When did the DCM start selling M1 Garands?

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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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