M1D "Sleeper"

[Hagar]

Folks,

I have everything that I need to assemble an M1D out of all original components (except for the barrel block and mount which are aftermarket). The thought occurred to me that I'll end up with a Garand that will be an average shooter.

Is it feasible to get a military contour Criterion barrel, install a USGI barrel block and mount, have it accurized by one of our top Garand "smiths" and have an accurate shooter? I have almost new stock wood and a stock M84 scope. The scope is mediocre and will limit the rifle. Are the reproduction scopes better? Is there some "glass" that closely resembles the M84 but is much better? I'm not looking to have an exact duplicate but rather a Garand that closely resembles the M1D but is more accurate with better "glass" (70 year old eyes need a scope for any shooting over 100 yards).

Thanks,

Hagar

[Johnny in Texas]

The m1d was designed to hit a man size target at ranges out to about 600 yrds. And were not target rifle like today's sniper systems.

[Hagar]

Johnny,

I'm aware of the genisis of the M1D and it's limitations. I had both an M1D and an A4 in Nam, both with M84 scopes. What I'm thinking about doing is improving both the scope and the rifle on the M1D. I don't expect 1/2 MOA out of the end product but with handloads for the specific rifle and the improvements that I am contemplating, I feel that I could get 1 1/2 MOA lord willing and the creeks don't rise :-) The major hurdle that I see is the M84 scope which is where I'm looking to you folks to see if there is a scope that resembles the M84 that has markedly better performance. Tony Pucci has built up three Garands for me which I have given to my brothers and a nephew. I'm sure that he could do the same for an M1D replica if I could solve the glass problem. The question is, "would the cost and effort be worth it"?

In Nam, the A4 was much more accurate than the M1D, The D scope could be dismounted in a flash and it could be used in rapid fire self-defense situations without having to have my spotter with an M16 (may this abortion burn in hell) provide defense. The A4 scope dismounting was not possible in a timely manner and it was still a bolt-action.

I value your knowledge and opinion and perhaps I should be spending my time and money on some other project. This is more of a nostalgia thing with me.

Thanks for your comments.

Hagar

[JohnMOhio]

Hagar, "would the cost and effort be worth it?" Since this is a nostalgia thing, only you can answer that. I compare this to the guy who wants to restore an old car. The same question could be asked. If it means that much to you, do it. If it is a matter of finances, only you can answer that also. I have a year more on my old eyes and I am debating should I get on of two rifles when I should possibly be thinking of selling off some of those I have gathered over the years. No children or grand children interested in the shooting sports. Although only a couple would fall into the category of "collectibles" they each have a story behind them and mean something only to me I would guess.

Good Luck in your decision.

John

[joem]

IMHO it depends on how much you want it not how much it would cost. If you want it bad enough you'll find a way to justify the expense.

[Maury Krupp]

I'd echo the "Is it worth it?" angle.

From a practical standpoint I only see a couple potential hurdles:

1) M1D scope mounts only accept 7/8in tubes; modern scopes generally use 1in. There are supposed to be some USGI 1in mounts but I've never seen one in the flesh. I'm sure if you could find one you'd pay a pretty big premium. I don't know of any after-market 1in M1D mounts. G&H does make a 1in M1C but they're also pretty pricey (4-figures by the time you factor in everything). All the repro M84s I've seen have been various grades of POS.

2) Building a plain 1MOA M1 isn't that difficult; any of the usual suspects could do it for you (or you could DIY). But I wonder how the M1D Barrel Block etc might affect everything? Maybe nothing; maybe something?

So it could be done but at the end of the day it'll still be the awkward, heavy, lopsided, offset aiming kludge that all M1Ds are :(

If all you want the scope for is to see past 100yd here's something to try with iron sights (for a lot less money):

-Get a set of glasses and Rx that focuses at twice the distance from your eye to the front sight; this is known as the "hyperfocal" distance. For prone with an M1 it's approx 61in but it's best to measure for your position. Talk to your eye quack and he should be able to do the math for the right Rx

-Buy a .047 Rear Sight Aperture from Art Neergaard http://www.shootingsight.com. If you want to go smaller you can fill with JB Weld then use the appropriate size number drill. A third option is to drill and tap (1/4x32) a standard M1 Rear Sight Aperture to accept AR apertures (.038, .042, .046) from White Oak. You want as small an aperture as you can stand without the image being too dark or dim

Compared to a standard (.069) or even NM (.052, .0595) M1 Rear Aperture and naked eyes or your standard distance Rx:

-The hyperfocal Rx will balance your relaxed focus between the front sight and target instead of out at infinity. You won't need to exert your middle-aged presbyopic eye muscles to bring the front sight in

-The smaller aperture will increase your depth-of-field bringing both the target and front sight into reasonable optical focus. It will also virtually eliminate sight alignment errors through a phenomenon known as "parallax supression"

It's all based on optical math and works for me. For sure it's way cheaper (and I think works way better) than scoping an M1.

Maury

[Hagar]

Maury,

Many thanks for the optical seminar. I think I'll drill and tap the rear sight to accept the White Oak inserts. The more I thought about it, the less inclined I was to "polish poop" with my super M1D project. I'll put together the M1Ds with my aftermarket barrel blocks, scope mounts and genuine M84 scopes and sell them as "put togethers" to a collector who can't afford an original M1D. I already have a CMP M1D with M84 scope as well as a CMP A4 with an M84 scope so my Nam nostagia thirst is slaked. Now on to my long-desired project of getting a "Kennedy correct" Carcano and building it up as a super smooth and accurate Lee Harvey Oswald model that I can practice with and handload for to see if I can duplicate or exceed the performance of the re-enactors who periodically show up on the conspiracy TV shows :-) BTW, I'm in the middle of Stephen Hunter's book about Lee Harvey Oswald and the Kennedy assasination and it's a very good read. The title is, "The Third Bullet" and it's written for shooters.

Thanks to everyone for bringing me back to my senses!

Hagar

[Jim in Salt Lake]

+1 on "The Third Bullet." Thoroughly enjoyed it, hope he keeps writing them.