Hardcore Collectors are some of the most peculiar sorts of gun owners that we’ve all probably ran into. I mean, the guys will literally have dozens and dozens of the SAME rifle/pistol/shotgun. I mean, I’m all for a huge gun collection, but wow, diversify a little will ya? Joking aside, I do absolutely admire those collectors out there who go the extra mile in identifying and keeping the historical details of firearms alive for future generations. Especially when they are also good writers and publish the information they have painstakingly gained over a lifetime of firearms collecting experience. As one of these collectors told me, “We are just the stewards of our firearms”.

With that in mind, I came across this online database that anyone can submit information about their M1 Garand to. The M1 has an almost cult like following among the collector group in the United States. This stems from the rifle’s revolutionary adoption in World War Two, making the United States the first large scale military to have a semi automatic rifle. Fast forward to the future, and the ability to easily (at a price) collect and purchase this rifle has exploded its popularity in the United States, unlike the M14 or M16 with the Class III status that it entails.

• Determine an M1 Garand date of manufacture
• Generate a listing of components based on manufacturer, component group or individual component
• Generate a datasheet of your M1 Garand by entering components and markings
• Generate a build list of your M1 Garand by entering manufacturer and serial number
• Find general knowledge related to care, maintenance and inspection of your M1 Garand
• Export data to spreadsheets or CSV files for your reference
• Submit your M1 Garand to the Master List
• List an M1 Garand you are searching for
• Submit your HRA M1 Garand to the HRA with LMR barrel list
• View demilitarized M1 Garand data
• View M1 Garand FMA/MAP data
• View .30 CAL/7.62 MM National Stock Numbers
• Perform a ranged search (+/- 25) of your M1 Garand serial number on all lists on this site

How the database works is that a Garand owner will enter information about their rifle, serial number, model, and any extra comments about where they got it from or how, or in what condition it is in, or what makes it special, etc… However, there is no online relation to the owner, in fact the form doesn’t ask for a name whatsoever. Thus, owners are keeping their name off the internet (and avoid a possible burglary from a conniving criminal), while being able to share their particular M1 to the collective pot of information out there, so other collectors and researchers can search numbers, and associated histories.

However, the fun doesn’t stop there. Essentially the rest of the site is an almost Garand collector meets internet, and there are a ton of other features that look to be of great help to any Garand collector or World War Two aficionado.

Please don’t turn this into a “Gun Registry” argument, because it is not. It is Garand collectors being innovative.