Safe Queen or Shooter: What to Do with a Collector Grade M1 Garand

[mack]

Personally there are plenty of "shooter" grade rifles and I would never shoot a "collector" as there is simply no point to it.

I would hasten to add I have two collectors I purchased from CMP several years ago and more than a dozen "corrects," none of which will I ever fire.

I have many Garands for shooting, well tuned and with new barrels for shooting. No sense in ruining a piece of accurate and correct history except to reduce the value of the piece as it related to others of its kind.

I always liken shooting a new and correct historical rifle to the man who found a valuable antique auto stashed in a barn and, having purchased it for less than market value, decided to use it for a daily driver. Needless to say, the miles, rock chips, worn upholstery and faded paint soon reduced his antique to the status of a well-worn taxicab. He had failed to predict the results of his own shortsightedness.

Do as you like, but rest assured that your piece is no longer a true "collector" to those knowledgeable enough to recognized op rod wear, follower wear or who possess the tools to check a barrel for erosion. If I were to price your piece, I would downgrade it accordingly in price for the wear.

Do what you want with your piece, but shooting an otherwise pristine example is simply making it worth less and the others which aren't shot worth all the more.

[Amsdorf]

Thanks for your opinion, which represents well the "collect and do not shoot" view on all this. Appreciate it. You have chosen to invest a very sizable amount of money in collecting Garands, and I can respect that choice.

[tazaroo]

Just don't get the point in shooting a collector grade unless you like degraging the value of a weapon that is no longer made. Keep chucking rounds down the tube and putting wear and tear on the parts and your collector grade will be a correct grade real quick. I believe read you say that the money doesn't matter to you in one of the many forums you asked this question in and that's fine because it's your rifle. I have owned many collector grade/proof fired only/unissued US military martial arms and I have always seen myself as a caretaker of something that needs to be preserved. Let's face it............they aren't making these things anymore. I don't fire my collector pieces not because of a money issue but out of respect for future collectors.

[yoyo2123]

it's an expensive rifle so let it be that. Put it in its place of glory on the rack and let it be. im not going to stop you from shooting it. i would shoot a field grade but a collector grade is an investment to your collection. Worth a lot of money and it should stay so

[Patrick Chadwick]

Amsdorf, reading all this, what strikes me is how hot under the collar collectors can get! I understand the various points of view, but over here we just can't afford it. The regulations mean that if you are a registered collector and prepared to spend a lot of money to turn part of your house into a law-enforcement approved (and inspected!) arsenal then OK, you obviously have the money to buy what you like. But if, like Gunner and myself, you are just a PBI-shooter competing in the market with serious collectors, then the only thing you want is not "collector" grade or "correct "grade or anything else based on numbers and looks, but "bloody accurate" grade.

I have a couple of rifles that could be described as "arsenal mint". By which I mean, they were all-correct in the parts configuration and effectively as-new on the inside, but with plenty of dings from being shunted around for a century or so. Putting on the "collector" hat, this rifle seems to be one of them. If it shoots well, use it. But I would not waste a minute on doing anything more than linseed-oiling the wood, an action which is not altering the rifle, just a matter of maintenance and conservation. Any attempt to optically improve the shaft is damaging to the collector value and a waste of time for the shooting value. So I think you did the right thing by merely oiling it.

BTW, if you dismantle the rifle, get rid of the cosmoline or whatever it is and linseed oil the wood on the inside as well, to maintain an even moisture level thoughout AND to put the brakes on any mineral oil or grease soaking into and eventually through the stock.

And, young sir, 50-year old eyeballs are NOT an excuse! Look for better than 3" groups off a sandbag at 100 yards with most shots being inside 2".

Good shooting, and enjoy it!


Patrick

[Amsdorf]

Thank you for the advice, Patrick

[Johnny Peppers]

This ain't no "stinkin' safe queen". The last time it was shot was when I made this picture, and previous to that was when Chip Walker and Billy Pyle came by to shoot pictures of it. The keystone springs were not stressed in any way during either shoot.