This lot features a Vietnam War Harrington & Richardson M1 Garand .30-06 SPRG Rifle. The rifle features a 24" barrel, walnut stock, adjustable peep sights, internal 8 round magazine, and rotating bolt. The M1 Garand is a .30 caliber semi-automatic rifle that was the standard U.S. service rifle during World War II and the Korean War and also saw limited service during the Vietnam War. Most M1 rifles were issued to U.S. forces, though many hundreds of thousands were also provided as foreign aid to American allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor guards. It is also widely used by civilians for hunting, target shooting, and as a military collectible. The M1 rifle was named after its Canadian-American designer, John Garand. It was the first standard-issue semi-automatic military rifle. By all accounts the M1 rifle served with distinction. General George S. Patton called it "the greatest battle implement ever devised". The M1 replaced the bolt action M1903 Springfield as the standard U.S. service rifle in the mid 1930’s, and was itself replaced by the selective fire M14 rifle in the late 1950s. At the conclusion of World War II, the M1 Garand had garnered a well-deserved reputation as the best standardized service rifle of the conflict. Large numbers of Garand’s were in inventory after Victory over Japan Day, and it was assumed they were sufficient to meet the needs of our armed forces for the foreseeable future. Five years later, though, this illusion was shattered when hostilities commenced on the Korean Peninsula. Many of the M1 rifles left over from World War II were taken from storage and refurbished for issue to troops departing overseas. To augment the supply of existing rifles, the U.S. Ordnance Dept. elected to put the M1 rifle back into production. Springfield Armory ramped up its Garand production line as quickly as possible, but additional sources were needed. As was often the case in previous wars, the government turned to civilian firms for production of all manner of military items, including firearms. On April 3, 1952, H&R was given a contract to produce 100,000 M1 rifles. A second order for 31,000 additional rifles was placed on June 25, 1952. H&R experienced its share of difficulties in getting M1 production underway. For example, on very early rifles, the company had to acquire some miscellaneous parts, such as operating rods, bolts and hammers, from Springfield. Otherwise, Harrington & Richardson M1 rifles primarily utilized “HRA”-marked parts, including barrels. H&R made its own barrels for most of the company’s production run. However, when International Harvester opted out of its contact, several of the LMR barrels on hand were diverted to H&R and used to assemble some late-production rifles. H&R stocks have a noticeably different contour (especially behind the receiver) as compared to Springfield Armory and International Harvester stocks of the same vintage. Most of the H&R stocks were stamped with a 3/8" Defense Acceptance Stamp, although there were some exceptions, mainly on later rifles. Harrington & Richardson was initially assigned two blocks of serial numbers: 4,660,001 to 4,800,000 and 5,488,247 to 5,793,847. In mid-1956, H&R manufactured an additional 400 rifles beyond this last assigned range and was given a third serial number block, 6,034,330 to 6,034,729 for those rifles. Some collectors consider H&R M1 rifles to be among the best regarding fit, finish and overall craftsmanship. Production of the H&R M1 rifles ceased in May 1956, by which time 428,600 rifles had been delivered. It is doubtful if any of the H&R M1 rifles made it overseas prior to the cessation of active combat operations of the Korean War in 1953. By the time these two contractors were able to get into mass production, the pressing need for new M1s had passed, and the majority of the rifles remained stateside or were used to fulfill various military foreign-aid commitments. This rifle is an example of an excellent condition rifle. The rifle shows some light pressure wear marks but otherwise in exceptional condition. No noticeable loss to finish, all original H&R stampings, Circle “P” stamped on the grip and DOD cartouche. The mechanics are smooth and tight. The bore is shiny and strong rifling. The original Civilian Marksmanship Program COA comes with the rifle. This second owner purchased this rifle from the Cabela’s in Billings where he received Collector’s grade paperwork that will also come with the rifle. Purchase price for the rifle in 2010 was $2,400. Serial Number: 5641148. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic, and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check. This is a "collector's grade" very rare good condition rifle. For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.