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In 1957, the U.S. military introduced the M14 as its standard-issue service rifle and started to phase out the WWII-era M1 Garand. Surplus M1s were turned over to the Office of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship, the forerunner of the modern Civilian Marksmanship Program. Administered by the Army, the DCM was authorized to sell surplus M1s to civilians who belonged to marksmanship clubs and organizations. However, the small supply of surplus rifles and high demand from the qualified public necessitated a lottery system to select prospective buyers. In 1959, a second-term senator from Massachusetts won the M1 lottery; his name was John F. Kennedy.
As noted in Col. Lee’s letter to Kennedy which accompanied the M1, the gunsmiths performed the following work:
Adjusted the trigger in order to provide an exacting trigger pull for each shot fired.
Blued all metal parts to prevent rust and enhance the beauty of the weapon.
Applied a moisture-proof silicon finish to the stock.
Applied a glass-bedding compound to the recoil shoulders of the stock in order to enable the rifle to maintain its accuracy.
Air-tested the bore for correct calibration and flaws.
Test-fired the rifle in a sitting position at 200 yards.
In 2015, Kennedy’s M1 went up for sale through the Rock Island Auction Company. Estimated to sell for between $50,000-100,000, the rifle’s hammer price was $149,500. It is the second-highest price for an M1 Garand (not counting a prototype 1931 T3E2 or 1924 Type 2 rifle), falling short of inventor John Garand’s personal M1 which sold for $287,500 in 2018 — Garand’s M1 with serial number one million was presented to him upon his retirement from the Springfield Armory in 1953.
Kennedy’s M1 included a plethora of extras including Master Sgt. Parkinson’s case, all of the aforementioned letters, and even the Requisition and Invoice/Shipping Document. Kennedy paid $164 for the rifle and $5 for shipping & handling via Railway Express.
www.wearethemighty.com
As noted in Col. Lee’s letter to Kennedy which accompanied the M1, the gunsmiths performed the following work:
Adjusted the trigger in order to provide an exacting trigger pull for each shot fired.
Blued all metal parts to prevent rust and enhance the beauty of the weapon.
Applied a moisture-proof silicon finish to the stock.
Applied a glass-bedding compound to the recoil shoulders of the stock in order to enable the rifle to maintain its accuracy.
Air-tested the bore for correct calibration and flaws.
Test-fired the rifle in a sitting position at 200 yards.
In 2015, Kennedy’s M1 went up for sale through the Rock Island Auction Company. Estimated to sell for between $50,000-100,000, the rifle’s hammer price was $149,500. It is the second-highest price for an M1 Garand (not counting a prototype 1931 T3E2 or 1924 Type 2 rifle), falling short of inventor John Garand’s personal M1 which sold for $287,500 in 2018 — Garand’s M1 with serial number one million was presented to him upon his retirement from the Springfield Armory in 1953.
Kennedy’s M1 included a plethora of extras including Master Sgt. Parkinson’s case, all of the aforementioned letters, and even the Requisition and Invoice/Shipping Document. Kennedy paid $164 for the rifle and $5 for shipping & handling via Railway Express.
JFK's M1 Garand sold for nearly $150,000
As a result of his extraordinary life, items associated with President Kennedy command a high price when they are put up for sale.
www.wearethemighty.com
