Ranger John Gilberts Gun

M1 Garand owners? - U.S. Militaria Forum

It blizzarding here and time to sit at the box.

I caught this thread about a Rangers Gun, a 2.7 million, 4-44 bbl garand that had been recovered in France in a barn. His grave site was also photographed in the US Cemetary in Tunisia, next to that of his brother.
Apparently Gilbert lost the gun during the taking of Brest, in August '44 by the 29th division. He was a Ranger in the 175th infantry.
FYI, "The Clay Pidgeons of St Lo" was about the 29th division. So was, "Ryan". Gilbert died in 45 in Luxembourg, so how the gun, once handled by him, and found in Brest, a long way from Luxembourg is a mystery.

I was really intersted in the grafitti he had carved on his stock. The diamond and numerous 8 bulletpoint pricks from tapping the clip against the stock was amazing. The shrapnel dings on the stock were telling. The time between the guns issue and loss is only 3-4 months.
A new replacement gun for Gilbert is quite likely as the 29th divisions guns were chewed up in Normandy and the hedgerows. He did have time to customize the 4-44 gun however, quite distinctively.

I can now see why so few battle scarred stocks with cartouches remain from duty in Europe and the South Pacific. They were totally beat up, customized and dinged. They needed to be sanded heavily and many were.

If I read correctly, most of the ETO garands were rebuilt by FN from 46-49.
I wonder if they saved those dinged stocks and they are still in some warehouses, like the '03 stocks that came out of there a few years ago.

I'll bet personalized stock id's were quite common during WWII, as was stock destruction during conflict from any number of hazards.

Anybody have a WWII stock with those 8 point bullet point impressions and obvious battle scarrs?

It is difficult to find WW2 stock carvings or markings after all these years - here are a few. Interesting to note that G.J. Novak's stock is a large over small hole SA SPG stock with the RA-P stamp on the grip. The ANN carving on the pistol grip is a Winchester WRA WB cartouched stock. The HONOLULU marking is on a 1903 stock with both the DAL and SA SPG cartouche

That's what I'm talking about!
Real GI stuff! Must have been very common.

Is this a deduct on price or a +++?

I'm thinking that Gilberts rifle could bring big bucks from a collector, if it could be imported.

I do know that from time to time all sorts of German stuff is put up for sale, and the story is mostly it was some sort of 'barn find'-SS uniforms hidden from the Allies, and offered for sale at huge mark-ups. Helmets have a way of turning up in barns, too. Not to say there is anything wrong going on here, though.

C.

One of my Garands has the eight bullet marks on the stock. A fellow shooter asked why I didn't sand and refinish it. Showed him what made the markes and I wouldn't think of refinishing it.