When we last left my CMP M1 Garand, it was having some problems with operating rod dismount. At first, I assumed that the cause of this was chance and operator error, because it didn’t seem like my operating rod was out of spec, but when the oprod dismounted twice more after I wrote and published the article, I knew something was wrong. I checked the operating rod tab again, and this time, it was too small. Well, crap. Fortunately, the CMP guarantees all of their rifles, so I contacted the Program’s customer service, and was directed to Lead Armorer Larry Champion, who immediately sent me a FedEx label and told me to put my operating rod and sales invoice in the box. He gave me the choice of either repairing or replacing the rod, and I chose the latter. Then, I took the operating rod to FedEx, had them package it and slap on a label, and off it went.

Just a week later, the package came back with a brand-new operating rod inside, and I mean brand new. The new operating rod looks like it came off the production line yesterday, with very little wear and fresh parkerizing. Coincidentally, the new operating rod also fixed the horizontal bent the old one had, as well. Success! Now, to take the gun to the range…

The Civilian Marksmanship Program replaced my operating rod with a brand new one, no questions asked, at no cost to me, and as timely as the shipping company allowed. It’s great to be able to tell you guys, my readers, that this company stands by the rifles they ship and will fix them if there is a problem! I would definitely recommend qualifying for and ordering a rifle from the CMP, if you are considering an American military classic like the M1!