Generally these were around $1000-1200 (mine I think was $1050 back in 2015). These Garands had new Criterion barrels, a new walnut stock, and a reparkerized USGI receiver with all other major parts reparked USGI as well. The Grade that hooked me first when I actually went through the relatively intensive process to buy direct (see requirements on the CMP site here: ) was the Special Grade. The prices have of course increased over the years but ever since I discovered the CMP back around 2012-2013 the prices have stayed mostly the same, with the entry level Field Grades going for $650, the flagship Service Grades going for $750, and Correct Grade or other more collectable options going for over $1000 (breakdown of CMP grading criteria here: ). Since the Garand is the most modern US military rifle that can be surplused out in their entire as-issued state (M14s, even ones that were converted from select fire to semi auto only, are still considered machine guns to the ATF), these have become popular for historical collectables, competition rifles, or simply fun guns to get at a decent price. Shortly afterwards in the 1950’s, as issued service grade Garands as well as National Match modified Garands started becoming available from the DCM and this rifle has stayed the bread and butter of their successor’s (The CMP) sales to this day. Back in those days, the rifles were commonly sporterized or salvaged for the actions to make custom precision rifles due to how cheap they were compared to a commercial Remington 700 or Winchester Model 70. After WWII, the CMP sold off surplus government Springfield, Krag, and 1917 Enfield rifles for dirt cheap to civilians. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (earlier known as the DCM, Office of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship) is a federally funded organization founded in 1903 to promote military marksmanship among civilians and continues organizing competition shoots to this day with an emphasis on the youth. I assume anyone who’s bothered to open this article and read it likely knows about the CMP and how it works already, but just for the sake of inclusion, here’s a very brief primer:

While much ado was made regarding the loss of the Field Grades, the CMP quietly listed a new offering that hasn’t ever been seen before on their site, the Expert Grade.

While I tend to be an optimist, having followed the CMP for the better part of 8 years, it’s not the topic I want to talk about today. When the Field Grades went the way of the Service Grades at the beginning of November, others began to wonder if the CMP’s supply was beginning to run thin. Earlier this summer when the ever popular CMP Service Grade M1 Garand (what many consider to be the platonic ideal of what the CMP has to offer) went out of stock, many began hurrying to place orders for the next step down, the Field Grade.

M1a vs m1 garand