The First M1 Garand Brings Six Figures at Auction

The first 80 M1 Garand rifles were assembled by hand in Springfield Armory's "Model Shop." Known as "Model Shop" Garands they were in the initial "gas trap" configuration, and used for testing & evaluation prior to mass production. The first one finished? Serial number 5.

Saved from a scrap heap, SN 5 would be owned personally by John Garand, shot by him and kept in his own private vault. It would eventually be presented to his Springfield colleague Art Tuttle, and then author and firearms historian Billy Pyle.

It is a true national treasure and the highest possible addition to any U.S. military collection.