Nice looking M1. You will probably read a lot about shooting proper loads through it regarding the op rod. There are a few Garand loads specfic to the M1. If you decide to reload your own ammo, you may want to do some research for a Schuster adjustable gas plug or one from garandgear.com.These sort of offer peace of mind that your loads, commerical or reloads wont damage the gun. Enjoy that gun!
Nice looking rifle. Has the milled trigger guard. If you are not a member of the Garand Collectors Association, you might look into it. They have Garands down to a science.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Garand+collectors&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
I want to thank you all for the advice and tips, but I guess I should have mentioned that this isn't my first M1. I got really stupid about 20 years ago and sold my first one, it just took me this long to finally wise up and replace it. Happy shooting!
My first M1 was chambered in 7.62 Nato (.308 Win) and it didn't matter what type ammunition I put through it. But over the years I have heard that using commercial 30-06 ammo in a .30 M2 mil spec M1 Garand "CAN" cause damage to the operating rod, but I've also heard just the opposite. So, to be on the safe side I installed a ported gas plug, I figure for $40 it's a cheap insurance policy.