Asian markings on my Garand?

[Jack16]

I just got a Springfield M1 Garand today at Surplus City for $340. According to the serial number this rifle was made in August of 1942. It looks to be in ok-good condition. There is a lot of cosmoline that needs to be cleaned out and the stock is beaten with some dings in the wood, but that's kinda cool cause it looks like it has seen some action.




Anyways, I was looking at the windage knob and noticed it had asian markings on it. I found one website with "similar" markings.
http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?169387-Aisian-marked-M1-Garand-I-got-the-pics

They say those symbols are Chinese. The markings aren't the same on my windage knob, but the symbol on the barrel is.





Not sure what this is, but looks interesting.




Can anybody give me any info on this?

[Tyrannis]

this COULD possably of been a captured m1 garand, from ether the chinese or japanese, im taking a shot in the dark by saying this.

i do know the japanese had a prototype semi-auto rifle that they were modeling off captured m1 garands, but the rifle never saw mass production

[kilo2]

Either that or a Chinese copy. The copies though are fairly rare.

[Masherbrum]

Looks Taiwanese to me.   My buddy's wife is Mandarin Chinese, I'll see if I can get them over and she can look at the pictures.   I know little Chinese, but it is "Left" on the knob.   

[SmokinLoon]

I bet it was re-barreled in 1954 and donated to the Taiwanese, South Koreans, or South Vietnamese.  The circular sun/flower emblem is telling me Taiwan for some reason.  To my knowledge, the Chinese did not copy the M1 Garand.  The Soviets were dumping Mosin Nagants on the Chinese enough for them to not worry about engineering a copy of the Garand.     

I am VERY surprised it only costs $340.  While well used, that Garand is in good condition.  Have it head spaced and the bore inspected just to be sure.   

[Rolex]

It looks Chinese. Yes, the kanj on the knob means left. You have to rotate the last photo 90° clockwise to read the kanji from top to bottom. The top kanji (left in photo) means country and I'm not sure about the other. It's an old kanji or a Chinese one I'm not positive about. They probably mean "government property."

[Maverick]

FWIW if it is a real Springfield manufactured Garand you have a very inexpensive option for a new barrel. I know of one that was sent to the factory a couple months ago with a heavily pitted black bore. It came back with a new standard GI barrel (.308 as requested but 30-06 same price) for a cost of $225. It took 3 weeks including transit time to the factory.

[68ZooM]

i have a website saved somewhere (I'll try to find it) that you can order ever piece of a Garand, or you can send it to them for different stages of restoration, fully restored they go for alot of money, his site has them any where from 800 up to 3500 depending on the condition of the Gun, looks like you have alot of cleaning ahead of you

[VonKost]

Does it have import marks on it? Maybe on the side of the barrel?

[Jack16]

No no, I'll keep it the way it is for now. I think it's kinda cool looking.
As for anyother import marks, the only other mark I see is an "M" on the side of the front sight by the gas tube. I haven't taken it apart yet so I don't know if there are any hidden markings underneath the wood.

[Plawranc]

"Geet off myy laaaeewrn you little punks" 

Lovely rifle!

[Rhah]

"Geet off myy laaaeewrn you little punks" 

ahh good old Clint Eastwood

[Tupac]

"Geet off myy laaaeewrn you little punks" 

Lovely rifle!

If you watch Gran Torino backwards its about a zombie who starts to hate asian people more and more until it climaxes when one of them steals his car.

[Nefarious]

Not to familiar with the M1s, but they could be South Korean as they did use them in the Korean war.

[Rolex]

Not to familiar with the M1s, but they could be South Korean as they did use them in the Korean war.

The markings are Chinese Kanji, not Korean Hangul.