CMP South Store

[TheJoker]

I have been going to the spring Talladega race since 1984. I'm not why it just occurred to me that the CMP South Store is a stones throw from the track. This year, I saved some money and got a room in Anniston for Thursday night. I got up bright and early Friday and was at the store when it opened.

What a great experience! I got up early and headed over to the store. The girlfriend couldn't be talked into going. She stayed at the motel even after I reminded her that I had spent several hours shopping with her in the "Boyd's Bear Barn" at Gettysburg. I told her I'd be back in a couple of hours. I believe her response was something like: "Riiiiiiiight!"

First off, I'm not sure why people complain about the requirements. I took my Passport, my certificate for a live fire training class and my GCA membership card and just for a little over kill, I wore my spiffy red GCA dress shirt that I got for Christmas. It took 3 minutes to be ready to shop.

I had an idea of what I wanted, a field grade Winchester and a field grade H&R. I went through the entire lot of field grade Winnys looking for one with the original barrel. No luck!

So I started looking for a H&R, but the service grades got my attention. I eventually picked out a rifle with 1 at the muzzle and 2 at the throat. So I put that one on the counter and gave the Winchesters another look.

I was feeling a little over whelmed and I didn't want to rush into anything. There are a lot of rifles to look through. I'm kind of a novice at this So I decided that I'd just get the one rifle and buy a bayonet.

So at this point, I'm ready to check out; but Leon(...the nice fella behind the counter) tells me he isn't going to check me out yet because they are bringing out some more rifles and he wants me to see them too.

While I'm waiting this pretty gal, didn't get her name, asks me if I'd found everything I was looking for. I told her that I was looking for a FG Winchester; but I hadn't seen anything that stood out and I admitted that I was a little overwhelmed. She points to a rifle on the counter that she was about to return to the rack. She said it was a "WIN-13". I have heard the term; but, don't really know what it means. It has a 1950s SA barrel and measured a little over 2 on both ends. It has a fairly nice condition H&R stock. But most of the other parts are SA. I put the FG Winchester next to my SG H&R and I put the bayonet back.

At this point, the cart of rifles arrived. They were all SG H&Rs. Leon told me to go find one with an original finish. So, I picked a different SG H&R that had a nice original finish and measured 1 at the muzzle and 1 at the throat. It also had a newer barrel that someone told me was desirable....LMP maybe???

Leon was satisfied that I had gotten what I had came for and he was now ready to check me out. I added an ammo can with 200 rounds. I was pleased to find that they would ship my rifles home for around $22 each. I'm not sure how the Talladega Speedway would feel about having a couple of M1 rifles in a car on the premises.

As I was waiting for my transaction to complete, they brought another cart of rifles out. I really could have hung out there all day. Everyone, whether customers or the help, was so nice and very helpful. Next visit, I need to budget more time!

My only regret is not spending another $100 and getting a SG Winchester! The SG Winchesters looked really nice in their new wood.

 

[Fordtough25]

Thanks for the story and you will love your Garands! I love my Springfield M1!

 

[SmileDocHill]

I would take that trip over a weeks vacation any year!

 

[Mudcat]

It is amazing how nice, friendly and helpful the people that work at the CMP store are. Leon help me very similar last year when I was down there too. I bought 2 rifles and 15 cans of ammo though. I had my Springfield special grade out yesterday and ran about 200 rounds through it.

 

[indyjohn]

Wow. That's like the best gun shop & gun show wrapped into one.

 

[TheJoker]

I got a call from home about 1pm Tuesday informing me that my rifles had arrived. Needless to say, I didn't have my mind on my work for the rest of the day.

I must say those CMP rifle cases are a very nice and unexpected touch!

I was having buyer's remorse about the "Winnie" until I saw her again Tuesday. Wow, did I do good? (...rhetorical question!) For a FG, she's pretty close to the SG with the exception of the stock. I think I prefer the older H&R stock that came on the "Winnie" over the brand new stock on the H&R. I was originally going to swap stocks, but I don't think so now. I was wrong about the measurements. They are TE 2+ and MW 1+ on a Springfield barrel dated 1/55.

Both the H&R and the Winchester appear to have mostly SA parts. The H&R has a LMR barrel that looks brand new. It measures TE 1 and MW 1.

Here you go...I decided to not change a thing. I like the darker H&R stock on the Winnie.

Of course, being a cat, Ra is pretending he could care less!

"What? You were gone? I didn't notice."

 

[r3126]

Leon is a welcoming committee and chamber of commerce rolled into one! A wealth of information, eager to help in any way he can, a walking reference library and fun to talk to about nearly anything. A good shooter, in his own right - he is active in the M1 matches in the general area. A credit to the DCM.... oops, CMP!

The South Store is worth the drive as is the North Store, but, Leon is the difference maker despite the milage difference.

 

[mammynun]

This really makes me want to take a drive down South....

 

[DragonGunner]

WOW!!!! You got a tiger stripe HR stock on that Winnie....score!!!! I love tiger stripe wood, espically on walnut...I found one on a HR at the N. Store....if you decide you don't want it let me know!!!

 

[shooter521]

I was wrong about the measurements. They are TE 2+ and MW 1+ on a Springfield barrel dated 1/55.

Scott, for those of us who are clueless care to elaborate on what those measurements are, and their significance when evaluating a Garand?

 

[DragonGunner]

Scott, for those of us who are clueless care to elaborate on what those measurements are, and their significance when evaluating a Garand?

I'm not Scott but hope I can chime in?....TE is the Throat Erosion, a gage goes inside the chamber to check it....the ME is Muzzle Erosion..a gage goes down the end of the barrel....usually a ME on new barrels starts out at 0. Most barrels are getting to the end of there life at ME 4 to 5....some will like to change the barrel after 3....it may take as many as 6000 rounds to get from a ME of 1 to a 2...the TE isn't so simple, sometimes a new barrel will be more than TE of 0 an usually are getting close to the end after 5...The ME can kinda be checked with a 30/06 bullet, putting the bullet down the end of the barrel...if it goes all the way to the brass its pretty worn an is over a ME 4....

 

[SmileDocHill]

I'll add to that...You get muzzle erosion (or muzzle wear) mostly from cleaning the rifle and throat erosion from shooting it. I have a SA Garand from May of 1943 that is all matching but has new wood. The muzzle wear is very low but the throat erosion is disproportionately high (IIRC it is a 3?). This gives some evidence that it was shot a lot and cleaned little. When you combine that with the date of manufacture you can assume (pretend, imagine, dream) that it saw action. If it stayed on base it would have been cleaned a LOT more. That is what I've been told anyway.

 

[DragonGunner]

I'll add to that...You get muzzle erosion (or muzzle wear) mostly from cleaning the rifle and throat erosion from shooting it. I have a SA Garand from May of 1943 that is all matching but has new wood. The muzzle wear is very low but the throat erosion is disproportionately high (IIRC it is a 3?). This gives some evidence that it was shot a lot and cleaned little. When you combine that with the date of manufacture you can assume (pretend, imagine, dream) that it saw action. If it stayed on base it would have been cleaned a LOT more. That is what I've been told anyway.

Please don't take this as critsism....just knowledge that I've learned...ME or muzzle erosion comes from shooting, the heat from the bullet. From cleaning has become a myth an recently proven by the CGA...they took a Garand with ME 1.0 an took turns trying to destroy the barrel with ramrods, trying to rub into the muzzle an rifling....several brokin ramrods, several beat up ramrods an 60,000 strokes not meant to clean but destroy the barrel they finally got it down to ME 2.0.....an it still shot accurate. Results were the hardness of the barrel is much stronger than the steel ramrods....ME comes from the heat of the bullet an how many times it has been fired.

 

[TheJoker]

Scott, for those of us who are clueless care to elaborate on what those measurements are, and their significance when evaluating a Garand?

It sounds like DragonGunner covered it pretty well.

Although, TE and MW measurement are an indicator of "how worn out" a barrel is; there are many, many rifles that measure 4s and 5s and are still shooting nice groups.

My first M1 is an April 1944 Springfield with the original SA 4-44 barrel. I've had the rifle for about 5 years. It gauges 3 at the throat(TE) and it swallows the gauge at the muzzle indicating that the barrel has been counterbored. It still shoots really nice groups despite the not so good TE and MW numbers.

 

[DragonGunner]

It sounds like DragonGunner covered it pretty well.

Although, TE and MW measurement are an indicator of "how worn out" a barrel is; there are many, many rifles that measure 4s and 5s and are still shooting nice groups.

My first M1 is an April 1944 Springfield with the original SA 4-44 barrel. I've had the rifle for about 5 years. It gauges 3 at the throat(TE) and it swallows the gauge at the muzzle indicating that the barrel has been counterbored. It still shoots really nice groups despite the not so good TE and MW numbers.

Actually the CMP grades Rack Grades, that are safe to shoot with having a TE of over 5 an MW or ME of over 3....an Field Grades with TE under 5...so actually a TE of 3 isn't that bad. Theres a guy that shoots in matches that his ME is 4.0 an it groups great.....the proof is in the shooting like you said.

 

[TRWXXA]

Nice score on your Garands!!!

M1s and NASCAR... Sounds like a great, all-American weekend to me.

 

[Colt556]

A lot of good info here. Anybody near Broad Ripple with a set of gauges I could borrow?

 

[SmileDocHill]

Please don't take this as critsism....just knowledge that I've learned...ME or muzzle erosion comes from shooting, the heat from the bullet. From cleaning has become a myth an recently proven by the CGA...they took a Garand with ME 1.0 an took turns trying to destroy the barrel with ramrods, trying to rub into the muzzle an rifling....several brokin ramrods, several beat up ramrods an 60,000 strokes not meant to clean but destroy the barrel they finally got it down to ME 2.0.....an it still shot accurate. Results were the hardness of the barrel is much stronger than the steel ramrods....ME comes from the heat of the bullet an how many times it has been fired.

Actually that is good to know, all my info was nothing more than hear say. Thanks!

 

[indyjohn]

I can't find anything online that says Anniston suffered from the storms yesterday. But Tuscaloosa isn't that far southwest of the town, you'd think it was a close call...

 

[TheJoker]

I can't find anything online that says Anniston suffered from the storms yesterday. But Tuscaloosa isn't that far southwest of the town, you'd think it was a close call...

It is 50 miles or so. Tuscaloosa is 10 miles southwest of Birmingham and Anniston is about to 40 miles east of Birmingham.

The CMP forum might have some info!