The Civilian Marksmanship Program is branching out from surplus rifles with a new commercial production M1 Garand! This project was teased in an earlier social media post, and we now have fairly complete information. These are coming very soon, too!
CMP @ TFB:
- CMP Puts Mk13 Mod 3 Sniper Rifle Up For Auction
- Fulton Armory Releases CMP Sniper Match M21
- DARPA XM-3 Sniper Rifle Being Auctioned By CMP
- Getting Started in CMP Service Rifle Competition
These guns are being produced by Heritage Arms USA in Alabama, which has no relation to Heritage Manufacturing (noted maker of .22 revolvers). Thanks to CMP's long history of selling and maintaining original Garand Rifles, they have plenty of examples and data to draw from.
Because these new guns are true to the originals, they will still need to use ammo appropriate for M1 Garands, such as M2 ball or commercial loadings intended for Garand use. These guns still feed from the classic 8-round clips and create that iconic “ping” noise when the clip is ejected. They are also fully legal for CMP competition use.
The MSRP for the .30-06 and .308 models will be $1900, plus $40 for shipping. Like all other CMP sales activities, the proceeds from these sales will fund the CMP's mission of marksmanship training, including things like youth competition shooting programs and the National Matches at Camp Perry. Pre-orders are available now by filling out this online form. They are expected to start shipping this summer.
Personally, I'm very excited to see this design brought back to life. Surplus guns aren't getting any more common, and these guns will be great for shooters who don't want to wear out a historical item. These could also be very cool chambered in weird calibers like .458 Win Mag and 6.5x55 Swede, both of which can be made to work in the Garand action.
