M1 Garand In .308

D

dinosaur

New member
I found this gun yesterday on one of my little forays into the "bush".:) Int`l Harvester chambered in .308. Actually the owner wasn`t in the shop and I took it for granted in was 30.06. My bad. Nice wood, the receiver is in real nice shape and supposedly came from a doctor`s collection. I went back today and he wants $730 and won`t budge from that.

Assuming I don`t know spit about these guns, what am I looking at? I know Garands were chambered in .308 but I don`t know when, or if it`s a rebarrel or what. Are they worth more than the 30.06 version?

I have a real problem giving this guy money as his prices on guns I own are way out of line.

Thanks for the input.
 
As far as I know, there were no Garands manufactured in .308, they were all modified after the fact.

Some people like this midification and some do not. You should check closer to see if it was re-barreled or if they used an insert to make the change. You might also want to check for further markings and go to Scott Duff's web page, http://www.scott-duff.com to see if he may be able to add some information. If this was a US Navy modified Garand, it may be worth the money as these seem to have been some very nice firearms. I believe if it is Navy modified that it will have some markings identifying it as such.

If it is insert modified, I do not think it would be worth that much unless there is something special about it. But if it was done by being re-barreled by a reputable gunsmith or the Navy, this may be a fair price.

I hope this helps.
 
Garands

Many Garands were and are being rechambered in 308. Mostly competitive high power shooters do this as they believe that the 308 cartridge is more accurate than the original 30-06. Quantrill
 
How hard is it to tell if it`s been sleeved?

I don`t mind so much that it`s .308. I have an M1A so I can use the same ammo.
On looking at Scott Duff`s site, he says I.H. didn`t start making Garands until the Korean War. Something I didn`t know.
 
The WWII makers were Springfield Armory (the government factory, not the current commercial company) and Winchester. Korean war era makers were Springfield, Harrington and Richardson, and International Harvester.

Jim
 
If it is a good re-bbl, go for it. I re-bbl all mine to .308 once the 06' bbl gets shot out.

Why:
1. Easier to get brass
2. .308 IS a more accurate cartridge than the 06'
3. I'm a match course shooter and I simply think the cartridge is superior.
4. Easier to get cheap surplus ammo for "trigger time"
 
You can tell if it's rebarreled by examining the marks on the barrel. It's my belief (my books aren't in front of me) that the M-1 was never made in 7.62 Nato. There were some military conversions, some of which used a "sleeve." The better conversions used barrels chambered for 7.62 Nato.

If the receiver and bolt is in good condition, you may want to pick up that gun as a shooter. As a collector's item, it would require restoration to the original 30-06.
 
Check out the "clip" well in the reciever. See if there is a plastic bullet stop (it prevents clips of .30-06 from being loaded) in the foward area. Also, the barrel will be stamped "7.62" or "7.62 NATO" or "7.62mm", (these are re-barreled rifles). I can't remember which. If you find these things, it is probably a modified M-1 for U.S. Navy use. I recall them in the late 60s or early 70s.
Damn, time flys when your having fun.
Clem
USMC Retired
 
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