when and where was your !st encounter with the m1 garand

[Hunt SD]

Havent had the priveledge to own or even fire one yet

[Totsuka Mac]

1958 Navy Boot Camp Company 535. Qualification at Camp Elliot out in the "desert" North of RTC, San Diego, CA. Qualified as Marksman. Really a memorable experience. Carried 1903A3 for drill throughout boot camp. After graduation from ET "A" School at Treasure Island/San Francisco, CA and assignment to Kami Seya, Japan, the .30 M1 Carbine was the basic issue for base security at Kami Seya's transmitter site, NRTF Totsuka, Japan 1959-1961. Really liked the Garand AND the M1 Carbine. Home security weapon now is an "IBM" .30 M1 Carbine, dated 9/1943. (After discharge from USN, spent 30 years with IBM and retired 1992. Figured an old IBM'er should have an old "IBM" for security as well as for sentiment.)

[bobski]

NWS DAM NECK, VA

[whymememe]

I drilled with the M1 Garand 1968-1969. High School ROTC. Did some dry fire target practice with it. We disassembled and cleaned them. Beautiful piece of history. I was best Drilled Cadet during the annual IG inspection 1969. It's pretty heavy for a scrawny high school kid to handle. I was lucky not to get my thumb smashed doing inspection arms. I would like to have one but they are costly.

[Brass Tacks]

I too had Junior ROTC at Natrona County High School, Casper, WY in 64, 65.

US Rifle, Caliber .30, M1. It is a gas operated, air cooled, clip fed, semi automatic, shoulder weapon. I think that's right, it's been almost 50 years.

We did the old field strip and reassemble blindfolded thing. Most of the rifles didn't have firing pins but a few did. A few times the instructors would take a few of us out on the prairie to do some shootin' on weekends.

yes, the weapon can be cocked in the manner previously described but caution must be used as the entire trigger group can exit the weapon during this procedure

[DixieLandMan]

My first encounter was when dad got one from the CMP back in the late 70's or very early 80's. Wonderful weapon that he still uses for deer hunting. Yes, I have also had the Garand Thumb too.

[KWM]

Feb 58. Boot Camp, Parris Island S.C.

[cpttango30]

At home 8 years old. I got to shoot blanks with a blank adapter for the 4th of July.

[aa1911]

Camp perry in the mid 90's, hi-pwr service rifle. Bought my own in 1999 I think it was from the CMP, woo hoo!

I know, I know, I'm a young guy... and have also escaped the M1 thumb to date!

The first one I shot was a .308 conversion gun, but I like the '06 much better.

[aa1911]

the 90's I think it was, (comma) it WAS from the CMP.

sorry, my first post didn't read quite right....

[SF Mike]

Bought one at a gunshow in 1963, age 16, for $65.
Still got it.
Trained with M14 a few years later.

[hstout1143]

May 2012 when I picked it up from my father-in-law and took it to the range. I haven't had garand thumb yet.

[JLA]

Last October. I purchased a beautiful springfield from GDMoody here for 500 bucks. Best money ive ever spent on a rifle of any kind. And i have 'stoopid' money invested in some of my Custom LR rifles.

[JLA]

Originally Posted by hstout1143

May 2012 when I picked it up from my father-in-law and took it to the range. I haven't had garand thumb yet.

It hurts.. I took it on the pinky the second time it ever happend to me. I was showing my brother how to load a Garand (he was holding the rifle and I was standing to his left) and I reached across and showed him how to seat the enbloc with the 4 fingers on my right hand. it seated, clicked, and the bolt started haulin ass forward. my pinky didnt quite make it. pinched the tip end of it between the bolt and breech. Had a nice blood blister.

First time it ever happend i was defeating the cartridge follower to release the bolt. that time it got my whole thumb.

[Gabob]

1952 High school ROTC(three years). Fridays we had to break them down and clean them. Later two more years of college ROTC.

[CJ_56]

In about 1968 we went camping, hunting, and frogging with a guy who had fought in WWII. He had a M1. He was right proud of how he could shoot it too. We were on a small hill overlooking a big field. At about 700 yards out a ground hog popped up out of a hole. He said he could shoot it without any problem. He set up and waited for it to pop up again and fired. It went back down the hole. My brother gave him a hard time about that. I was only about 12 at the time I guess but my brother was 15 and already a good shooter. The guy swore he had hit it but my brother kept saying it ran back down the hole. Then we saw it pop up again. My brother really gave him the business after that. My brother said to let him have a try at it. He fired and it appeared to run back down the hole. The guy laughed and said he missed a mile. My brother swore he hit it. So after a few minutes of back and forth they decided the only way to know was to check. My brother walked out in the field (which was plowed so it took him half an hour to get there) and picked up two dead ground hogs out of that hole. Both guys had hit their target and the ground hogs had just rolled over backwards down in the hole.

I knew then how great an M1 could shoot. That was the first time my brother had ever shot one. But he's always had a knack for pulling off impossible stuff like that. It didn't surprise me the WWII guy doing it because it was common for guys in the war to make shots like that at enemy soldiers but my brother doing it was a big surprise.

[waynescyclegarage]

Originally Posted by 22WRF

1961 Naval Station Key West

Beach Patrol waiting for the Cubans

First was USN boot camp, 1961, next was US Navy fleet sonar school, Key West Florida. Beach watch waiting for Cubans also.
Just got my first one this month, a 1943 (year I was born) and it is a beauty.
I also was on the drill team in Key West and twirled the big M1 like a baton!
My M1 is one of the most accurate rifles I own or have shot.
wayne

[kermit]

boot camp-great lakes sept 1961. again post 21 cuban blockade uss john r. pierce dd 753 early 63/late 62

[whirley]

February 1949, Ft. Jackson S.C. Made expert, lots of fun shooting the UKD range. After that I was issued an M2 carbine. On July 5, 1950 I found carbines were ineffective beyond about 200 yards, and then they were questionable, so picked up an M-1. Very effective. I later acquired a 1903A3 Springfield with Lyman sights. Used that for a while also when I had time. Never fired an M-14. Just a souped up M1 in my opinion. However a wet M-1 sometimes failed to function properly. The Springfield was always there! Wind drift with a 10-12 MPH wind from 9 or 3 o'clock was about 3 feet at 500 to 600 yards. Any hit on the target was acceptable.

[langenc]

Originally Posted by Lotsdragon

My father has his from the korean war, still uses it to hunt deer with. Great Rifle and when I can find one that I can afford I will have one too.

My first contact was in ROTC, late 50s at the University.

Later shot at summercamp and then with the Army Reserve rifle team. Also used for drill. Very accurate for shooting. Mild recoil. BAR was best for recoil-it actually 'walked' away from you and had to be pulled back to the shoulder after 3-4 rounds. BAR weighed 19 1/2 pounds.

I didnt buy one back in the 70s as I thought $150 was way too much money for one-the Garand.

[JohnHenry]

In high-school, jrotc in 1952 .... did the normal ( for the time ) blindfolded strip & assemble .
We had a rifle range ( 75 yards ) in the basement of the school .... the armory was on
the third floor. We would carry rifles and ammo. through the halls during normal class
changes and no one paniced ( nor did any one get shot ).
The drill platoon took the Detroit city championship in 1953 using the M1 .
I haven't touched one since then .... in service I carried the 1911-A1 and an M-3 .

[Clipper]

USN Reserve boot camp (2 weeks) at San Diego in the summer of '54. Spent hours and hours dry firing, finally out to a Marine rifle range (Pendleton?) for our day on the range and in the butts. Still lusting for one....someday!

[B27]

I stubbed my toe on one leanimg agaist the wall this morning.

[srt 10 jimbo]

My Dad had one when I was a Kid, he used to shoot it on the far. so naturally I had to have one or two or three

[m77user]

Boot camp, Ft. Ord, CA. 1963.