New Game, Guess the Rifle?

[Weldrdave]

I already know, some of you know it!   Yes, this is a Winchester, June, 1944  M1 Garand.  I picked it a while back and started the tedious process of bringing it back from the dead!  I've done a couple of these over the years, I like a good challenge and this one will be a big one.  One saving grace about this rifle is, Bugs made a home in the bore and after I cleaned them out, the bore is in exceptional condition!  This exploded view is after it had been soaking for a week.  .  It actually came apart fairly easy.  PB Blaster is a savior!!!  I keep many cans of this stuff around. 








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[echo1]

Good going. does it have many Winchester parts? Mine has the receiver and a few Winny guts. PAX

[running-man]

WOW, almost makes you wish you had a tetanus shot before you work on it eh?! 

Looks like it's going to be a rally nice save Dave! 

[Weldrdave]

Good going. does it have many Winchester parts? Mine has the receiver and a few Winny guts. PAX

. Barrel, receiver, stock, all Winchester as far as I can tell.  The Bolt and the trigger group are SA, the gas rod is a HRA. 

[Phosphorus32]

That one experienced some serious neglect! Good work on saving it!

[Weldrdave]

That one experienced some serious neglect! Good work on saving it!

Gonna give it the best I got!  It may not come out pretty, but it'll function!   .  I'm gonna keep it as original as I can.  The stock needs some SERIOUS attention, it'll be a couple weeks on that one. 
I'll post as it comes together.   

[firstchoice]

Any back story on the rifle, Weldrdave? I can't imagine an individual here in the States letting a Garand go like that. Good save, again!

firstchoice

[Weldrdave]

Any back story on the rifle, Weldrdave? I can't imagine an individual here in the States letting a Garand go like that. Good save, again!

firstchoice

None that I know of;  It was an Ethiopian return, I'm sure it sat in a warehouse for years and years.  I bought it through RTI a while back in "Original" condition.  I have an International Harvester, had it for years, one of the rifles I (didn't) sell off when I was in the military.  As I stated a while back in an other thread, I had gotten rid of a large chunk of rifles due to moving them around and keeping them in military armories became such a PAIN IN THE A$$ that I wasn't doing that any more.  Now that I'm settled and retired, (for now) until I get out of New Jersey, I've been "recollecting" my old loss's.  Ironically the SKS thing hit like a bug and my wife thought I was  . going a bit goofy!  I have some nice clean oldies, but I wanted an original.  "BOY" did I get one!  That's as much as I know about it.   RTI has a couple youtube videos of the Garands they have along with many other Curio and Relics. 

[Weldrdave]

Well after, after two weeks of cleaning, soaking, gluing split wood, 3 coats of poly and many hours with a tooth brush, brass brush and a Dremel, here are the results!  I left it fully nostalgic but it's now nearly as clean as it was when it was new.  Not a pretty but definitely clean! The Bore is in super condition!  I finished it up yesterday, haven't shot it yet but will tomorrow.  I'm gonna make some light loads to start off and 150 grain boat tails.  I don't think this thing has had a round through it for decades!  I'll put out a few more shortly.

[Weldrdave]

Here it is all broken down and scrubbing. This poor thing was a complete Mess!!! 

[Bacarnal]

 

[larm]

great save!

you every get a chance to shoot her?

[Weldrdave]

great save!

you every get a chance to shoot her?

Yes, many times now!  I've got about 100 reloads through her, made at M1-Milspec loads.  It's a very nice shooter.  Not the prettiest girl at the dance but holding 4" grouping at 100 yards! 

[Papahound]

My last Winchester was also a 44 , it had been through a Danish rebuild and had lots of Breda parts , I replaced the bolt , trigger group and op rod with Springfield parts after a good bath and some TLC and it’s a great shooter as well - nice  save