I know where to look for manufacturing dates, but I would like to know if there is a source for the history of M1's or Springfield 03's from military records? Who was it issued to? What theater was it deployed? How many times was it rebuilt in service? Thanks

If there is a publication out there that details all this information, I'd be mighty surprised!

You can find published data on armorys that manufactured which models with which serial numbers, but doubt seriously if anyone has tracked down individual rebuilts and to whom personally issued.

The Swiss had a neat system with the K-31's. You can usually find the person of issue on a piece of paper under the buttplate, and sometimes dates of issue. Sorta neat, eh?

Look thru the CMP website. I believe it's : www.odcmp.com. or maybe .gov or .org obviously, I'm not sure.
Look for a link on there to the Garand Collectors Association. If the data you're looking for exists (I'm kinda sceptical that it does), they'll have it- or know where to get it.

Hi 500,

The Garand Collectors Assn is your best live source of data, as are the books written by Scott Duff on the Garand. Have never seen a formal GI listing on the use of the rifle, although you can readily see from pictorial history that the M-1 gun was in full use in all theaters from late 1942 onward. Stories abound about Marines "borrowing" Garands from GIs on Guadalcanal, since the Marines were initially armed with Springfields.

LLS

Just to be a little 'off the wall', Pick up some copies of W.E.B. Griffon's fine series of novels entitled- "The Corps" where in the 2nd to maybe the 4th installment, he writes about the Springfield '03' vs the Garrand in WWll [Marines] and how they matched up vis-a-vis acceptance by the rank and file in a couple of chapters. He truly writes well and I, for one, find he 'walks the walk'. The only other writer extant that does'nt step on his dick when writing about firearms that is possibly as good; is - Steven Hunter with his "Bob the Nailer" efforts...which by the way..His book that gathers thinly disguised characters who resemble Elmer Keith, Bill Jordan etc. - is the only book besides Steinbeck's 'Cannery Row' that I wish I could of written.
Greystoke