M14 Wood Handguards

[jmoore]

Y'all are gonna make me drag my rifle out for pics, aren't ya?

[Greg V]

[QUOTE=jmoore;104334]Y'all are gonna make me drag my rifle out for pics, aren't ya?[/QUOT

Yes, please.

[jmoore]

OK, then. It might be a bit, as its mighty busy in these parts just now!

[OldDoggy]

I bought one from Brownell and finished it with BLO, matches the walnut Boyds stock well. Have shot this rifle at Perry in the P100, Hearst, and NTI. Always get positive comment from all who see it, specialy active military. Even R. Lee Ermy said it " sure is purty", the year before last at Camp Perry. He and Dennis Demill were shooting the Hearst next to my partner and I, and like him and Demill, we both were shooting wood and steel rifles as well. Just Another Old Doggy, Don

[jmoore]

Photos!:

[jmoore]

Cleaned up the pics a bit. Still, not the best job, but I hope it helps.

[Bill Ricca]

Let's clear up a few items.

The T44 and the T44E4 were two different rifles. The early M14 production was T44E4.

The aluminum butt plates I have are still unknown as to application. The thinking is it was one of the T series rifles, but none have been found on a rifle yet. It was most likely for the T44E6, a light weight version of the M14.

There was another very scarce butt plate during the early days of production. I call it the inward dimples butt plate. I interviewed an SA employee back in the 1980's who worked on the M14. He was pictured in a report while testing receivers for hardness.

SA had adopted the new folder butt plate and was able to produce stocks a lot faster than the butt plates. SA had a financial problem using Garand butt plates from storage for support of M1's, so it ran a small contract (unknown maker) for temporary use with the spacers provided by Rock Island.





Inward Dimples circa 1960, very limited production:



Those butt plates are not to be confused with the very similar pattern, but with raised dimples. These were produced in large quantity in 1968 as spare parts, by a Connecticut contractor.

Raised Dimples, 1968:



Both butt plates have very different patterns than the standard ones from years earlier. That makes me think the drawing was revised.

[Maniac]

Cleaned up the pics a bit. Still, not the best job, but I hope it helps.

Sweeet!!

[Greg V]

How does one tell the difference between an original and a newer reproduction piece. I'm sure there are some repros out there that have been "roughed up" in order to appear old.

Thanks, Greg V

[jmoore]

Never seen a reproduction wood handguard, but I've no idea why not. M1a's aren't select fire, except for a few...

They surely look better than the reproduction fiberglass handguards!