Pre war SA stock channel marking

[madcratebuilder]

I have a 10/41 SA with a long channel stock, it has the number "36" stamped near the center of the barrel channel. Anyone know what these mean, if anything other than a inspection mark?



I did find one reference to this at Early PreWar Page near the bottom of the page.

This Garand is a lend/lease that appears correct according to the Scot Duff books. One oddity is the gas cylinder, bands and butt are painted with Suncorite.

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.

[browningautorifle]

Is that EVER nice wood! That's about the cleanest I've ever seen and at that age...the markings aren't what I'd expect to see but the number range is. Mine's a bit earlier. About 60,000 earlier...I think the number is just an inspector's number, mine is a simple "4". If it's not too much trouble, we'd love to see the whole rifle...all the small parts...as for the suncorite, if it really is, there'll be a couple along that may have a positive answer as to what or why.

[RCS]

Your stock had a SA over GHS cartouche. The number/numbers and letter started with the early no trap SA SPG stocks

[Rick B]

Yep just inspection marks. Yours is so close to the one I had for years but sold. Rick B

[madcratebuilder]

I've been able to trace the rifle back four owners, the last to I know, then it was in a shop owner I know, he got it at an estate purchase. He's going to check his records and see if he can find the name. It's my belief that who ever bought this back in the late 50's to early 60's is responsible for sanding the exterior wood and possible the Suncorite like paint. Most photos I see of the LL's they have the SA/GHS cartouche intact. Who knows what was done to it in England.

I need to do a complete tear down and clean, I'll get better pic's when I do. I'm a novice Garand owner, I have one other with a Krieger NM barrel, NM op-rod, new wood, from garandguy back in PA. Hardly a gi rifle. I've checked all drawing numbers against the Duff info on LL rifles and it sure looks authentic to me.

Here's a couple of quick shots.

[EdG]

madcratebuilder,
I see that your stock has the long throat and also has the dimple in the stock ferrule, both of which are correct for your serial number.
I have 312671 with the same stock with 36 in the barrel channel.
My 529595 and 540736 both have 36 in the barrel channel and both have the short throat stock with the large hole in the stock ferrule.

I have 387625 with the long throat and dimple with 15 in the channel.

I also expected to see the -2SA RE4D bolt and the follower with the 8 in the middle, which you have.

What is the revision number on your trigger guard? My 387625 has the C-46025-3-SA.

[RCS]

Ed, I have a revision 3 trigger guard on my Lend lease 380931 rifle

[Joe W]

My guess would be that the SA/GHS cartouche was removed by an early owner, not in England. Back in the late 1950's many people that bought these L.L. rifles were shooters and not collectors. There were very few die hard collectors of the M1 Garand back in 1959. A good number of those that bought these rifles had no interest in the cartouche and only wanted a good looking stock. They, myself included at that time, would have had no problem sanding the cartouche off the stock. Same for the " Suncorite type paint ", just made the rifle look better in the eyes of the owner. Sad but true.

[EdG]

I would like to know more about the Suncorite paint myself.
When I first got serious about accumulating Garands years ago, several local guys mentioned that the British Lend Lease rifles were quite often found with black paint. Oftentimes, the guys would remove both the paint on the metal and the red band on the front hand guard when the rifle came into their possession because they thought both were ugly and detracted from the firearm. I hadn't heard of Suncorite until fairly recently. The collectors around here just called it paint.
I have seen LL with paint and I have least one with remnants of it.