Garands Galore — CMP Receives 99,000 Repatriated M1 Rifles
Good news for fans of vintage military rifles. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has received roughly 99,000 M1 Garand rifles from the Philippines and Turkey. These former U.S. Allies had received the rifles from the USA via long-term loans decades ago. Now they are finally coming home.
Gina Johnson, CMP’s general manager, told Guns.com that: “We have roughly 86,000 rifles from the Philippines and roughly 13,000 rifles from Turkey in our possession”. The M1 Garands have been arriving by the container-load over the past month, and the CMP has been moving the rifles into warehouses (see below):
The CMP Moves Tens of Thousands of M1 Garands into CMP Warehouses:
Rifles will Be Inspected, Repaired, Graded and Test-Fired
Over the next few months, the CMP will be “processing” the rifles. Each of the M1s will have to be cleaned, inspected, potentially repaired or rebuilt, and then test fired. Afterward, the M1 Garands will be sorted and graded, which ultimately determines each rifle’s sale price.
“We’ve already begun on the Turkish rifles,” CMP Chief Operating Officer Mark Johnson said in an interview with the NRA. “They’re already filtering into the system and there are some on the racks for sale now.” Apparently neither country added any marks on the rifles, so the repatriated guns are not distinguishable from any other M1 Garand, Johnson said.
While we’ve known about the Philippine Garands for quite some time, Guns.com reports that collectors were surprised to learn about the Turkish Garands: “The Philippino guns have been on the radar for months while CMP has kept the news on the Turkish M1s closer to the vest. The influx of vintage rifles…is one of the biggest stockpiles the [CMP] has received in recent years.”
The arrival of these 99,000 M1 Garands is great news for rifle collectors. Garands have been in short supply in recent years, as the Obama administration opposed repatriation of surplus military rifles from overseas allies. Garands were getting harder to acquire from the CMP. In fact, over the past two years, many common Garand varients have been “sold out” on the CMP site.
CLICK HERE for Garand Ordering Information | CLICK HERE for Garand Grading Information
If you are looking to obtain an authentic, safe-to-shoot M1 Garand, the CMP is your best bet. Each M1 Garand rifle sold by the CMP is an genuine U.S. Government rifle that has been inspected, head-spaced, repaired if necessary, and test fired for function. Each rifle is shipped with safety manual, one 8-round clip, and chamber safety flag. CMP operations, warehousing, inspection & repair, test firing, sales order processing and distribution activities are headquartered in Anniston, Alabama.
How to Order an M1 Garand from the CMP
To purchase an M1 Garand through the CMP, you must be an adult U.S. Citizen, and a member of an affiliated organization who has participated in a “Marksmanship Activity”. This basically meas you need to join a a gun club and participate in a clinic or match. Proof of club membership and citizenship is mandatory for all ages. However, the marksmanship requirement is waived for those over 60 years. Garands must be ordered by mail or through official CMP Auctions. CLICK HERE to Start Order.
M1 Garands at CMP Retail Store in Anniston, Alabama.
