My first M1.. it's a 4.5M IHC (here come the Q's)

[John Kepler]

The bulk of the Fed-Ord Garands were repatriated from Korea, fewer from the Philippines...either way, they were generally run hard and put away wet LONG before they returned to the US. The muzzle condition you describe is typical (I've seen a LOT worse in other repats), and it probably isn't the only problem that barrel has (too many years of corrosive ammo). To tell you the truth, and IMHO....the less said about the late, unlamented Fed-Ord, the better...they're out of business for some darn good reasons. They generally brought rifles in from Korea, disassembled them, and put together what was cosmetically the best combination of the junk in the bins, and might or might not have function-fired them. That you got one that was even as close to correct as it is was pure happenstance, or else somebody else did some parts swapping later to get it fairly close.

[buchkshot]

FWIW you may want to send gun to Springfield Armory for their $75 repark treatment (includes return shipping). I just got my IHC gap letter back and it looks great. (I requested black parkerizing). HTH

[Legendre]

FWIW you may want to send gun to Springfield Armory for their $75 repark treatment (includes return shipping). I just got my IHC gap letter back and it looks great. (I requested black parkerizing). HTH

SA will re-park an M1 for $75 including return shipping? Really??

What did you ship them - a complete stocked rifle, a barreled action + parts, a fully disassembled set of parts?

FWIW the park on this gun is very dark.. not black, but really dark greenish gray on the parts that still have good finish. Not that light gray that I've seen a lot.

-L

[John Kepler]

FWIW the park on this gun is very dark.. not black, but really dark greenish gray on the parts that still have good finish. Not that light gray that I've seen a lot.

-L

Parkerizing (phosphating) produces a grey/black surface. Any other color is being created by the material (grease) trapped in the rough phosphated surface. A liberal application of a strong polar solvent like acetone or methyl ethyl ketone will turn your "green" Parked surface the same gray as the rest of the rifle!

[Bob Seijas]

How fitting that your first M1 is a Harvester ... a fellow named Legendre was one of the key people in the IHC M1 program. I interviewed him in about 1980.

[heckinohio]

Dont I see a LMR barrel for sale on this site presently??? If not now, there will be one. Make sure you get decent numbers no matter how many $ are involved. Changing Garand barrels from one US mfgr receiver to another is usually a breeze. The Australian/Century castings are some times a bit troublesome... PJH

[Legendre]

Dont I see a LMR barrel for sale on this site presently??? If not now, there will be one. Make sure you get decent numbers no matter how many $ are involved. (...) PJH

(Emphasis mine)

May I ask what you mean by 'decent numbers'? Are you referring to the stamped date of manufacture, muzzle / throat erosion figures or something else?

Thanks,
-L

[Legendre]

How fitting that your first M1 is a Harvester ... a fellow named Legendre was one of the key people in the IHC M1 program. I interviewed him in about 1980.

A strange coincidence, to be sure! Thanks for that info-bit.. I'll have to look into it.

It's an interesting name.. (frequently pronounced 'Leh-ZHAN', if one has never heard it spoken). In the most literal sense, it means "the gentry" or possibly "the gentlemen". But, it is generally understood (colloquially) to mean "the people" or "the men". Same basic root-word as in 'Gendarmerie'.. Or so I have been told.

Would you have a link to the article, by chance?

-L

(P.S. And to be totally clear - while I'm old, I'm not quite that old. Different guy, I assure you! )

[Joe W]

In the first edition of the GARAND COLLECTORS ASSO. NEWSLETTER, Winter 1986, Bob Seijas wrote an article "CORNBINDER", which is all about the IHC. While Mr. Legendre is not mentioned in the article, some of the information may have been a result of Bobs 1980 interview with him. Vol 1 Number 1 is no longer available as a "back issue" from the GCA but they have published a hard cover called "The Best of the GCA Journals" it contains all the articles from the first three volumes., which would include the "Cornbinder" article. That is equivilent to 12 journals. It sells for $ 30.00 but when you consider one back issue of a Journal is $ 5.00, $ 30.00 for 12 is a well worth it. If you are not a member of the GCA you should consider joining. It will be money well spent.
Welcome! Click on the UNDERLINED word "welcome" to get to the GCA web page.

[buchkshot]

Legendre: Springfield Armory in Geneseo, IL, does a great parkerizing job on USGI M1 Garands. Call customer service and get the unique number they use to track the gun through the entire process. I sent the assembled rifle, less wood. Turn around time was about four weeks. Their gas cyinder finish is extraordinary. Have sent two rifles and was very pleased both times - on a par with the three Springfield Armory M1A's I am fortunate to own. HTH