Attempting to determine the value of a M14 NM stock

Sometime in the late 90's I bought six National Match M14 stocks from a dealer who purchased a large quantity from Rock Island on a bid. Over the years I either trade them off or sold them but put one away which I just found.

I am attempting to determine the value of a new NM M14 stock as I do plan on selling it. The stock has been routed but never had the bedding compound, front swivel welded too.Attachment 117963Attachment 117964Attachment 117965Attachment 117966Attachment 117967Attachment 117968

I've been looking at these pics for a while and have some questions. I'm not saying it isn't what you state it is, I'm just curious.

If this stock is new, wouldn't it be absent a proof P?

To me, it looks like I see the shadow of a receiver heel and a trigger housing having been in that stock.

Any chance that stock was very lightly used and was being converted to NM configuration and never finished/never bedded?

It looks like the front swivel was welded while installed on the stock and the slots milled for the bedding compound were milled after the stock was oiled. I'd have thought that would have been done before the stock was finished, not after ( like the late heavy NM stocks).

Is there a S/N written in the barrel channel by any chance?

There wasn't any serial number in the channel (but a T44 stock that that I got used the M1 rifle butt plate did have a number inside the channel)

Here is how I got six of these M14 stocks. I went to the dealers warehouse where he had two pallets of M14 stocks that were stacked up
maybe five or six feet high. I told the dealer that I wanted six stocks and took them off the stack, all the stocks that I got were routed
for bedding compound but never bedded. these stocks came directly from Rock Island Arsenal and were purchased by bid. I don't know
how long they were stored at Rock island and if other stocks (M14) were mixed in the pallets. this looked like a sort of cleaning up by Rock
Island. I do know NM M14 stock have the front swivel support welded. My guess is they or someone took M14 stocks and did the NM
modifcations in an effort to salvage them. I did find the approx value of this kind of stock, about the price of an original exc condition SA
GAW stock !

There was an effort to transfer the NM operation from SA to RIA. SA workers were offered the chance to transfer, but evidently very few (or none) accepted it.

I knew a collector who lived near Rock island Arsenal and met a retired employee from that arsenal at a local rifle range. The
retired employee was shooting a M1 rifle with some NM sights and stock. My friend saw the rifle and was able to purchase it.
It was serial number 25.

much later this rifle was restored and sold at Rock island Auction company's auction for $37375.00 on Sept 8th 2019

A few years ago I found a very dry original M14 NM stock , and had it properly restored for a replica of a 1967 NM M14:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...mKw0jpg1-1.jpg
Original early bedding job, sometimes called "minimal' bedding by collectors
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...HEZvjpg1-1.jpg

I might build one more NM replica with a 1969 NM barrel that I have. (so the old stock in this thread is of interest).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RCS

It was serial number 25.

much later this rifle was restored and sold at Rock island Auction company's auction

---

Here's a link to read about those...nice... That one down the page by a few. https://www.rockislandauction.com/ri...op-m1-garands/

"Only 18,000 were completed, with parts made for another 33,000. In 1947, the Army destroyed all remaining M1 Garand gas trap rifles."
Good lord, where did they get this total crap?

Most of the M14MN rifles that I have fired had the front end of the stock reamed out where the gas system is internal to the front end of the stock.