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September 2nd, 2010
Last week we reported that plans by South Korea’s Ministry of Defense to sell surplus M1 Garand and M1 Carbine rifles had been halted because of objections raised by officials in Washington, DC. To raise money for its defense budget, the Korean Defense Ministry hoped to sell 86,000 M1 Garands and 22,000 M1 Carbines to American collectors. Originally the import program enjoyed a green light from Washington, but now sources within the Obama Administration have confirmed that the U.S. State Department is blocking the importation of these old firearms. Curiously, the State Department now claims the Koreans planned to import a much larger number of firearms, 87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 carbines.
Yesterday, FoxNews.com reported:
The Obama administration approved the sale of the American-made rifles last year. But it reversed course and banned the sale in March[.] A State Department spokesman said the administration’s decision was based on concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands. “The transfer of such a large number of weapons — 87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 Carbines — could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes,” the spokesman told FoxNews.com.
Is the U.S. State Department inflating the number of arms to be imported as a scare tactic? Hard to say… getting solid answers about the Obama Administration’s opposition to the Korean import program has been difficult. FoxNews.com explained: “The State Department spokesman referred questions to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF representatives said they would look into the question Monday afternoon, but on Wednesday they referred questions to the Justice Department. DOJ spokesman Dean Boyd referred questions back to the State Department.” Sounds like a shell game….
Some gun bloggers have reported that the M1 Garands and M1 Carbines are not eligible to be returned to the USA and sold to American collectors given the military aid agreements under which the rifles were provided to Korea originally. Whether that is the case is unclear. The rifles are all over 50 years old, so they would qualify as Curious and Relics, which normally could be imported, absent other restrictions. FoxNews.com says the M1 Garands and M1 Carbines are in a class of arms that require U.S. State Department approval before they can be shipped back to the USA and sold here. Chris Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist, says there are no definitive legal restrictions blocking the return of these arms to the United States, or forbidding their re-sale to collectors. Instead the Obama Administration is simply carrying out a “a de facto gun ban, courtesy of Hillary Clinton’s State Department.”
CLICK HERE to read full FoxNews.com story on Korean Gun Import Ban
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August 31st, 2010
The CMP announced it has SOLD OUT of M1 carbines except for a few reserved for its auction program. CMP officials state: “At this time, we have no reason to expect to receive more”. However the CMP still has a few hundred M1 Carbine stripped Barreled Recievers, item number R017BRZ, left from the CMP’s inspection and repair operations. The barreled actions will cost $125 each plus $12.95 S&H each. For more information, visit the CMP Carbine Page. Choice of manufacturer is luck of the draw.
 Garand Receivers Offered for Sale
CMP has once again accumulated enough Grade B receivers to offer them for sale. The stripped M1 Garand receivers are SA manufacture, recently refinished and parkerized. These can be the starting point for a Garand match rifle project. The Garand stripped receivers, item RMIRECSAB, cost $195.00 + $9.95 S&H per receiver.
M14 Parts Kits for Upgrading M1As
The CMP has acquired a large quantity of M14 parts and assembled a few hundred Grade A kits which are now being offered for sale. Each Kit includes every semi-auto part except barrel, bolt and receiver. Metallic parts will show signs of use and may have some minor rust or pitting. Stocks may have some dents and dings and minor cracks. Stocks may be walnut, hardwood, or synthetic. Item number is PSM1AKIT. Price is $600 per kit plus $22.95 shipping.
NOTE: If you have a Springfield M1A you may want to order this kit to upgrade to superior USGI components. This Editor’s M1A would not run reliably until the sand-cast Springfield op rod was replaced with a forged USGI op rod. Likewise you may want to replace the Springfield front gas black with genuine USGI parts.
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August 19th, 2010
According to the Korea Times, the U.S. Government (branch and officials unknown) has stymied plans by the Korean Defense Ministry to sell 86,000 M1 Garands and 22,000 M1 Carbines to American gun collectors. The gun export program was designed to augment Korea’s defense budget, and the Defense Ministry had hoped to start shipping rifles at the end of 2009. But somebody in Washington has blocked the re-importation of the classic Garands and Carbines.
There are many unanswered questions involving this story. The Koreans won’t say exactly what branch of the U.S. Goverment is opposing the shipment of M1 Garands and M1 Carbines, and the Obama Administration isn’t talking. The Korea Times reports:
The problems the U.S. government cited were somewhat ambiguous, said an official at the Ministry of National Defense on condition of anonymity.
“The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents. It was also worried the weapons could be smuggled to terrorists, gangs or other people with bad intentions,” the official told The Korea Times.
“We’re still looking into the reason why the U.S. administration is objecting to the sale of the rifles and seeking ways to resolve the problems raised,” he said.
Gangs Armed with Surplus Garands?
The No Lawyers – Only Guns and Money Blog attacked the notion that Classic M1 Garands (or carbines) would become the new weapon of choice for ‘gangs or other people with bad intentions': “As to the assertion by some unnamed U.S. official that gangs might use M-1 Garands, I think someone watched the movie Gran Torino a few too many times. Can you imagine how many cases of ‘M-1 thumb’ there would be if the Crips, the Bloods, or the Latin Kings were to attempt to use a M-1 Garand?”
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September 25th, 2009
Here’s good news for collectors of classic American military rifles. Over 100,000 M1 Garands and M1 Carbines are “returning home” from South Korea. The South Korean Defense Ministry recently announced plans to ship 86,000 Garands and 22,000 Carbines back to the United States for sale to American collectors. Originally made in the USA, these weapons were supplied by the US during the Korean and Vietnam war years.
 Thankfully, South Korea’s plan to return the Garands and Carbines to the United States has received a “green light” from American officials. “The US government recently approved our plan to sell old M1 and carbine rifles, which were given to our soldiers as part of a US aid programme,” a ministry spokesman declared.
Most of the arms have been in storage at military warehouses, only occasionally used for drills by reserve forces. While South Korea plans to send back most of its M1 Garands, it intends to retain another 640,000 carbines for reserve units. The 108,000 rifles set for return to America are collectively valued at over $108,000,000 (based on $1000.00 retail price per gun). Realistically, given the fact that CMP rack grade and service grade Garands sell for much less, we would hope many of these Korean returns would sell for quite a bit less than $1000.00. But, ultimately, supply and demand in the United States will dictate selling prices.
UPDATE: On August 12, 2010, the Korea Times reported that the U.S. Government is now opposing the return to the USA of the 108,000 Garands and Carbines. A Korean Defense Ministry source revealed that American officials were now claiming the weapons could cause accidents or “be smuggled to terrorists, gangs or other people with bad intentions”.
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