsmith to help and instruct you you. By continuing further you must agree to indemnify and hold harmless all persons or companies connected with this website and affirm that you are going to use this information solely as a window of education into how the writer works on his own property and as such you understand that it may be a window into a fools paradise.

If you have any questions or corrections please feel free to write me.

Charles

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 M1 Garand Rifles - Stories And Photos Of The Firearms We Received From The CMP