The M1 is one of the most important firearms ever produced. It served faithfully from World War Two (as the standard issue rifle) all the way into early Vietnam (in the sniper role). This is a Springfield-built M1 sold through the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). It was originally built at the Springfield Arsenal in 1943. This rifle was extensively rebuilt into the CMP’s “Special Grade”, which is the highest grade they offer. This includes a new Criterion (CBI) match grade barrel, and a brand-new stock made of high-quality wood. This gun is in like new in the box and has never been fired since leaving the CMP. The blue CMP tag indicates the muzzle tightness as +0 while the throat is rated at 1. Many people like to modify these rifles for competition shooting. The bore is in excellent condition. A word on handloading ammunition for this rifle. Normally, only 150gr bullets should be used in a standard issue M1. This is done to preserve the operating rod. Extensive use of heavy bullets in an unmodified Garand will result in the operating rod bending, meaning the gun will no longer function until the part is replaced. In order to use match 168gr loads or heavier bullets, a Schuster gas plug must be fitted. For 220gr round nose ammo, adjust the plug so that the fired cases eject no more than five feet away. If they are ejecting something like twenty feet away, your operating rod is in danger. Hornady .30-caliber 225gr spitzers will usually be too long to fit and require single-loading into the chamber. These gas plugs work well, and I enjoy shooting my personal M1 Garand equipped as such. One important characteristic of the gun is the name Garand. It is named after its inventor after all. Today, most people pronounce it “Guh-rand”, the last part coming out like “grand” or “rand” (like Remington-Rand). This is not how Mr. Garand pronounced his own last name. The correct pronunciation is “Gare-rind” with the first part sounding like “dare” (“I dare you to…”) or “bear”, and the second part sounding like “wind” but with the rolling “r” sound instead of the “w”. Most people continue to pronounce the word as many always have (even in WW2) because of tradition but it’s nice to hear the correct pronunciation now and then. The rifle here comes with a CMP hard case, a sling, and an en-bloc clip.