Can you use an M1 Garand rifle (or carbine) as a hunting rifle?

Question

and does anyone know where I could find one?

I mostly hunt deer, hogs, and smaller game. I was wondering if the caliber would be high enough to knock a deer or hog down. And does anyone know where I could get one at? and what's the price on them?

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Can the M1 Garand be used as a hunting rifle? ... Yes, in certain situations.

Can the M1 Carbine be used as a hunting rifle? ... Yes, but with many limitations ... but I would not!

The M1 Garand is an 8 shot semi-automatic military rifle in .30-06. The cartridge, when using appropriate ammunition, is more than adequate for virtually all of the game animals found in North America. When using .30-06's for hunting, you need to use an appropriate soft-point or hollow-point bullet (preferrably in the 150 grain range) for deer-class game, you should not use military style full metal jacketed ammunition. State game regulations may require you to limit shot capacity to 5 shots, so you would need to have a 5-shot en bloc clip. Also, some states, like Pennsylvania, prohibit the use of semi-automatic rifles for hunting.

With the M1 Carbine, militarily, it was even deemed under-powered, and in many states, its use on deer is prohinited because it lacks sufficient velocity and energy for use on game.

You can get M1 Garands from two sources. You can get original USGI Garands through the Civilian Marksmanship Program for between $300 and $550 (or higher), see link below. Or you can purchase a brand new commercially produced M1 Garand from Springfield Armory for about $1500, see link below.

Personally, I own a number of Garands I use for various rifle competitions, and while they are very accurate ... I would feel better served for hunting using a bolt or lever action rifle appropriate to the game I am hunting!

Good luck!

Answer 2

You CAN use the M1 and it's .30-06 round....but the rifle's heavy and bulky and scoping it presents many challenges, none of them good.

The .30-06 round is ideal for hunting most game in North America, however you really want a more powerful load in that cartridge....the Garand will not take a high powered 30-.06 round very well without damaging it's sensitive gas system.

You can purchase a Garand from the Civilian Marksmanship Program if you qualify. Prices on the street run $600-1200 and higher.


The M1 Carbine's 30 caliber round is really a pistol round and not at all what a responsible hunter would use in the field. Even a perfect shot from this little peashooter will wound and not kill. Despite the legends from WWII that persist to this day, the Carbine is not an accurate rifle and it's stopping power has been proven to be less than optimal. It was well suited for urban warfare, airborne and it was a hell of a lot more pleasant to lug around that the Garand.

They are in great demand from collectors and run $600-$1500....much more than a decent hunting rifle.

I own both and love to shoot them at the range.....but I'd never consider hunting with either.

If you want a military surplus rifle to hunt with, find a Swedish Mauser 7mm, an Enfield .303 or a Swiss K31 7.5mm.

Get yourself a .30-06 bolt action hunting rifle that's lighter to carry and easier to scope and sling.

Answer 3

Caliber-wise, 30-06 is okay for almost any US hunting, but the M1 Garand has some features you may not want in a hunting rifle. The weight of the rifle is rather high for a hunting rifle. It is over a 10 lb. rifle. Also the sights on it are not the best for hunting. The M1 has a rear peep sight and a post front sight. Also due to the loading of the rifle mounting a scope is more difficult. The 8-round clips are loaded from the top of the rifle and require an offset scope mount or a swinging scope mount.

The M1 carbine is okay for short range hunting on medium sized game, but it does not have the ballistics of many other common deer hunting calibers. it shoots around 100 grain bullets, as compared with 150-220 grain in the 30-06.

Answer 4

The Garand (.30-06 Springfield caliber) is suitable for any North American game. The .30 Caliber US Carbine (caliber .30 US M-1) is too small for anything except varmints. I know, I know both will kill people but when you hunt you want to take game humanely and the carbine doesn't have the range nor the knock-down power to humanely take deer-sized game.

Final note, when hunting use good quality hunting ammo not army surplus ammunition.

H

Answer 5

M1 Garand, M1 Carbine and M1 Abrahms are all very different things.

The M1 Garand shoots 30-06 and is a good hunting rifle for most north American game, there are even low capacity clips for places that limit you to 5 rounds.

The M1 Carbine shoots 30 Carbine and it's not really a decent hunting round.

And the M1 Abrahms is a tank... also not suitable.

Answer 6

An M1 carbine does not fire the same round as a M1 Garand 7.62x33mm compared to 7.62x63 mm. The round is lighter than a .357 round but faster, not great for anything bigger than deer at over 100 yards or so.

An M1 Garand is ok for hunting, great round, reliable, easy to purchase parts and ammo for. The M1's successor the M14's civilian counter-part the M1A and its derivatives are marketed to civilians by Springfield, which also produces new Garands in both .30-'06 and .308.

The M1A derivates such as the Squad Scout, SOCOM II or SOCOM 16 have great actions, reliability, accuracy, and short synthetic stocks great for a hunting environment and the abuse that comes with it.

Answer 7

An M1 is suitable for most large game; a carbine, being somewhat lighter, is a decent deer gun but really too small for heavier game. Any arms dealer can probably find one for you.

Answer 8

Garand yes, carbine no. Springfield Armory makes a really nice Garand but it won't be cheap.

Answer 9

Sure, it's a 30-06 round. Gun stores and gun shows are a good place to start. I would not recommend the .30 Carbine unles you are planning on getting close.

Answer 10

Absolutely, but it's not going to be your best choice, especially for the $$, it's more of a collectors piece.