Rifleman Q&A: Commercially Made M1 Garands

Q. My interest was piqued upon reading the “Readers Write” (October 2024, p. 22) by Bob Seijas about M1 Garand rifles produced by Springfield Armory. I agree that rifle #6084405 was the last one assembled, but I question rifle #6100499 being the highest serial number used. It is my firm belief that Springfield Armory produced a number of fully functional “parade” or “ceremonial” rifles for organizations such as VFW, American Legion, etc. with high-gloss stocks and the last four digits of the serial number in the stock forward of the trigger group. The attached photos of my rifle should show why I’ve come to this conclusion. Until a higher serial number surfaces, may I claim title to the highest known serial number produced?

A. Regarding your M1 rifle, Serial No. 7003468, you do not have a military M1 rifle but, rather, a rifle made by a commercial firm in Geneseo, Ill., in the 1980s to 1990s. The company obtained a copyright on the name “Springfield Armory” after the government facility in Springfield, Mass. closed in 1968. You will note a small trademark symbol after “Armory” on your rifle. These commercial M1 rifles featured cast rather than forged receivers and were serially numbered in the 7 million range.

Mr. Seijas’ comments about the rifles in the 7 million, 8 million, 12 million and 23 million serial number ranges were clearly referring to egregious errors in the Rock Island Arsenal Sales and Donation Section, hence his “whopper” comment and statement about untrained summer help inputting serial numbers into the records.

For the record, Springfield Armory (the government arsenal) did not make any “parade” or ceremonial M1 rifles for the VFW, American Legion or any other entity—although a number of surplus M1 rifles were subsequently reworked by some civilian organizations for such use.

—Bruce N. Canfield, Contributing Editor

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