How to tell if an M1 Garand is real?
Be careful with M1 Garand stock markings. Questionable stock marking (Top picture). Look at the letter "G" shape compared to the bottom photos and how sharp the stamp is compared to the cannon stamp.
How do you clean a new M1 Garand?
How to Treat a New M1 Garand or M1 Carbine Stock from the CMP. Do an oil scrub. Turpentine or Mineral Spirits 50/50 with Boiled Linseed Oil or Raw Linseed Oil and lightly scrubbed in with a #000 or finer buffing scratchy (or steel wool). Wipe dry about 25+/- minutes later and repeat once or twice.
What kind of oil do you use on your M1's?
Clear shellac (2 coats max) for inside the barrel channel, action, etc to stabilize/ seal the action and stock, Oil finish the rest of the stock. Check the CMP M1 manual. Section 5.2.7 recommends Linseed Oil.
Where to buy M1 Garand and M1903?
You can get the stuff at any good paint store. Also on the CMP website, the Wood Cleaning guide has useful information on the care and feeding of you M1 Garand, M1903 or M1 Carbine stock. And I got this note from Thomas Hinds…
Oils? Stains? Varnishes?
T he type of oil we want to apply to our rifle stocks are known as drying oils. This is a poor description of what occurs to the oil. The oils don't actually dry by evaporation, instead they cure by crosslinking in the presence of oxygen. The two oils that were used on the M1 during manufacturing were raw linseed oil and tung oil.
Linseed oil: So many options, only one real choice
L inseed oil is probably the most confusing of oils to choose from. This is due to several variations of the oil that are commonly available. Linseed oil in its most pure form is pressed from the flax seed and filtered. This oil is also known as flax seed oil. This cold pressed oil is rich in fatty acids.
Tung Oil
T ung oil is likely the first oil ever specifically processed to preserve wood. The Chinese used it over 2400 years ago to preserve their works. The term "Tung" is a very old Chinese term meaning "of the heart". The leaves of the tung oil tree [Vernicia fordii] have a heart shape to them.
Getting Started
N ow that you've chosen which oil finish you wish to use, we'll cover the process of correctly applying that oil to your stock. If you want to start over with a stripped stock be sure to read the aricle on that process before continuing. We're going to assume that the stock has been stripped or otherwise prepared and sanded by this time.
Finishing Up
N atural oil finishes are moderately water resistant on their own. Tung oil is superior to linseed oil in terms of its ability to repel water. If you are going to operate your M1 in high humidity areas you will want to apply a finish wax to the stock after it's cured to limit the uptake of water.
Applying the wax
1 The stock should be fully cured prior to adding your finish wax. If you used Tung oil we recommend you wait at least one week before applying the wax. If you used linseed oil we recommend you wait one month.
