M1 Springfield Garand value

[greg vess]

I am asking for a friend looking at one. It's in real good condition and he is looking to buy it possibly. I told him I would ask some guru's of the Garand world what he is looking to spend. What do you guys think a nice sharp one is worth these days?

 

[BHPSteel]

In addition to the obvious issue of what kind of condition it's in (a huge determining factor) is whether the parts match, and who made the receiver.

Even the issue of its condition is a bit of a challenge, if you go to the CMP, you can see the kind of prices that Service Grade can attract, compared to "Special", "Correct" and "Collector". How that correlates with "sharp" - I dunno.

Realistically, a beater in good working order is going to be at least 600-700. A 'nice' one - maybe 1000. One that you'd be really proud to have people see you shooting? $1500 and up. For original barrels, crisp cartouches, sought-after manufacturers? Add (a lot) more money.

 

[greg vess]

In addition to the obvious issue of what kind of condition it's in (a huge determining factor) is whether the parts match, and who made the receiver.

Even the issue of its condition is a bit of a challenge, if you go to the CMP, you can see the kind of prices that Service Grade can attract, compared to "Special", "Correct" and "Collector"

Apparently the older gent inherited it from his Grandfather. So it has been in the family for many many years. The man had a heart attack and it's up for grabs. I am going to take a peek at it and just see how good of condition it is.

Are there any special places on the rifle I can identify all the serial numbers and make sure they are matching. What else is a giveaway that it's the real deal prize.

 

[BHPSteel]

1. Check to see if the barrel is shot out.
2. General condition
3. See who manufactured the receiver. Some of those manufacturers make the rifle worth more to SOME people.

Matching serial numbers are only going to matter if it's a really cherry rifle. Things like cartouches on the stock are a big plus for collectors too.

Edit: if you can get your hands on it, check to see the stock fits well. If it doesn't, and you want to shoot it, you'll have to bed it if you want acceptable performance from it.

This page will show you how the CMP grade the rifles. While it only has prices for grades that the CMP has in stock, you can get a rough idea of the grade and then check up at places like gunbroker for comparable models.

M1 Garand - Civilian Marksmanship Program

M1 Garand rifles sold by CMP are authentic U.S. Government rifles that have been thoroughly inspected, with a variety of available grades.

thecmp.org

 

[greg vess]

I'm going to take a look at it now so keep your ears open cuz I might text you from where I am going and check in with you on a few points. I might send you a few pictures too. If I think it looks good I'll give you my phone number and have you call me to let me know about some other things I can look for..

 

[greg vess]

If you don't mind PM me your telephone number so I can give you a quick shout after I look it over real quick. I'll step outside and explain it to you and you can give me the details.

 

[greg vess]

He told me it was a real nice gun and it was worth driving the 45 minutes to look at it so I'm expecting a A1 specimen.

 

[BHPSteel]

If you don't mind PM me your telephone number so I can give you a quick shout after I look it over real quick. I'll step outside and explain it to you and you can give me the details.

I'm in calls most of the afternoon, so it's unlikely I'll be able to take a phone call. What kind of price is he asking?

Something that (with good rifling, crown and everything tight) looks like that is probably worth about 1400-1500 on the open market.

(this was purchased from another ODT'er, but I've had it looked at by a number of people whose valuation skills I trust)

 

[GarandDawg]

Tough to say without seeing it or having more information on things like throat erosion, etc.

As others have said, the CMP website can give you some general guidance on how much they sell their various grades for and their condition.

Garand parts don't have matching serial numbers. Only the receiver has a serial number. You should be able to easily date the receiver (approximate month and year of production) based on that. The barrel should also have a clear manufacturer and date. From that you can tell if the barrel might be original to the receiver.

Others parts on a Garand have manufacturer part/drawing numbers on them that can allow you to determine if they are correct in terms of the age of the receiver. Op rod, trigger, etc. That still won't tell you if they are original to the gun, only that they came from the same time period.

Beware of any stories like, "this gun has been in my family since Grandpa Joe brought it home with him from D-Day." 99% of those "bring back" stories are total bull****. Without paperwork to back it up, it means nothing. Buy the gun, not the story.

All that said, the value is what you place on it. Do you want a shooter? Then who cares about parts numbers or cartouches on the stock. Or do you want a collector piece? Then those things might matter more. The overwhelming majority of Garands are "mix masters" of parts and manufacturers.

 

[BHPSteel]

How did that Garand look, greg vess ?