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Posted: 1/22/2026 4:28:17 PM EDT
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Has anyone done this before and can give me an idea of what to expect? I got lucky and got May as my AMC class. So any tips and pointers would be great! |
| This was incredible!!! The history, the detailed knowledge you get and building your own gun makes this an experience you will never forget. You meet a great group of staff and students...and visiting CMP store, some range time with your new M-1 are icing on the cake. I will try to sign up for a second class too....a bargain! v/r Walt |
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I went to the June 2025 class. Day 1 you select your receiver then your bolt. Lap the bolt to the receiver. Install barrel. You can pick a 30.06 Faxon or a .308 Criterion. The 30.06 barrels for our class were laser engraved with AMC 2025. The .308 were not. There were a range of receivers from a 5 digit to 5.9 million. All were Springfield grade A, hand picked and refinished. I selected a 5.8 mil receiver thinking it would have all the revisions and be better quality than wartime ones. I also selected the tightest fitting bolt I could find so after lapping it was a near perfect mate up. Day 2 you assemble the rest of the rifle. They go over how to inspect and fit every part. One of the CMP armorers relieved our stocks before we got them and the same guy did our trigger work. It’s the best trigger of the three M1’s I own. You can take the rifle back to your hotel at the end of the day. Day 3 meet at Talegada range for function check, they provided two 8 round clips. The instructor fired the first 8 and if there are no problems then you get to fire your 8 and that’s it. You can bring more ammo to shoot at the range if you want. I could have taken my rifle home after the range but choose to leave it with them so the Custom Shop could finish the stock. I asked for a natural oil finish, no stain. It took them about a month to get the rifle back to me.   It was a great time and I found the instructor knowledgeable and helpful. Their goal is to help you build a 1-2 MOA rifle. After the class I’m a lot more confident about maintaining the rifles I own. |
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Forgot to add a few things. Day two you get to tour the CMP Custom shop and warehouse. They have a bunch of display rifles which are very interesting. I asked the armorers a bunch of questions about the new CMP receivers and the reclaimed ones. They were happy to share what they knew. We were told the 2025 classes would be the last of the hand picked Grade A legacy receivers. I believe this year’s classes will use the new CMP receivers or reclaimed. Our instructor told me in 2025 there were over 3,000 applicants for 280 spots. Felt lucky to get one. |
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I already chose a reclaimed receiver and plan on going with .308. This will be my "nice M1" since all my other ones I bought strictly for the manufacturer to round out the set. AKA I like them with character. Are there hotels with a CMP discount? Do they provide lunch? Just thinking back to my Miller and Lincoln welder repair schools. Hotels were deeply discounted and they provided lunch and snacks during classes along with transportation to and from classes. |
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There are several decent hotels close by with CMP rates, $110 per night I think. They send a list in one of the pre-class emails but you could probably email them for it sooner. Donuts and coffee are provided each morning, I think, don’t prefer either so not something I paid attention to. Lunch and snacks are on your own and you will drive to the building each morning from your hotel. It was less than a 5 minute drive. |
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Originally Posted By SNAFU-M1A: How was it???? I want to go but always forget to apply until it's already closed. It was good. I learned quite a bit. More than half the folks building their first ever M1 Garand as well. Class started at 0730 and ended around 1700. Two-hour lunch. They did provide donuts in the morning and drinks throughout the day. We also got a tour of the armory and storage areas and got to see some super rare rifles. Original gastrap, a BEAUTIFUL M1903 rod bayonet rifle, the first production H&R M1 to name a few. Thursday was the Talladega range. Amazing range and wish I could have shot more than the one clip they gave us. But $3 a round was more than I wanted to spend at the shop. Built up a Springfield Dec 1943 receiver. Was hoping for a post war 4m or 6m but all they had were WWII SA. Grabbed a -12 bolt.  Now I gotta get one of these bolt tools. I've only ever used the M10 tool previously.  I built up a .308 rifle. Only three of us did. The rest were all 30.06.  The only issues my build has was a defective aftermarket sight that would not assemble properly. The gas cylinder is CRAZY tight. The bolt release timing was way off and took about twenty tries to get it working right. We did get to pick a lot of our own parts if we wanted something different than what they gave us. Went with a milled trigger guard and a postwar rebuild use only op rod (used from 1945 to 1947). I was tempted to build up an IHC trigger group but decided not to. You did have a choice of getting one of the new made receivers. Some of the parts we used were current production such as the gas cylinders, rear sights and gas plug. |
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