M1A1 puzzle

[Maniac]

A friend of mine who knows of my interest in M1 carbines told me about an M1A1 for sale at a local gun shop. I've been lusting for an M1A1 for a long time now as my Dad was a paratrooper in WWII as well as a battalion commander in the 101st Airborne in Viet Nam.
Informed that this M1A1 was a rebuild by the owner, here's what I found:
A 4 mil. QHMC with type 1 sight and front band and what appears to be all original parts. The carbine itself (sans stock) looks like it's been together for a long time, no band shadow. (I can't believe I forgot to note who made the barrel). I separated the rifle from the stock but left the trigger group in place but I could see Quality hardware codes everywhere, including a QA marked sear & ty lll LT-Q hammer. Also, the rear sight (also Quality) had the type staking that it peculiar to the make. No sign of post war stake marks or the repair of same.
The stock looks original to my inexperienced eye. It has an Augusta Arsenal rebuild stamp, circle P proof, parkerized (black anyway) rivets, casting marks inside the buttplate. There are marks on the nose of this stock that indicate type 2/3 barrel band usage in the past. I was told that the last owner had bought it in this configuration nearly 40 years ago. If that is the case, it appears that someone got hold of an M1A1 stock and thought their Quality would look better in it (who really cared about original stocks back then anyway?) so they just swapped the QHMC into it.
Now my question: if this is as it seems, would it be worth $2700? I need a Quality for my collection (going for 1 of each maker for now) as well as an Inland, which MUST be an M1A1. It just seems to me that it will be much easier to find an Inland carbine in the M1A1 serial # range than it would be to fine a decent, original QHMC stock with proper ordnance stamp and no rebuild stamps or type 2/3 barrel band marks. Stocks like that seem to be impossible to find.
Any opinions and or advice would be appreciated!

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[jimb16]

Lots of picturs please. Its impossible to say anything without seeing.

[mpd1978]

If I were in need of an M1A1 I would get one from the CMP auctions. I havent been following them lately, but they were selling a couple of them per week at auction. Not collector grade, but decent stuff. At least you know for sure there will be no fake parts on it and it will be an Inland. Look at the completed auctions to get a feel for the price you may have to pay, 2k-3k. The M1a1 you found doesnt sound like a great deal to me. The cut down, rebuilt M1a1 stocks arent hard to find. I would value one at (stock only) $1200 if it was decent. A woodless 4 mil QHMC with all original parts might be worth $800-1100 if it was very original and nice. Doesnt add up to $2700 IMO.

[Maniac]

Lots of picturs please. Its impossible to say anything without seeing.

My bad, Jim! I tried to delete my OP a couple hours after I posted it, realizing it would be better to get pix first. I won't get a chance to go back to that shop until next week but when I do I'll have my camera in tow. The fellow is high on his prices (on the type guns I have experience with) but he might be willing to take a cash offer. I'll be back with pix next week if possible.
Thanks all!

[Maniac]

Here are the promised pix of this carbine and stock. I don't know jack about M1A1 stocks, although I think this is a type ll converted to type lll. I didn't disassemble the trigger housing but the sear markings are odd. There was a a bit of debris on one of the two letters that I didn't want to ask to remove but it looks like it's marked BO The front sight is also a mystery, it's •U• marked and that doesn't show up in WarBaby! as a supplier to QHMC. The close range hole in the rear sight leaf has been drilled out, not sure if it indicated a fake or possibly a field mod by a troop (or post war hunter) who felt they gained better sight acquisition by doing so. We've all seen notches made for the same purpose but I've never heard of the sight being drilled or reamed. The rear sight has the classic QHMC rounded staking at the edged of the sight base but they also seem to have been smacked on the corners by a hammer like on my S'G'. The Winchester barrel has 3 proof marks, "W", "P" and the "PW" in oval.

Any input into the authenticity of these parts would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance . ..

[Tired Retired]

I am not an expert on M1A1'a, but IF you decide you want it, you may want to consider using a buying technique that has worked wonders for me in the past. When I want something I see in a pawn shop, I do a little research into the actual value of the gun (or other item). Based on that, I get LARGE bills adding up to the top price I am willing to pay. I then go back to the pawn shop, take one last look over the item. I then will lay the wad of cash on the counter and tell the manager "Here is $xxxxx. Either the cash or the gun is walking out the door with me." Do not negotiate, do not listen to a counter offer. Just let him look at the big hundred dollar bills sitting there. It works most of the time. Always deal with the owner (not an employee). If the owner says "more", just pick up the money and give them a pleasant departure comment and the leave. You only have to do it once in the store.

The point is YOU decide how much are willing to pay. If he takes it, great. If he doesn't, well, it costs more than you are willing to pay. It is also HARD for a pawn shop owner to look at a wad of hundred dollar bills and walk away from a deal.

So if you do want that M1A1, you decide how much YOU want to pay, make a hard cash offer, and walk away with either the gun or your cash in hand.

Just my two cents worth...

[Maniac]

Thanks for the negotiating tips, Tired Retired, I should have used that on the 4 digit Garand I bought at a show last weekend!
The main thing I was wondering is the authenticity of the stock and carbine within it. Obviously this wasn't USGI configuration but I was just wondering if anyone here on this forum could see any fake parts or other warning signs on this Quality Hardware M1A1.
Thanks again . . .

[jimb16]

Although everything looks good, at least as far as can be seen. But as the carbine is a rebuild, I would put the value at around $1800.