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My Path to Becoming an M1 Garand Collector, Researcher and Author (Part 2/4)
When we last visited this topic, about eight of us were piling into a van and heading to Clairton Sportsmen’s Club to shoot in our first DCM service rifle matches. My part began about six months prior to that, in March 1984 with the purchase of a Springfield Armory Inc. M1A rifle with NM barrel and stock. I befriended my local gun club’s High Power Rifle competitor, former Marine Bill Thomas. Bill had been competing and Camp Perry for many years and was an accomplished rifleman. He began training me in the ways of high power rifle shooting. We shot nearly every Saturday morning. Not knowing what to expect at…
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My Path to Becoming an M1 Garand Collector, Researcher and Author (Part 1/4)
My main interests have long been the study of history, firearms and shooting, and cars. All of these interests began at a young age. For my 10th birthday I received a Daisy BB rifle, no it was not a Red Ryder, so no shooting Black Bart! I could not begin to estimate how many BB’s were fired through hat BB rifle. The spring after I turned 12 my Dad took me out behind Grandpa’s barn and taught me to shot his .22 rifle and .22 revolver. As was common in the early 1960s it was typical plinking at tin cans removed from the burn pile, not shooting at paper bullseyes. …
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Who Made M1 Garands? How Many Were Made? When Were They Made?
World War II Production Springfield Armory The first production M1 was successfully proof fired, function fired, and fired for accuracy on 21 July 1937. Thus began manufacture of what was to become the greatest production effort in the long history of Springfield Armory. A program for developing increased production capacity had been adopted in 1934, and by January of 1940 the Armory was producing 100 rifles per day. By January 1942 this number had risen to 1,103 per day. Production peaked in January 1944 with 122,001 M1s produced that month. This translated to 3,936 rifles per day or 164 rifles per hour! The surrender of Germany in May 1945 slowed…
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The M1 Garand Complete Assembly Guide
Since the publication of Scott Duff’s The M1 Garand Owner’s Guide, readers have asked for a book that would help guide them through the assembly of their M1 Garand. Ideally, such a book would impart the tips, tricks, pitfalls and “gotchas!” that experienced Garand enthusiasts and armorers have discovered and developed over the years. his is that book. It goes beyond the military manuals in depth and scope, using words and pictures to clearly guide the reader through every operation required to assemble their Garand. You’ll learn the best and easiest ways to build your rifle. It won’t make you an Garand armorer, but it will make you a more…
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The New AR-15 Complete Owner’s Guide – Table of Contents
If you’re wondering whether this book has the information your looking for on owning an AR-15, then look no further. This is the Table of Contents from Scott Duff’s The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide – which you can purchase on our site, along with the AR-15 Bundle. We Were Not Alone v Please Help Support vi CHAPTER 1: Introduction 1 WHY A “NEW” AR-15 COMPLETE OWNER’S GUIDE? 1 PURPOSE 2 CHAPTER 2: History 5 Introduction 5 Gene Stoner 5 Birth of the AR-15: ArmaLite and the Stoner Years 7 Colt Buys in and the Vietnam Era 13 Grenada to Desert Storm 19 THE CARBINE ERA 27 THE FUTURE BECKONS 39 ArmaLite’s Later…
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The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide – Table of Contents
If you’re wondering whether this book has the information your looking for on the assembly of an AR-15, then look no further. This is the Table of Contents from Scott Duff’s The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide – which you can purchase on our site, along with the AR-15 Bundle. Forward v Preface vii Chapter 1 The Purpose of this Book 1 Chapter 2 General Considerations 3 Chapter 3 Lower Receiver Assembly 5 Parts You’ll Need 6 Tools You’ll Need 7 Lower Receiver Preparation 8 Trigger Guard Assembly 9 Magazine Catch Assembly 11 Bolt Catch 15 Pivot Pin 18 Trigger Assembly 22 Hammer Assembly 28 Safety Selector 34 Critical Safety…
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“The M1 Garand: World War II” Intro
Much has happened in the M1 rifle collecting world since the publication of The M1 Garand of World War II – A Guide for the Collector. Over the course of the past five years a great deal of new information has been complied. The interest of collectors in John Garand’s rifle has increased phenomenally. This is in part due to the overall increase in interest pertaining to World War II. Much attention has been focused on this era as a result of the ongoing tribute to the 50th Anniversary of that war. The Garand Collectors Association (GCA) has grown to levels that those of us involved in 1986 has never…
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The Saga of TRW M14NM S/N 1453711 (Part 3 of 3)
What’s so interesting about a specific M14 rifle that we are writing about it here? The simple answer is that this is the only true M14 rifle that can be transferred on Form 4473 as an ordinary semiautomatic rifle. But wait! Aren’t all true M14 rifles machine guns because of the lug on the receiver for the full auto parts and are therefore National Firearms Act (NFA) articles that require the full NFA transfer protocol of passport photo, fingerprint card, Form 6 completion, a $200 transfer stamp, and a wait of up to a year or more? Yes, they are…well, except this TRW. So, what makes this M14 so special?…
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My M14 (Part 2 of 3)
Martial Arms collectors have a fertile field of historic artifacts to pursue. Martial arms are a unique collectable that allows a person to own an artifact “that was there”. Not many collectors have the means to own a F4U Corsair, No private citizen owns a battleship, but a martial arm is well within the means of a dedicated collector. I own a Charleville Musket that might have been at Yorktown and used in storming Redoubt #10. I have a Civil War Merrill Carbine identified to a trooper in the 8th Indiana Cavalry. My M1 Garand might have been at Elsenborn ridge during the Bulge when we stopped Stepp Detrich’s Panzers…
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My First M14/M1A (Part 1 of 3)
I’ve had a lifelong interest in history in general and US military history in particular. A Spring 1983 visit to Springfield Armory National Historic Site heightened my interest in US military firearms. Two of the rifles I wanted to own were an M1 Garand and a Springfield Armory Inc. M1A, the civilian version of the M14. In February 1984 Springfield was offering dealer direct a service grade M1A with upgraded National Match (NM) barrel and a NM type walnut stock that was heavier than the service grade stock and without the selector cutout. I ordered my first M1A. At that time little did I know that this was the rifle…
