I've fired a Garand on a couple of occasions and I am definitely going to buy one. They are amazing weapons. The history is tangible when you pick one up and the sound of the strip plinging on the last shot is the sound of freedom ringing.

Love mine. As i blogged after I took it out the first time:

Bang!, Bang!, Bang!, Bang!, Bang!, Bang!, Bang!, Bang!

Ping!!!!

:)

My thoughts on the Garand? I only have one thought: I WANT ONE.

I bought a CMP garand last year, and love it. It was the perfect weapon for its time, and is still a formidable rifle today. Mine has never jammed once, never had a mis-fire, nothing. Add to that the fun I've had restoring it to service condition (hunting up decent Garand parts is a hobby all it's own), and it's easily my favorite rifle.

I've thought about building a black rifle, but after getting my Garand, the closest I think I'll ever get is an M1A with a composite stock.

Shoot a Garand. Shoot an AR. which one would you trust to:

kill a target
work after being dropped
load dirty ammo
etc.

AR's suck.

Ah, Garands. To hold one; shoot one; merely gaze upon one.. It always brings Keats to mind:

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever". & 8 .30 holes in a 2.5: circle at 100 yards is indeed a thing of beauty.

If you ever make it to Colorado the range time is on me. Don't know if you've ever shot one before but a Garand is like a 10/22 except funner. More expensive to feed, yes, but much more fun.

$370 shipped to your door from the CMP. Helluva deal for a helluva rifle.

My range buddy has one inherited from his father. It's a great gun and very accurate although after about 50 rounds the shoulder gets a bit sore... And if you're not careful loading the "clip" and the bolt snaps forward... Still, I would like one for myself but then, I want one of EVERYTHING for myself! I'm sorta' greedy that way, or is it just the gun collecting bug infecting me?