Wrong Place At The Wrong Time

[odies dad]

I was at the pawn shop again yesterday, when a guy I know comes in with something I didn't have and wanted. I couldn't afford it but he said he'd take payments. Crap, there goes the rest of my swap meet money.

 

Here is what I got

 

 

Winchester "tanker" M1 Garand. Nice shape. He is going to give me a handful of clips. I had a couple but gave them away.

 

If anyone has any info on these I would like to hear it.

I know a little about Mausers, so now I need to learn about these.

[Horsefly]

Holy Smoke OD,you don't sound as excited as I'd be to get my hands on a M1 as I'd be,much less a tanker.My Dad has talked about seeing them in Korea and said most had carbines.He kept stepping up in rank,and they took away his Garand giving him a 30 carbine,and next he went to just a .45.He begged for a tanker M1,but there was no way.Your a lucky cat at the right place at the right time! Jerry

[AzRednek]

I had one, it lasted about a hundred rounds!! The dealer took it back and parted it out. Does your's have a National Ordnance crest or writing on the receiver? If it does, there is a very good chance it was made with a cast receiver. To the best of my knowledge, the shortened M-1 rifle never made it beyond the prototype stage in the US arsenal. I saw one at the Rock Island museum along with various other prototype M-1 rifles and carbines. The Italain army built a few variations of the M-1, a few of which have wound up here.

 

If any you are ever in the Quad Cities area in northwestern Iliinois/east Iowa do yourself a favor and visit the Rock Island Museum. Not only do they have a sample of every US small arms weapon you can imagine. They also have the largest known collection of captured weapons from the Indian wars.