Any Garand Owners Shoot at Canadian Valley/ Banner Rd?

[coolhandluke]

Hoping to find a Garand owner to tag along with sometime. A Garand has been "the gun" on my wish list for a while, but I haven't even shot one. Of course any used ammo would be paid for. Just trying to avoid buyers remorse.

 

[OKC_Jim]

I was shooting mine there on a regular basis but it has been a while due to medical reasons. I should be good to start shooting it again later this month. If you don't find somebody before then, I'd be happy to let you shoot mine.

Jim

 

[coolhandluke]

Jim that would be great.

My wife knows how badly I have been wanting a Garand for a few years now and started a fund as an anniversary present. I just want to avoid saving up for the next few months and then letting the wife down if the rifle is something that I won't enjoy shooting regularly. I don't think that would be the case, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Thank you again for the offer. Just shoot me a pm whenever you feel like heading out to the range. I am normally free on Saturdays and Sundays with the exception of Father's Day.

 

[OKC_Jim]

Unfortunately, I do most of my shooting during the week as I work weekends. Do you ever have any time off during the middle of the week? I occasionally have a weekend day off, but it may be a while before I do (I'll let you know when I do).

Where are you thinking about buying your Garand? Are you familiar with the CMP?

 

[AKguy1985]

garands are awesome, you wouldnt regret buying one

 

[oneof79]

Talk to Harry out there at Banner. Sometimes he will sell one of his Garands. He might even let you shoot one a few times.
He let me borrow an M1A once for a match, I had to buy his ammo but that was ok by me.

 

[coolhandluke]

Unfortunately, I do most of my shooting during the week as I work weekends. Do you ever have any time off during the middle of the week? I occasionally have a weekend day off, but it may be a while before I do (I'll let you know when I do).

Where are you thinking about buying your Garand? Are you familiar with the CMP?

Pretty much the only weekday that I have off in the foreseeable future is July 4th. If all goes well on any given weekday I can get off of work at 5:30 if you would like to go in the evening sometime. Normally I'm stuck at work until 6:30-7:00 but I can make a point to leave on time if need be.

I was hoping to buy one from someone local, but have been thinking about the CMP as well. I like knowing the grade of the rifle that I would be purchasing if I went through the CMP, but I would honestly prefer being able to inspect the rifle in person before forking over the cash.

 

[coolhandluke]

Talk to Harry out there at Banner. Sometimes he will sell one of his Garands. He might even let you shoot one a few times.
He let me borrow an M1A once for a match, I had to buy his ammo but that was ok by me.

Thanks for the info!

What's the best way to ask him? In person next time I am out at the range, or is he a member on OSA where I could drop him a pm? Still hoping to make it out with Jim, but this would be another great option....especially if Harry would be willing to sell one of his rifles. Thanks again.

 

[oneof79]

Thanks for the info!

What's the best way to ask him? In person next time I am out at the range, or is he a member on OSA where I could drop him a pm? Still hoping to make it out with Jim, but this would be another great option....especially if Harry would be willing to sell one of his rifles. Thanks again.

It helps if he knows you a little. Short of that, just go in there and ask if he knows anyone with a Garand for sale. Don't be "askeerd" to ask dumb questions if you don't know something. He might just pull one out of his safe and let you shoot it.

By the way, he isn't a member here. He does know how to order from the CMP. IMHO that's the best way to buy one if you aren't real familiar with M1s. You can get virtually brand new 60 year old guns if you order the right ones.

It seems like, and I have no proof of this, after someone gets a Garand they want to sell it for more than what they charge from the CMP. The 30 to 60 day wait is worth something, right.

 

[coolhandluke]

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to oneof79 and everyone else who dropped me a pm after posting this thread. I stopped by Banner Rd yesterday and Harry had two Garands hanging on the wall in the office. I commented on them and he told me to look them over. When I finished out on the range and brought back my spotting scope and stapler he handed me an en bloc full of ammo and let me take one of the rifles out to shoot. After I returned the rifle I asked him if he might possibly be interested in doing a partial trade plus cash on the rifle that I shot. He said sure, just bring the rifle in. Long story short, Harry worked out a trade plus cash deal with me this afternoon and I got to take home a CMP special grade. The rifle gauges at a little over 1 at both the throat and muzzle, has a beautiful birch stock (no CMP stampings), and excellent finish on the metal. The receiver is a Springfield 1942 serial number and the rifle has been rebarrelled with a Springfield 1955 dated barrel. I asked plenty of questions and Harry had the patience of a saint and took the time to answer all of them. He even went so far as to hand a shooting jacket and box of ammo to the wife and let her take a few shots with the rifle. You just don't run into people like that everyday.

I'll be sure to post a few pics as soon as I have some time to break out the camera. Thanks again everyone.