Scrubbed Garand Receivers

0 Kudo

Forum Jump

Author	Comment
g4g5	Scrubbed Garand Receivers	Lead	[-]
Posts: 48 (01/07/09 09:53 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Tags : None Seven or eight years ago I found a wall full of Garands in a gun shop that had the manufacturers' names and serial numbers scrubbed off the receivers (or maybe they were made that way?). I've wondered about this all this time and now venture to ask about it. I've not seen it before or since.
Rick the Librarian		#1	[-]
Posts: 4616 (01/07/09 09:57 AM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	One possibility that has been mentioned for "scrubbed" receivers is that the CIA obtained rifles with no markings for the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.
HoosierDaddy		#2	[-]
Posts: 5325 (01/07/09 04:58 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Maybe they were CIA cast receivers. Ash Iron Construction
chcusnr1		#3	[-]
Posts: 85 (01/07/09 06:01 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I'm inclined to think they were non-USGI. Who would go to the trouble of scrubbing receivers, even for a covert operation? If it's an M1 everybody knows were it came originally from (two options - US or Italy). Regular non-scrubbed receivers provided more plausible deniability as to origins than scrubbed (after all, there were buckets of these things floating around after WWII, including sizable numbers in Cuba itself). Most Bay of Pigs weaponry would have stayed in Cuba anyway - not likely to end up in a US pawnshop. All of the ill-fated invasion brigade were captured, many were executed. 1,113 prisoners were repatriated to the US on December 29th, 1962 in exchange for $53 million in food and medicine. You can be sure that the departing prisoners were not handed their rifles as they departed. This was after the Cuban Missile Crisis and the imposition of the trade embargo. Any weapons that went over there undoubtedly never came back, scrubbed or not. Even if the CIA did go to the monumentally stupid effort of scrubbing a bunch of receivers for the invasion, and some - for whatever reason - never went to Cuba, I doubt they would try to dump leftovers on the civilian market. Besides not being worth the effort, the potential embarrassment from the whole thing would have been a strong disincentive. Not to say the CIA has never done anything monumentally stupid. But you would still have to ask, "Why?" "Scrubbed CIA Bay of Pigs Garand" sounds like a way of adding value to a PoS- trying to make a silk purse out of sow's ear. If it's scubbed, it's not GI. We know that Century had some Garand receivers made - I think by Lithgow or ADI in Austraia. I've also heard of IAI Granad receivers. Don't know if these are clearly marked or scrubbed. My understand is they are cast, not forged. Jim
beanstrung		#4	[-]
Posts: 4933 (01/07/09 09:00 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	CIA (Century International Arms), not the Central Intelligence Agency made cast Garand receivers without any markings on the "heel". This is likely what you saw. These aftermarket receivers have a poor reputation, see link here: http://www.fulton-armory.com/CAI-TI.htm Century receiver on left, USGI receiver on right --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What part of "shall not be infringed" don't you understand? Joel 3:9-10
BobM14		#5	[-]
Posts: 531 (01/08/09 05:14 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Yepper. I agree with the Boys. Probably Century rifles......who said you can't parkerize a turd?? Armed Infidel
beanstrung		#6	[-]
Posts: 4938 (01/08/09 11:31 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Uh, was it Parker? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What part of "shall not be infringed" don't you understand? Joel 3:9-10
g4g5		#7	[-]
Posts: 49 (01/09/09 11:19 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	It was an interesting find at any rate ... glad I didn't buy one, especially if they were of suspect quality. The explanation leads me to think they could have been replica receivers. There sure were a lot of them. All were gone a couple of years later.
musketshooter		#8	[-]
Posts: 225 (01/10/09 02:22 AM) active member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	It is rather amazing that non-owners have no problem bad mouthing the Century M1s, but you never see or hear any actual owners complaining about them. I have two, one in 308 and one 06, and they are are both reliable and accurate shooters.
Rick the Librarian		#9	[-]
Posts: 4620 (01/10/09 10:08 AM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Another way to tell if they are "scrubbed" vs. a Century or other commercial make, is to look at the receiver "legs" of receiver markings.
beanstrung		#10	[-]
Posts: 4941 (01/10/09 10:39 AM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	If they were made by Century, they will be marked as such on the side rail: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What part of "shall not be infringed" don't you understand? Joel 3:9-10
Mwieczorek		#11	[-]
Posts: 69 (01/10/09 12:11 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Ok, well, here's a negative opinion from a real, live, former CAI Garand owner... I bought one of those Century abortions back when I was young and dumb. I took it out shooting once. It jammed every other shot because of a binding issue in the op-rod channel. Also, either barrel threads were cut incorrectly (off-axis), or the barrel was incorrectly timed, because it would not hit the 10 ring at 100 yards without the front sight pushed off as far to the left as I could get it, and the rear sight cranked over to the right. In my opinion, it was a piece of junk. Also, the muzzle would swallow an M2 ball round right up to the case neck. Fortunately for me, the owner of the gun shop couldn't even fix it, so he gave me my money back (well, store credit, anyways). He fought hard with Century to get them to take it back. I'm not sure if they ever made it right or not. My next M1 was a SA service grade from the CMP. I couldn't be happier with that rifle, or any of the other M1's I've purchased from the CMP or built using CMP receivers. Matt
Gabreski 1st FJ		#12	[-]
Posts: 201 (01/12/09 07:55 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Yep hit or miss. I traded 350$ worth of circuit city gift cards for this one a few years ago before I knew better. I found a great stock to put in and was rewarded with excellent accuracy at 50 yards. Too bad I cant be that lucky with the lotto.
RichieRich3902		#13	[-]
Posts: 1317 (01/14/09 05:14 PM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	I take anything that Fulton has to say with a grain of salt. They are the ones that started the rumors about the Norinco M-14's and the Century M1 Rifles. Fulton is in the business of manufacturing M1 and M14 type rifles, they will always put their product above a competitors. Rich Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. -William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Cabinetman		#14	[-]
Posts: 5286 (01/18/09 09:00 AM) Host Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts Report Post	Just as an aside, "scrubbing" the serial numbers off the heel of an authentic Garand would be 100% totally illegal. The serial number is not imprinted anywhere else. So, for sure, those were Century reproduction receivers. With all the many thousands of authentic Garand receivers out there, I don't see the advantage of buying a reproduction. They won't hold their value and, frankly, their cost is not that much of a savings over, say, a rack-grade authentic rifle. Add to that the fit/finish issues and the loss of the history of the rifle and there just no attraction to me at all. Rome A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.