Off of forend questions for a while, on to rear handguard identification questions...

These showed up in the mail today.

One came from a private party, the other is supposed to be "NOS Walnut" and came from here: Handguard, Rear, Walnut | Gun Parts Corp.

I'm not so sure I think the unfinished handguard is Walnut.

I'm more inclined to think the unfinished unit is some kind of wood from Asia. I note that it is milled a bit differently than the finished guard around the relief for the rear sight leaf.

What say all of you, who made these and when?

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To me the unfinished wood looks like walnut. Who done it is a whole 'nother story... Yes it's different.

It could be, it just looked a little different to me.

One of these days, I'll oil it up and see how it looks then.

I wonder if it might be a reproduction? Nothing in the GPC listing says original. Still curious who made the pair either way.

I can't guarantee it to you, but I think it's very likely that the 'new' one in bare wood is a modern Indian made reproduction. The general standard of finish is not good enough for anything a Royal Ordnance Factory would turn out; just compare the workmanship against the other Enfield made example. There are a number of contemporary Indian made front & rear guards being sold from the UK on 'that internet auction site' at the moment. I bought a couple of sets of these a while ago just to see what they were like. Adequate if you're not too fussy.......though they may be better now.

Thanks Roger. Makes we glad I paid the web price and not the eBay price with I think was around $60 US for the probable reproduction.

Well, will you look at what I turned up Sunday morning. The forum software rotated my pics again.

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Looks good though. All nicely marked...

Another rear guard found me yesterday.

Very nice looking piece...

Some of the current rear h/g repros are rather tall, and one may have trouble sighting over them.