OKAY, NOW WHAT DO I DO TO MY GARAND??? a long time newbies ?

[Slasher]

I've had this thing since 1990... It looked to be in really good shape in comparison to the few others I had seen . It was still in the cosmoline along with an 03 springfield. I had never seen one with the rack numbers before... It was a lower 6 digit SA SN (247,XXX). For the $175 back then I took it off the hands of my old neighbors whose grass I had cut as a kid, the reason for the sale... he was terminal with cancer and was getting his affairs in order... he'd already gotten rid of the rifles and shotguns, but couldn't let the old springfields go to be bubba-ized or used as a truck gun.... so he called me when I was home on leave to come check out a real rifle...

I cleaned her up and kept her somewhat well oiled and didn't do much till lately... I got her checked out and deemed safe to shoot by a gunsmith...  a few enblocs and one box of ammo... decent, but not great...

Finally stripped it all the way down and strated researching all the markings...

a may 1941 SA receiver
Rem NM op/rod follower
a 8/53 barrel has NP 30/062-49" 18tons and a proof mark
 under side the barrel is marked LMR (isn't that IHC?) etched ATHENS 612 SEA allrighy shes a loan lease so I can play and not mess up a collector...

some very minor pitting on reciever on the underside where it meets the wood... heavy pitting on the barrel under where the upper hand guard covered...

other than that the metal/parkerizing is in real good shape except the paint chipping off the gas assy...

The wood seems pretty good with no cartouches a few dents but matches pretty well

part of me wants to soup it up but since i don't see myself having the time to go shooting matches for the next 15 yrs or so... and then another part of me wants to just make it look like a rifle should have during its tenure with our armed forces... Maybe even get a decent shadow box made to display it...


I don't know... but since I was alwas afraid of messing up something that could have been a collectible... I just cleaned it and admired it from time to time...

[1911crazy]

I would dust it off, clean and oil it up and shoot it and enjoy it then put it away of course after cleaning it and oiling it up again.  I would never touch it as far as making it look better.  I would cherish that gift.    I cherish the stuff that has been given to me more than the stuff i have purchased there is some history behind it and your involved with it.

[Slasher]

alright I guess I'll leave her be...

I was thinking that maybe strip down the stock though and rerub it down with some boiled linseed oil... no sanding, just try to get t looking like it did before the decades of gun oil and cosmoline...

I wouldn't dare shellac of make anything shiny though... just get some of the blackness out around the metal parts then linseed oil which was done on the prior to 1942...

would that be a sin???

[Clancy]

Slasher,
Your Receiver comes back as made in May of 1942 not 41.
I hope this data helps.
Thanks again
Clancy

[Slasher]

Slasher,
Your Receiver comes back as made in May of 1942 not 41.
I hope this data helps.
Thanks again
Clancy

Hey clancy, it doesn't really matter to me much... but where did you get your numbers from? I pasted in the numbers for SA 1941 below from another site which says they are referenced from Duff's book... I am still getting May 1941...

Year/Month

Serial # at end of Month

1941
 
January              183,519
February             197,811
March                 211,288
April                   228,527
May                    248,757
June                   269,686
July                    296,252
August                324,301
September          349,442
October              377,258
November          401,529
December          429,811



my only regret so far has been not picking up the -03 at the same time, but a young Lance Coolie needed a lil money for the honeys when back home on leave...

[rockbilly]

:roll: If you have to ask, then you don't deserve to have the gun!  Ship it to me, I will clean and oil her and give her a place of respect to be proudly displayed for all to see.

One of the saddest moments of my life was when I saw the butcher job an uncle did to my grandfather's old 30-40 Krag.  As a kid I was allowed to shoot the gun (with grandpa's supervision), he often told me he was leaving the gun to me.  Several years after his death my uncle brought it to me, I said thanks, but was sick.  I remembered the gun as "full military", it just wasn't the same with the Redfield scope and sporter stock.

[Slasher]

:roll: If you have to ask, then you don't deserve to have the gun!  Ship it to me

WOW pretty krass statement... thanks for the help...

You know some are real pieces of history,
and should just be left alone for historical reasons...

some (like mine) are nice guns that have lil to no historical value as they are an amulgum of parts from different manufacturers...

I was debating wether I should strip it, refinish the wood and reparkerize it and restore it like it came from the factory, (after all the military and SA did that too!!!) make a garand match type gun, or just oil down the stock and display it as a rifle thats been through hell and back!!!

I'd never make a pretty drill rifle with shellac and blueing or (eek ) chrome... but I don't think any of the three ways i was thinking would disrespect the rifle itself or it heritage...

If you knew me, I think you would change your statement... but you don't so thanks for the assistance Billy Bob