Posted on 06/07/2012 5:33:05 AM PDT by marktwain
Just in time for the 68th anniversary of D-Day.
The importation of as many as 87,000 M1 Garands gathering dust in South Korean storage may soon get the green light for importation to the US. Special thanks is due to Montana Senator John Tester and Representative Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming who introduced legislation to prevent the US government from interfering with the importation of US-made guns that were previously exported to other countries. In the face of this pressure, the State Department will no longer prohibit the exportation of these M1 Garands back to the US.
"From World War II to Korea and Vietnam, M1 Garand rifles played a crucial role in history," Tester said. "These American-made firearms will always be valued as collector's items, and law-abiding Americans have the right to keep them under our Constitution's Second Amendment. I'm glad the State Department listened to my concerns and those of America's gun collectors."
These rifles, which are completely legal in the US, and are even considered to be Curios & Relics because of their explicit value as collectible firearms, had been previously blocked for reasons ranging from wanting to protect US firearms manufacturing interests to ostensibly keeping guns off the streets, billing the M1 Garands as high-power, high-capacity semi-automatic rifles too dangerous for Americans.
With the State Department reversing their position, the US and South Korean governments will be working to find an importer to bring these Garands home. They will be distributed through the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), the government-chartered organization that promotes riflery and firearms safety.
The condition of these M1 Garands has not been established, but in the past, the CMP has rebuilt Garands into like new condition with new Walnut stocks and new Criterion barrels, both in their original chambering, .30-06 Springfield and also in .308 Winchester.
We really like M1 Garands in .308, as they can still use en-block clips in addition to being chambered in a more modern, more versatile, and importantly, more available cartridge.
This is good news for all the fans of the M1 Garand, both as an elegant, reliable, and attractive rifle as well as a firearm that is truly part of American history. The bad news is that waiting will be hard. Still, the CMP has more than a few M1 Garands on-hand. You can see what rifles they have for sale right here.
Sign me up.
M1 ping
Good question. I believe I remember that there was a large cache of carbines that had been prohibited from import. Anyway, this is good news but, with the current administration, I'll hold my excitement until the CMP sends out the sales notice....
Hurts my thumb just looking at them.
From what I remember these are the Carbines, they use the .30 Carbine cartridge, NOT the 30-06.
Great for close quarter combat though. Short on range, qustionable performance against heavey winter clothing or simple first generation body armor.
Not something I would rush out to buy.
M1 Garand ping
The last I heard about this, the plan was to give Korean War vets and their families first dibs. Does this change that?
The price of Garands won’t drop. The demand for this batch will be HUGE. CMP will be absolutely inundated with orders.
The pictures aren’t carbines. My gun dealer retired, so I would have to find a new one, but a sharp price drop on Garands might make it worth the effort to start looking.
Oh yeah, they need the money so they can now buy Korean made arms and build up their own industry while the US taxpayer who pays for their defense (30,000 US troops aren't cheap) sits unemployed.
Bastards - count me out.
I want to know how to know when the shipment will hit the sales racks at CMP. I’m within driving distance (maybe 3 hours) from the Alabama store, and will be there when doors open IF I can find out when first availability is.
The last one I saw from Korea were in rough shape. Most weren't even usable as is.
If they are the same condition as the last ones I saw, it will take a good chunk of change just to get them back into usable condition.
Why the CMP? I don't want a rifle thats been modified to specs I don't want. Just give me a plane ole M1 and I do the mods myself ....
Not really...my uncle was a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient who fought in the Korean War. He was drafted in June 1950 straight out of high school, went through basic training that summer, and then became part of the Pusan Perimeter break-out force, ultimately going all the way to the Yalu River as part of a recon unit.
He was initially armed with a M1 carbine, but when the Red Chinese launched their big "volunteer" counter-attack in December 1950, he found that it was mostly useless.
Before he died at the age of 80 last year, my uncle told me while he was manning a foxhole alone, a Chinese soldier charged him with a bayonet and it took 10 .30 round to put him down. After that, he threw away his carbine and picked up the first Garand he could find and carried it for the rest of his service in Korea. One shot was all he needed after that.
In BREAKOUT, Martin Russ’ incredible telling of the Chosin Campaign, he writes of the carbine’s inability to generate stopping power in extreme cold that was compounded when the target was wearing multiple thick layers.
My understanding is they cannot shoot today’s .30-06 ammo. It’s a liability issue.
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