That Garand has a Sad history of its own. My "Ole Man" Was an Armorer in WWII. right out of high school I did a full apprenticeship as a gunsmith... When Dad was in Australia in the AAC, he built a Garand out of condemned parts. and had the paperwork from the CO identifying it as his personal property... The rafters in the barracks were boxed rather than solid wood since shipping the heavier solid beams was an issue due to weight vs amount of wood. He had a top bunk, so he pried the top off the rafter next to his bunk, and stored his Garand in the open space of the rafter. When his discharge came through, in the excitement he forgot the rifle when he packed up and shipped out. He and I were supposed to build a Garand together, but he suffered a small stroke, and was in the local VA hospital for rehab, when he had a massive coronary and passed before we had a chance to build the rifle. So I built it alone. I have two more bayos I need to cut down, one to the mil spec 10 inch And one to a fighting knife configuration, like Dad used to have but was stolen. When I was in high school Dad and I didn't get along, but the common interest in WWII firearms brought us back together, and forged a very tight bond between us. But never finding time to build the rifle together really tore me apart. He taught me to spn a wrench from as long as I can remember. When I turned 13 he picked up a 59 (my birth year) fairlane that had been sitting in a shed and was pretty messed up. He and I did a complete restore on it including engine rebuild including bore and rings new valve guides full valve job EVERYTHING except the auto transmission that he paid to have done, explaining that autos are best left to pros, due to the fact that they are too easy to screw up. he taught me upholstery and even how to do lead work instead of bondo on that car. Right after we finished it, my brother and his wife and baby came home on leave from Leavenworth where he was teaching life time inmates carpentry in the DB. on the way home the engine blew in their Pinto. They went home in the Fairlane. So the Garand was supposed to be a thank you in kind. When he passed, I had to continue as a memorial to him. And specifically for this pic