#Springfield m1 garand serial numbers 7100000 how to#
I want to know how to decipher the number on the barrel. In fact, it was her favorite rifle out of a selection that included the much lighter M1 Carbine and SKS semiautos.I have an M1 Garand that so far appears to be a WW2 era rifle. My wife, who is slightly over five feet, two inches tall, shot my National Match Garand for the better part of an afternoon with no complaints whatsoever. It shoulders nicely, and recoil, even with standard 150-grain M2 ball, is not prohibitive. While not exactly a lightweight (9 1/2 pounds unloaded), the Garand does balance extremely well, and using either the old-style Model 1907 leather sling or the later web strap, it can be carried for extended periods with relative comfort. There were also wartime variants of the 1905 Type 2 with shortened and shorter 10-inch blades and finally the M5/M5A1, which came out after World War II. Model 1905 blade, in fact more up-to-date versions of the blade were offered, beginning with a Model 1905 Type 2 that had similar dimensions to the original (16-inch blade) but was Parkerized and sported ribbed plastic grips rather than walnut panels. While the gun could accommodate the standard U.S. Of course, like any self-respecting military rifle, the M1 was set up to be fitted with a bayonet. Variations will be seen in these sights depending upon when a particular rifle was made. They were secured to their dovetail on the barrel with a beefy sight screw. Garand front sights were sturdy affairs, which were virtually impervious to breakage. (80, ) and "M1 Garand Serial Numbers and Data Sheets" and "The M1 Garand: Owner's Guide," both by Scott A. To help in these areas I highly recommend "The M1 Garand 1936 - 1947 ," by Joe Poyer and Craig Reisch, North Cape Publications Inc. Winchester M1s are marked "WRA," and H&R Garands have an "HRA" coding.Īs well, internal components will have different manufacturing codes, and stock markings can provide the enthusiast with a dizzying variety of mysterious runes to sort out. Those guns produced by Springfield will have major components stamped "SA." International Harvester rifles use the initials "IHC" (though barrels can be marked "LMR"). It is acceptable, however, for a Korean War rework to have mismatched parts. If you buy a World War II collector-grade M1 Garand, it is wise to check if all parts match. This inspector cartouche of "SA/GAW" and the Ordnance Department insignia identifies the piece as a Springfield Armory product within the serial-number range of 1,860,001 to 3,200,000.Īll in all, some 6 million M1 Garands were turned out between 19 by Springfield Armory, Winchester, Rock Island Arsenal, International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson.
Garands will be found with a confusing variety of stock markings (see charts). Leaving school at the age of 12, he began his industrial experience working in a textile mill, where he eventually became a machinist. It was designed by John Cantius Garand (pronounced, according to his friend Julian Hatcher, "Gerrend"), an eccentric French-Canadian firearms genius who was known to flood the living room of his house in the winter so he could go ice skating. 30-caliber M1 Garand was adopted by the United States in 1936 to replace the 1903 Springfield. Patton called this "the greatest battle implement ever devised," and he was far from wrong. When the rest of the world's armies were using bolt actions that had not changed since the First World War, Yanks were fielding a semiautomatic repeater that gave its user superior firepower, rugged reliability and great confidence: the M1 Garand. The American GI had a great advantage in World War II: He went into the fight carrying the best battle rifle on either side. 30-'06 semiauto was simply the best small arm of World War II.