$700 CMP M1 Garand Rack Grade Rifles available
- Thread starter Button Pusher
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From what I read on the CMP forums, the average condition has done quite the opposite, with the rare gem. Those prices are a little past my pain point (even factoring in inflation) for what they are, just like M1 Carbine prices are past my pain point. (I have 4x .30-06 M1s and 1x .308 M1, no carbines, which is plenty for me to shoot.)
Can't believe people are paying that nowadays for rack grades. I've read on their forum that people are getting some real turds. Wouldn't be surprised if resellers are the ones buying the most. The Greek returns (some of the best condition rifles they ever had) service grades from 10-12 years ago sold for about that much.
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Those were the good ole days. And they were buried in ammo at the time too. I remember seeing guys filling the backs of their suburbans and pickups with cases upon cases of ammo. And of course it started showing up at shows and online at a hefty markup.
I got two service grades, a Danish return, an M1 carbine, a bare receiver, an an 03. My dad got a service grade for about 350 when they did a special deal for WW2 vets. He gave it to me and I gave it to one of my sons. I also got, from the DCM, an unnissued receiver and barrel in exchange for an unservicable receiver. Cost me $24 has I recall. lso lots of .30 ball, 7.62 ball,.30 carbine ball, and .22 ammo made by Remington in white boxes. I'm shooting the last of that now
Yep, back when NASCAR (pre-2003ish) was around we always would hit Anniston store coming home from āDega. Those days it took forever to peruse all the racks ā¦ and the stuff they had was higher grade at better prices. If I only could go back and tell my stupid early 20ās self to āload upā I would be sitting pretty.
Well I keep reading on their site that military service is a qualifier for purchase and I look at their form and have some questions about how to indicate it. Canāt recall the specific wording on the form at the moment but I mentioned it in the CMP thread and I guess I didnāt understand the reply due to my lack of familiarity with the process, do they just want a DD214 or something along with the paperwork?
Yes. A copy of your DD214 satisfies the "proof of marksmanship activity" requirement. You also need club membership, but you can join the Garand Collectors Association online for like $25 and they will send the proof of membership over to the CMP once it is processed.
I have a few Garands. I have at least one from each U.S. manufacturer - all in 30-06. I also have an M1D and a welded chamber drill rifle that I use for dry firing practice. I got in right at the end of the Greek returns, so a couple of those rifles are pretty nice. In fact, the first time I ordered, I got an H&R (HRA) service grade that looked brand new, and is probably correct. And it is an absolute laser beam. It is the rifle I shoot at Camp Butner every year at the CMP Eastern Games. I was also lucky enough to get onboard before the HXP ammo was exhausted and got a few spam cans of that on clips and a few cans of the delinked HXP machine gun ammo before they ran out. I am still shooting that stuff regularly in practice. It is pretty good ammo.
I recently ordered 2 rack grades and stickied for an HRA and they sent me TWO HRAs. Both were pretty rough cosmetically, but had decent ME/TE numbers. One had a WRA barrel, and both had frosted, mildly pitted bores. But both rifles grouped at about 3" at 100 yards with HXP ammo. I've seen a few turds come out of there in this last batch of racks, but both of mine were pretty good compared to the average, I think. I can't complain about what I got for $650 each. A lot of folks buying these are "breakers" who are buying them, stripping them and selling them off as parts - or flippers who are cleaning them up, replacing any rare or expensive parts to sell separately, and then reselling them at gunshows, etc.
I recently ordered 2 rack grades and stickied for an HRA and they sent me TWO HRAs. Both were pretty rough cosmetically, but had decent ME/TE numbers. One had a WRA barrel, and both had frosted, mildly pitted bores. But both rifles grouped at about 3" at 100 yards with HXP ammo. I've seen a few turds come out of there in this last batch of racks, but both of mine were pretty good compared to the average, I think. I can't complain about what I got for $650 each. A lot of folks buying these are "breakers" who are buying them, stripping them and selling them off as parts - or flippers who are cleaning them up, replacing any rare or expensive parts to sell separately, and then reselling them at gunshows, etc.
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What would they need to see from the American legion? Copy of a membership or something? I could never find on their site what they wanted for the proof, they just said they required it. Thanks for taking the time to answer
sgtgeorge
Well-Known Member
A lot of folks buying these are "breakers" who are buying them, stripping them and selling them off as parts - or flippers who are cleaning them up, replacing any rare or expensive parts to sell separately, and then reselling them at gunshows, etc.
That is exactly the worst kind of people in the hobby. Why chop up a piece of history?
That is exactly the worst kind of people in the hobby. Why chop up a piece of history?
I don't know if they give a membership card, but whatever they do/provide that indicates membership - a copy of that would do it. Same for VFW, etc. "Membership in..." is the verbiage on the CMP website.
By the way, the verbiage for requirements to purchase are on both the form and the website, but the website wording is a little clearer for some of these, in my opinion.
I started with just one of these "Lays potato chips..." Was going to get "just one." I got one each (three service grades, and a service grade special) of the four manufacturers also (in two cases, mainly the receiver), and a .308 special field grade. Then I called it done - I can only shoot so much, due to lack of time. I like having an IHC because I grew up on a farm driving IHC tractors. The HRA SGS is like a new rifle. The SA with VAR barrel shoots really great. And who wouldn't want a Winchester (that seems to have an original barrel)? That's a small collection, but plenty to shoot. And I got all my ammo over time as HXP from the CMP - in .30 cal cans, and a few spam cans. It's probably enough for me, unless/until I reload some.