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1: Op Rod. Check the op-rod and make sure it's bent. Early Garands were made with a straight op-rod, and had a nasty ( and deserved ) reputation for making their owners eat the bolt and trunnion. The problem was corrected in 1941-42, but occaisionally a rifle with the original, dangerous configuration pops up. Garand collectors, however, will pay nice money for such a weapon, so it's still an option.
2: Matching Numbers. There is no such thing as an all-matching-numbers Garand. They were cannibalized, swapper, parted-out, and tweaked so much and so often that they're all "mutt" rifles. If you -do- see a Garand that appears to be matching-numbers, don't touch it. It's been re-engraved with new ( artificial ) serial numbers, may include sketchy Chinese-made M1A parts, and it pretty much worthless anyway.
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