I would like to get one. Through what channel will they
likely be sold if they are ever brought here?
More likely than not, if they are “Lend-lease” rifles being returned to the US government, they will go to the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP)
from which they may be purchased by qualified NRA, Sporting Club, Competitive shooting team or Veteran’s Organization Members.
The CMP usually goes over them to inspect them for safety and sort them out by grade and condition so it may take some time before they come on the market.
The ones that are really shot will be stripped down for salvageable parts.
The CMP also has milsurp ammo, which it gets by the ship load. If they still have the Greek HXP .30 M-2 Ball, by all means buy at least a case of it with your M-1; it is excellent, non corrosive Boxer primed ammo. The brass reloads wonderfully. The last I knew you could get it all loaded into unused Garand clips in cloth bandoleers.
A lot of the milsurp guns typically go to Century Arms:
Where they can be purchased by any FFL holder.
The M-1s can be ordered direct by a “Curio & Relic” FFL holder - the license is only $30 for 3 years and handy if you collect old, milsurp, or oddball guns. I just let mine expire as I just don’t use it any more - but I got some really good deals on some fun old klunkers.
Once you get your C&R send a signed copy to CAI (or any of the Importers / Wholesalers) and they will put you on their mailing list and a Rep will call you with any incoming deals. That way when the M-1a arrive you can be among the first to have the little brown truck deliver one directly to your door, and you will pay Dealer’s price on it plus shipping. A couple of rifles and your C&R pays for itself.
There is some paperwork and records you have to keep though, and the BATFE can come and “inspect” you - although I never got inspected in more than a dozen years of licensure.
The Korean rifles (ROK Soldiers were still carrying them when I was there in 1968) tend to be rode hard and put away wet, and most of them had the butt stock sawed off an inch or two for the short, stocky ROK troops who are usually bundled up in the Winter, making the US milspec stock too long for them.
They will need some TLC and probably some repair and restoration - but parts are readily available from a variety of sources.
Plan on investing at least a couple hundred $ and several hours of tinkering time on restoration after you get a rifle - assuming that we can pull this off.
Apparently Obama wanted to pressure the Koreans to destroy all of these historical relics! Kudos to our new Congresscritters for rescuing these fine old guns for us.
That will depend. I believe that all the rifles were actually purchased by the Korean government from the US, so they can dispose of them any way they see fit. From what I have read (and this has been going on for several years) the Korean government has made several deals with various importers that have all fallen through because of bureaucratic bullshit. I have also read that the CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program) has applied for and received an importer’s license and they may get the rifles (or some of them anyway).
In all, Korea has well over 1 million rifles that they want to sell to the US.