CMP 6 mil

Went to CMP Anniston on 10/10 to try and pick up one of the 6 mil serial M1s. I got to the store 1/2 hour after opening and all but seven had already been sold. All of those remaining had the "black Greek" finish and CMP wood. All seven were former NM rifles with mostly 1954 dated barrels. The barrels were about all that remained from there glory days as NM rifles. I got a bit lucky in that someone had picked a rifle earlier but changed there mind. That rifle was put back on the rack and was the rifle I selected. The only thing that made this rifle any different from the other seven was that it had a NM barrel dated 4 of 56 which was more than likely original to the receiver. It also had the "Greek" finish and CMP wood. It had the 5 pointed star following the NM marking on the front of the barrel. There were no year codes stamped on the barrel in the chamber/date area so my guess is that it was a 1957 built Type 1.
I know from reading various articles written by Bob Seijas for the GCA Journal that most, if not all of the Type 1 NM rifles were updated to Type 2 configuration prior to being sent to Greece. As this rifle has no rebuild year codes on the barrel, could it have been updated to a Type 2 in 1963, but not have had the 77 series barrel installed ? And if so, how did it miss being upgraded between 1957 and 1963 ?? Any ideas ???
As much as I would have preferred a rifle with original finish and SA wood, for the price I can't complain. In fact the finish and CMP wood are starting to grow on me.

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Looks like a nice rifle with a nice story to go with it. Awhile a go I made my first of two trips to Anniston and one of the rifles I purchased looked identical to yours. Light CMP wood and that black finish though your wood has the grain going with the stock as mine was more tiger striped. The other thing that made it special like yours was it was the first time they had Winchesters for sale or something like that. I now have 3 Winchesters.

Joe, Back in 1999, my friend bought an estate gun collection once owned by a Doctor who has died. There was one Type 1 NM M1 rifle in this group, s/n 6094444 with a SA 8-56 bbl, the sling was still in the shipping box with paper work. The Doctor just kept it in his rifle rack, never even shoot it. Robert

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Originally Posted by RCS

Joe, Back in 1999, my friend bought an estate gun collection once owned by a Doctor who has died. There was one Type 1 NM M1 rifle in this group, s/n 6094444 with a SA 8-56 bbl, the sling was still in the shipping box with paper work. The Doctor just kept it in his rifle rack, never even shoot it. Robert

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Robert, I had made the trip to Anniston because I had thought my mail order would be to late to make the cut. As it turned out, I did make the cut and received a 2nd via mail order. That rifle was 6094414, only 30 numbers from the NM you mentioned. The rifle I got was not a NM, or if it was, it no longer is, as CMP had rebarreled it with a new 1 of 55 SA standard barrel. Joe

---------- Post added at 09:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 PM ----------

Since my original post I have finished the stock with four coats of tung oil. Also I have found out that a number of these 6.0 rifles just released by CMP were not Greek returns. Some were Club rifles returned to CMP in the 1990s. This could be why this rifle had never went through a rebuild. Issued to a Club as a Type 1 and remained that way until returned, Just a guess.

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Joe, Nice to get two 6 million SA rifles (also nice to find a H&R 6 million too). My friends 6 million is in FLA, the side of his barrel is marked as follows: T SA F6535448 6 56
A227B P M DOD stamp abd NM star between the gas cylinder rings

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Originally Posted by RCS

Joe, Nice to get two 6 million SA rifles (also nice to find a H&R 6 million too). My friends 6 million is in FLA, the side of his barrel is marked as follows: T SA F6535448 6 56
A227B P M DOD stamp abd NM star between the gas cylinder rings

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The barrel on my 6.087 is a 4 of 56 with a heat lot of A226B. Doubt I will every own, or much less see, a 6.0 H&R. Tony Giacobbe posted that in 1975, when he got his first M1 rifle, it was a HRA M1 D, serial number 6034402. In 1989 he sent it to Scott Duff, who at that time had never seen one.
Not sure of the real reason for allocating these 400 serial numbers. In a 2001 article by Scott Duff, he states that on Aug. 6, 1956, H&R had received an additional contract through the Boston Ordnance District, for 400 rifles. The assigned serial range was from 6034330 through 6034729. Scott further stated " it is believed this was a "clean up" order to allow H&R to use up receivers and other components.". Tony Giacobbe stated that "SA allocated HRA 400 serial numbers in the 6 million range to make up for receivers they made wrong and were destroyed."

When IHC negociated off their contract, they found themselves short of receivers to deliver the agreed number of rifles, and they couldn't make any more. Both SA and HRA supplied them to IHC, plus HRA had an overrun that Ord was thrilled to get to make up for any IHC shortfall. I have documents on it someplace.