When did the DCM start selling M1 Garands?

Something I've wondered for a long time...when did the old DCM program start offering M1 Garands for sale? Was it in the 60s (or earlier), or did it begin after the National Guard retired them in the 70s? And to what extent (if at all) did they "support" the rifles via ammunition, repairs and the like?

I had always wanted to get a rifle from the DCM back in the day, but could never find a way to do all the hoop-jumping it required (competitions and the like)...then it became the CMP and it all became SO much easier!

The first DCM sales were NM's at Camp Perry in late 1955, but only a small number. Regular mail order sales of NM's began in 1956 and they were sold until 1973. It is surprising how few were bought after an initial rush, in some years it was less than 200. I don't know when they began to sell regular rifles.

I have a few original National Match rifles and a couple of them have what looks like a little "Dove" cartouche under the proof P. I remember reading a couple of years back that no one really knew what it meant. Now, I have a NIB unissued NM gun (still in the white bag...) that was built in 1967 at Rock Island and sold in 1971. Has anyone considered that the Dove could be exclusive to the Rock island built guns? Anyone else have a known Rock Island gun and if so, does it have the Dove???

I purchased an M1 from the DCM in 1976. There was a lot of hoop jumping but the rifle I received was a fresh Govt. rebuild. The rifle looked new. I don't know if that was the rule or the exception as there was no internet back then.

As per JoeW's post, maybe it was '78? I seem to remember '76 but I sure could be wrong.

M1 Sales
“What year did the Garand become available to the general public?”
That is the question that was asked. That is not an easy question to answer. The first time the M1 was available for sale to civilians, by the Army, was an announcement in the “American Rifleman” for October of 1955, though they may have been available and the 1954 National Matches. However, they were not available to the “general public” as you were required to be “NRA members who are enrolled with the Director of Civilian Marksmanship.” I do not believe that the DCM ever sold to the ‘general public’ as the purpose of these DCM sales was to advance the cause of civilian marksmanship. It was not intended to supply the collector or the gunsmith for ‘bubbering’ into a sporting rifle. When I purchased my M1NM in 1962, all correspondence was through the ARMY not the DCM (though the DCM was an army function). At that time and up into the 1970’s I believe that one was allowed to purchase “one in a lifetime”; though later it was determined that M1’s did wear out and competitors would be allowed to either exchange their present M1 or purchase another one. (Someone who knows the details please help me out here.) The last M1 that I purchased through the DCM was a “service grade” M1 and while the first letter was addressed to the DCM all subsequent correspondence was through the Department of the Army. I was required to submit :(1) my NRA membership card, (2) High Power Competition classification card, and my membership card in a DCM affiliated club. To the best of my knowledge, the M1 (unlike the M1903, M03A3, M1917, M1 carbine) was never declared “surplus” while the DCM controlled the sales and distributions
Sometime in the 1950 – 1960 time frame, some dealers got a supply of M1’s from a source that I never determined and sold to the general public. This created a lot of”hate and discontent” among NRA members who had to wait months to receive their M1’s. There was quite a lot of discussion in the “American Rifleman” and some discussion about the legal ownership of these firearms. It was published that M1’s that had been furnished to our allies in WWII could be sold by the receiving country to bolster its post-war economy. Note; this does not include the “Lend-Lease” M1’s - or initially it did not though this may have change later.

After the CMP was established the rules changed and since I have never purchased through the CMP, I have not followed the rules there so cannot speak to them

In the Feb. 1978 edition of the American Rifleman there is an article " The Way it Use to Be". In this article it is stated "When M14 rifles were issued, in the late 1950s, the DCM released excess quanitites of the arms it was to replace.". Between 1958 and 1967, when all sales were terminated, Americans purchased 12,000 M1903 rifles, 279,000 M1903A3 rifles, 3600 National Match rifles, 1600 service grade M1 rifles, 3200 NM and 145,600 service grade M1911 and 1911A1 pistols, 8,800 12-ga. shotguns and 207,000 M1 carbines. Sales between 1958 and 1967 netted $12.3 million dollars for return to the Treasury." It was in 1978 that the sales program was reopened when the DCM announced that " a limited number of service grade M1 rifles would be released for sale to eligible individuals. The price would be $ 94.30 plus administrative, packing, handling and transportation charges, for a total of approximately $ 112.00 per rifle. Prior purchase of either a NM M1 rifle or a service grade M1 disqualifies a person from purchasing a rifle of either type under this sales program." Requests were to be sent to Director of Civilian Marksmanship, Room 1E053, W. Forrestal Bldg., Wash., D.C. 20314. And as they say, the rest is history.

I can only speak about NM sales, but they were sold from 1955 to 1973. There was evidently an interruption in 1968 after a limited number were sold, but sales were resumed in 1969. I've seen the annual figures in a DCM document.

M1 Rifle Sales
In the, for what it’s worth category, the following info is provided on previous M1 Sales. The DCM price lists up through 1966 listed both the Service Grade (SG) and the National Match (NM) M1 Rifles as being for sale. One was allowed to buy only one rifle of either grade. If one bought a NM he could not buy a SG and vice versa. There was not an unlimited supply. An allotment was made and only that number of rifles was available for sale. The requirements were stringent and would not be waived. Generally speaking if one had previously purchased an M1, he was precluded from purchasing another. The old “one in a lifetime” rule. The 1967 DCM price list includes only the SG M1 under the same provisions. Spare parts availability was limited also.
In 1972 it was announced in the April AMERICAN RIFLEMAN that a limited number of NM M1’s were available to “qualified” purchasers. Anyone who had purchased an M1 after 1/66 was precluded from purchasing an M1. (I was on “Yankee” station off Nam on a carrier and missed this opportunity.)
The January 1973 edition of the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN announced the availability of a limited number of SG M1’s. The requirements were again quite strict. Anyone who had purchased an M1 after 1/67 was precluded from purchasing an M1. I submitted my initial order on 3/18/73 and after jumping through several hoops received the rifle on 8/16/73. It was a SG LEAD rifle in excellent to newly overhauled condition.
In the January 1978 AR, the sale of SG M1’s was announced with the same stringent requirements and any previous purchase disqualified the prospective purchaser. I believe that it was about this time that our gun club was authorized to either buy or return rifles on loan from the Army.

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I do not care for the CMP operation and for the lack of requirements to purchase M1 rifles . Today people are making a living buying and selling material from the CMP ,which the old DCM would not of allowed !!!

I have a couple that were recently lettered being sold in the mid 90's through DCM

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Originally Posted by tr63

I do not care for the CMP operation and for the lack of requirements to purchase M1 rifles . Today people are making a living buying and selling material from the CMP ,which the old DCM would not of allowed !!!

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:nono: Tough to live on the "profit" of 8 receivers a year....

IIRC, during the early years the definition of "qualified" was you had to be a competitive shooter, & submit a copy of your match log. That was for either a service or match grade rifle.

Only after a large quantity of rifles were on hand did DCM establish a category of "collector", so you didn't need to actually shoot in competition.

You have always had to provide proof of marksmanship activity the kind of acceptable proof has just changed over time. DCM never had a “category of collector” whatever that is.

I’ll have to check but I have a couple of papered DCM Rifle’s. I’ll have to check to see how early they were sold as regular rifles. While some rifles may have been sold earlier as identified in the last GCA magazine I know of one NM that was sold at the 1955 NM’s which Bob has alluded to previously.

My dad took me to a DCM shoot in 1968 100 shots one rifle for life i received a nice HRA and he received a nice WRA $90.00 dollars i still have both rifles and paper work

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Originally Posted by tr63

I do not care for the CMP operation and for the lack of requirements to purchase M1 rifles . Today people are making a living buying and selling material from the CMP ,which the old DCM would not of allowed !!!

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I'm not sure about 'making a living', but I agree with the sentiment... That said, if you're in the market for a Garand the CMP is the only place that you can get one for a fair price.

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Originally Posted by amadeus76

That said, if you're in the market for a Garand the CMP is the only place that you can get one for a fair price.

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I disagree. While CMP is good place to buy Garands and I have purchased many from them, I have also bought some of my best rifles from private sellers.