Garand 308 conversion or M1A?

[mdoerner]

Hi All,

Question, which will be cheaper, taking a worn out Garand and rebarreling to 308 and reparking ($500 + ?) or buying a M1A or M14S ($950+)? Is the accuracy from the M14/M1A series THAT much better then a Garand? I'm not doing this as a match rifle, but for the day the M2 ball runs out. Thanks in advance.

Mike D

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[mark1]

I did a 308 conversion on a Garand and it was nice. Shoot well and was a lot easier on the old shoulder. But when I started using an M1A that was it for the Garand. Sold the Garand and purchased an M1A. Go with the M1A.

[NuJudge]

I've built two .308 Match Garands, and have a Springfield M1A heavybarrel and a Chinese M14S with match mods.

Both of the .308 Match Garands I have shoot really well and are easy on brass. The reason I got interested in .308 Garands is because old shooters told me that the M1 was more accurate than the M14, and the .308 was more accurate than the .30-'06. Just my experience, but i think the bedding on Garands lasts longer before needing a re-do. Garand parts are a good bit cheaper and easier to find. Some jurisdictions won't let you have a flash suppressor or detachable magazine on the M1A.

The M1A I have shot quite well until the barrel became quite worn, and still shoots decently. The M14S I have not shot that much. Both beat up brass pretty quick.

Kreiger had a special on .308 Garand barrels on their website recently, and I bought one. The other two .308 Garand barrels I have used are Douglas barrels from the Douglas website.

[mdoerner]

I've built two .308 Match Garands, and have a Springfield M1A heavybarrel and a Chinese M14S with match mods.

Both of the .308 Match Garands I have shoot really well and are easy on brass. The reason I got interested in .308 Garands is because old shooters told me that the M1 was more accurate than the M14, and the .308 was more accurate than the .30-'06. Just my experience, but i think the bedding on Garands lasts longer before needing a re-do. Garand parts are a good bit cheaper and easier to find. Some jurisdictions won't let you have a flash suppressor or detachable magazine on the M1A.

The M1A I have shot quite well until the barrel became quite worn, and still shoots decently. The M14S I have not shot that much. Both beat up brass pretty quick.

Kreiger had a special on .308 Garand barrels on their website recently, and I bought one. The other two .308 Garand barrels I have used are Douglas barrels from the Douglas website.

I always thought the Garand wasn't as accurate as the M14 series because the gas cylinder on the Garand was at the end of the barrel and the op rod + bolt has more mass than the M14 combination making it "less accurate"?

I'm not trying the start a flamewar over this. I've heard .308 is more accurate than .30-06, but that it was more of a "theoretical" than actual accuracy improvement. Is the "theoretical" .308 Garand more/less accurate than the M14 combo? If the Garand/.308 combo is more accurate, why weren't more conversions done for NM competition since there were 7.62 NATO service rifle conversions?

Mike D

[mark1]

Accuracy depends on a lot of things. I reload my own rounds in 30-06 and 308. This makes a big difference. The set up on the rifle also needs to be looked at. I had my Grand done by a USMC arromy. One heck of a job. But the M1A I have is a Springfield Armory, match chromed barrel, lamated stock, NM sights, etc. Shoots much better than the Garand I had. I still use a Garand in the WWII matches.

[Dan Shapiro]

Back to the original question "Which is cheaper". Re-barreling in .308. As to the repark.......is the finish than worn, or is this just cosmetic? "Cosmetic" doesn't effect what comes out the end of the barrel. It just adds to the overall cost.

[Maury Krupp]

An M1 will have a USGI receiver and use 99% USGI parts. That receiver and those parts are more likely to be dimensionally and structurally correct; probably cheaper and more available too.

If you're just going to feed it surplus ammo both rifles will shoot that stuff as well as just about any rifle will shoot it.

For highpower competition an M1 in .308 and an M14 are about equal (or can be made about equal). All it takes to shoot a 100-10X is a 1MOA gun and both rifles are capable of doing that. In highpower terms any accuracy differences there may be between the M1 and M14 systems are angels dancing on a pin.

While in terms of ballistics .308 and .30-'06 are essentially identical (the bullets and desired velocities are the same) my experience is .308 seems to be more consistent and therefore accurate. That may be due to the shorter powder column, greater load density, or my imagination.

I think the main reason more M1s weren't converted to .308 for match use was at the time those conversions would have been done the service teams had to use the current Service Rifle and that was the M14. Gus Fisher has posted that it took quite a while before the Marines got their M14s to shoot as well as the M1. They did so eventually but it was because they had to; not because they wanted to or it was easier.

Maury

[tiriaq]

If it is only the M-1's barrel that is worn out, rebarrelling and reparking are going to be cheaper. If the whole rifle is worn, and needs extensive rebuilding, that is going to up the cost, and require more work.
I have shot M-1s in .30-06 and .308, as well as USGI M-14s and commercial versions.
I think you should go with the rifle that you like shooting best. If you already have an M-1 suitable for rebarrelling, go with that.

[John Kepler]

I always thought the Garand wasn't as accurate as the M14 series because the gas cylinder on the Garand was at the end of the barrel and the op rod + bolt has more mass than the M14 combination making it "less accurate"?

I'm not trying the start a flamewar over this. I've heard .308 is more accurate than .30-06, but that it was more of a "theoretical" than actual accuracy improvement. Is the "theoretical" .308 Garand more/less accurate than the M14 combo? If the Garand/.308 combo is more accurate, why weren't more conversions done for NM competition since there were 7.62 NATO service rifle conversions?

Mike D

Who said there weren't? When I started back into HP in the late 80's, if you saw ANY Garand, it was a .308, including mine as soon as I got the money to get a barrel on it! Unlike today, a .30-06 Garand was a VERY rare bird, and generally indicated a "New Shooter" waiting in line with his "One-In-A-Lifetime" DCM Garand for Roland Beaver or Clint Fowler to work far enough through their backlog to send the rifle to them for conversion.

As for the rest. At the very peak of the hill, the Garand is a touch less accurate than the M14 based primarily on the gas system, but without a corresponding High Master card in your wallet, this is largely a distinction without any difference.

I've got both, I shoot both from time to time....but haven't used the .308 Garand in competition since shooting on a GCA Rumboldt Team 6-7 years ago...but I'm biased, the M14 was always the rifle of my heart. Both are sweet-shooting .30 cals, and frankly, I prefer shooting the .308 version to the .30-06 version....but you made the choices between the Garand and the 14...and I'd have to pick the 14 even if it will cost you more. Having said that....a commercial "M1-A" isn't the same rifle as an M14, and the newer it is, the less like it it is! I like my M14 because I built it with all new GI parts save the Norinco forged receiver....that's a VERY difficult rifle to duplicate these days, making this a VERY tough, very close call.

[mdoerner]

You guys are the best.

One other Garand service rifle question. If I decide to go the .308 route, but decide to get a Kreiger match grade barrel for it, are there any rules against using a laminate stock in High Power competition? Also, would you glass bed a laminate stock for the Garand? Thanks in advance.

Mike D