This M1 Garand was built by Harrington and Richardson and carries serial 55688xx, which falls inside H&R’s main production block. The barrel is marked LMR 11 54, a Line Material Company barrel from November 1954, and that date sits comfortably inside the window for this range of serial numbers. The bore is bright with strong rifling and gauges 1.5 at the muzzle. The receiver and the outside of the barrel carry scattered pitting. The stock is unmarked, with dings and a darkened look in keeping with its age and service. The rifle functions mechanically, checked with dummy rounds and a clip.
The M1 Garand was adopted in 1936 and was the first semi-automatic rifle to become the standard issue arm of any army. It was designed by John Garand at Springfield Armory, is chambered in .30-06, and feeds from an eight round en bloc clip that is pressed into the magazine from above and thrown clear with the distinctive ping once the last round is fired.
Production did not stop with the Second World War. The Korean conflict and the needs of American allies brought the Garand back onto the line in the 1950s, and alongside Springfield Armory two commercial firms were brought in to build it: International Harvester, and Harrington and Richardson of Worcester, Massachusetts. H&R ran from 1953 until May 1956 and delivered something over four hundred thousand rifles. Barrels for this late production came from more than one source, among them the Line Material Company, which marked its barrels LMR and had been making them in quantity since the autumn of 1952.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Harrington and Richardson
Country of origin: United States
Model: U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 (Garand)
Action: Gas-operated semi-automatic
Caliber: .30-06
Serial: 55688xx
Production: H&R built the M1 Garand from 1953 to 1956
Barrel: Line Material Company, marked LMR 11 54
Bore: Bright with strong rifling
Muzzle: Gauges 1.5
Metal condition: Scattered pitting on the receiver and the outside of the barrel
Stock: Unmarked, with dings and a darkened appearance from age and service
Mechanical condition: Functions, checked with dummy rounds and a clip
