Layoff purchase Garand

The company me and My Buddy the Gun Enthusiast (MBtGE) and I worked for was slowly dying. I didn’t survive a 9th wave of layoffs in the beginning of 2003. So what did I do on my way home from work? I bought a gun. No no no! Not for THAT reason. I was glad to be out of there, and the year before I was let go I was paid very well. On top of System Administration and Product Support duties, I was taking orders for the product. And they counted that as Sales, and paid me commission just to take down orders. I had extra cash. And I wanted to get a gun before it all ran out in the event I was unemployed for a long time. Now THAT might not have been the smartest reason or timing for a gun purchase, but no revenge fantasy crossed my mind. The company was good to me, and it was no one’s fault it was saddled with a poor business model. And even if it was someone’s fault, that is NO justification for shooting up the joint. Sheesh, you people.


Plus I bought a rifle. I had a home-defense gun with the revolver, but I had no neighborhood-defense gun. We were in the second year of the War On Terror, or the War on Jihadi Extremists or the War on Islamistic Caliphate Fantasists. Whatever you wanna call it. And I didn’t want them walking around like they owned the place if they came to my part of the Maryland suburbs. Krusty the Klown said on the Simpsons that a gun is to “shoot animals that are dangerous and/or delicious, to protect your family, and the keep the King of England out of your face.” I wanted a gun for this last part. Don’t need the King of England to start getting all uppity now. Plus I thought it would be fun if I could find a place to shoot it. The ’03 I owned had iffy headspace issues, and it was bolt action. I wanted semi-auto.


At the time I had rekindled my interest in WWII history and the weaponry was always fascinating. I wanted a BAR, but there was no way I could afford one. You have to get the permits and then pay through the nose for the weapon. Plus the thing weighs 20 pounds. But M-1 Garands are cheap and plentiful. I got a Garand. It was in good shape and less that $600. It could be called Correct Grade by the Civilian Marksmanship Program . Mine is chambered for .308 instead of the original .30-06. The gun store I bought it at said the US Navy re-chambered a bunch of Garands to be .308 (or NATO 7.62 mm) but for all I know it was done by the Greek military or South Korean military or Whomever’s military. Doesn’t matter to me, because, the bore is clean, the stock is very good, the mechanism is either like new or has very little wear around the receiver that has lightened the bluing or Parkerizing. I bought a case, sling, and some en bloc clips to go with it. I never shot it or bought ammo because I had no place to shoot it. The serial number, after researching it, indicates the rifle was made in 1943.