Up to 87,000 South Korean M1 Garands Coming Home

guns.com ^ | 6 June, 2012 | Max Slowik

[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.

[Lurker]

Because the civilian versions of those were manufactured as semi-auto only. Original USGI M-14s were manufactured with a selector switch which was later removed and the location for them welded shut.

That doesnt matter to the ATF. “Once a machine gun, always a machine gun” even if there’s no way practical way to convert it back to fully automatic.

[M1903A1]

I understand the CMP did look at them...they’re dependent on the Army to get back Lend-Lease/MAP arms for them, and the Army’s response was “we don’t pay to bring back obsolete junk”.

The Korean Garand debacle led directly to the end of further importations of US-made surplus arms in the late 1980s.

Expect more of this kind of thing...these countries are well aware that their old war-reserve arms—especially anything with a strong emotional attachment like Garands—are worth serious money on the American market.

[smithandwesson76subgun]

There are some for sale.http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/storeproduct905.aspx

[M1903A1]

Some M14 makers (especially receiver makers) have been better than others...the one I can wholeheartedly recommend is Fulton:

http://www.fulton-armory.com/

[FreeAtlanta]

I want one! or maybe several for my kids! :-)

What is the current going rate for a good one?

[eartrumpet]

If you order from the CMP the rifle will be shipped to you by mail. Now I believe it is shipped bu FEDX. The ONLY firearm I ever picked up at the post office!

When I got my Garand from the DCM (CMP) in the early 80s, I came home from work one day to find it leaning against the mailbox out by the county road.

[ctdonath2]

I emailed the ODCMP about these rifles. interesting response:

---

Thank you for the inquiry.

The CMP is not a firearms importer and we would not have any involvement of any kind in anything that may happen with these Korean rifles and carbines if they were “sold” to an importer.

The only way any rifle from any country can find its way to the CMP is if
the country returns “loaned” rifles back to the US Army - at no cost to the US. When that happens, the CMP “may” possibly receive some of those rifles. Korea does not plan on returning (repatriating) any rifles to the US Army, but plans to “sell” these rifles to an importer. According to the recent news and rumors, the U.S. State Dept has agreed to allow Korea to sell the rifles, even though the U.S. Army claimed the rifles and carbines should be returned to the US Army at no cost. CMP will not have any involvement in this.

However, there is no need to wait for the Korean Garands to make a purchase. CMP has plenty of M1 Garands for sale now. The M1 Garands that GIs used in Korea came back to the USA. The M1 Garands that Korea now has were loaned by the USA to Korea in 1970.

Please see the sales links from www.thecmp.org.

Thank you for the inquiry.

[M1903A1]

“When I got my Garand from the DCM (CMP) in the early 80s, I came home from work one day to find it leaning against the mailbox out by the county road.”

That was back when you had to WORK for a DCM rifle!

The process involved fingerprinting, proof of three long range rifle matches, membership in an approved competitive rifle club, and a background check through the FBI (in those pre-instant-check days). The process took months, you could only get one Garand in your lifetime, and there was no guarantee of what you’d get...could be a beat-up training rifle, could be an all-original 1950s rifle, could be a mid-60s Red River rebuild.

[archy]

[Liberty Valance]

"Anyway it said that the Anniston Army Depot was cutting brand new M-14s into scrap. Also read they were doing the same to new in the cosmoline Winchester model 52 .22 target rifles."

AAAAAARRRRGGH!!! Those things sell from $1000 to 4 or $5000.

[Elderberry]

I had thought they had changed since 1906, but you were right.

In 1925 they changed to a hotter, heavier loading. A 172 grain M1 bullet with a 9-degree boattail and a gilding-metal jacket. This round had an extreme range of 5900 yards, a gain of 2500 yards over its predecessor.

But in 1940 they changed back to the 1906 loading, when all of the surplus 1906 ammo was all shot up.

So yes, the 1906 load is still Today’s standard.

[R W Reactionairy]

The spec on maximum pressure may be the same for M2 ball and commercial loadings but the pressure profile differs. This makes a difference in the gas operated M-1.

Most current commercial loadings utilize slower burning powder so that at the point in time the projectile passes the hole in an M-1’s barrel that feeds the gas cylinder, the pressures are higher than they would have been with faster burning powders found in M-2 ball. As a result, the pressure in the gas cylinder is higher than it should be and the M-1 operating rod conveys more energy to the operate the action than it was designed for. Bottom line, what is needed is either a faster burn profile or an adjustable gas cylinder plug.

[Elderberry]

I’ve bought the adj plug from Brownells for mine, but I’ve not yet installed it. My supply of CMP ammo is about gone though. My kids run through it pretty fast.

[MHGinTN]

Just got this in my e-mail:

30.06 SURPLUS AMMO FROM KOREA
150 GRAIN FMJ BOAT TAIL AMMO
FULL METAL JACKET
PACKED LOOSE IN AMMO CANS
BOXER PRIMED AND NON MAGNETIC
FULL COPPER JACKET AND BRASS CASE
1970’s PRODUCTION BUT PARTICULAR YEAR AND HEADSTAMPS MAY VARY.

FastLink:
http://www.ammoman.com/c/30/3006-springfield

This is Korean surplus 30-06 ammo, standard M2 ball, with a 150gr FMJ bullet and a brass case with boxer primer for ease of reloading.
1970’s production. Packed loose in a 30cal steel ammo can of 270 rounds. This ammo has been tested and the samples tested were non-corrosive.

Copper jacketed, 150-gr., M2 ball bullet
approximate muzzle velocity: 2,740 F.P.S.
Muzzle energy: 2,500 ft. lbs.
Brass cased - Boxer primed
Reloadable & Non-corrosive.
Made in Korea. 1970’s production.
$169-CAN OF 270 ROUNDS DELIVERED
$289-(2 CANS) TOTAL (540) ROUNDS DELIVERED

[Blood of Tyrants]

I am not sure they will be going to the CMP. Orest Michaels (head honcho at the CMP) has said in the past that the CMP will not have anything to do with them.

[TigersEye]

Come to Papa!

[TigersEye]

If 0bungles image is going to be engraved anywhere it should be on a butt.

Bawney Fwank, pwease weport to the tattoo parwer.

[Oatka]

He told me that while his unit was waving at the Chinese across the river, the counter attack had started down the way a bit.

[sidebar I]: I can't remember if it was an Army or Marine guy who told me this. The Chinese used bugles instead of radios in some of their attacks. In one particularly hairy "human sea" charge they were about to be overrun when one of the guys, an ex-musician, took out a captured Chinese bugle and played "Retreat!". The Chinese started to mill around in a WTF moment, which allowed the Yanks to call in the artillery and break up the attack.

[sidebar II]: Apropos the above, one of our ordnance guys asked a captured German why they had machine guns with such high cyclic rates compared to ours. The German said "You've never faced a Russian "human wave" attack, have you?"

[Timber Rattler]

Yeah, my uncle had a more difficult time of it. His unit was overrun, he was wounded in the head, and he laid in a freezing foxhole for several days surrounded by the ChiComs, some even jumping over him during the night while he played dead.

Somehow, he managed to survive and crawl back to American lines, and later became a senior NCO and MP. But seeing all his buddies slaughtered by the ChiComs during their counterattack deeply affected him for the rest of his life.

And he too thought that the ChiCom soldiers were hopped up on some drug, since they just did not want go down.

[Timber Rattler]

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.

Thanks for pointing me to that book. It absolutely confirms what my uncle told me before he died.