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During WWII, apparently new M1s were dipped in cosmoline before shipping. This cosmoline was NOT the heavy grease used after later rebuilds, or used on the M1s returned from Greece. The WWII cosmoline was a very dark brown color and was quite sticky. GIs cleaned it off with gasoline, but that was a nasty job.Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveN
If the rifles you refer to are covered in real, honest WWII cosmoline, they are likely to be worth more uncleaned than cleaned.
Yep, they were brand new in sealed bags with not a mark on them. Stocks were a little dry, but OK. Even some of the greased ones looked to be new with not a track on the receiver, bolt or op rod.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Rochester
Attachment 20185
My first concern was if they were obtained legally. I will if given the chance get all the ser# and give them the best look to judge condition age ect... Whether they are new or rebuilds.
just waiting to see for now.
The service grade specials I got have new(no wear marks anywhere)metal, with mws' of zero. CMP wood, which I replaced with mint usgi wood. That's new as far as I'm concerned.
One of my favorite stories (that I have told often) concerns a crate of 10 new IHCs. When IHC vacated the plant, they left one guy behind as caretaker until Whirlpool took occupancy. After about a week, a crate arrived -- 10 new rifles that had been sent to SA for parts interchange testing and just returned. The guy didn't know what to do with them, the contract was over, the machinery removed, all rifles and parts delivered. So he loaded the crate into the trunk of his car, waited until dark, and drove them down to the river and dumped them in the water. Ouch! Anybody got Scuba gear handy?
I interviewed him in about 1980 and he really regretted it, but said that Ordnance had scared everybody to death about theft of government property, so he never even considered keeping them at the time.
M-1 Garand SA Unissued SN- 5834132 Auction
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...5834132a-1.jpg
This is an SA garand that CMP believes to be new and still in original condition. The barrel is dated SA 3-55 and the muzzle gauges 1 with a throat erosion of 1+. The rifle is pristine. A data sheet is not prepared, but we will prepare one before shipping if requested by the auction winner. See Photos.
I think this is the first auction of the new guns found at the GCA convention last year. There were over 200 late SA and HRA rifles that looked like this, enough to make you weep.
I received some CMP M1's in new condition but with CMP birch stocks. As mentioned in this thread, could these have been those that the stocks were to dry to be of use, though the parts and metal are great.https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3/M1s092-1.jpghttps://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3/M1s085-1.jpghttps://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3/M1s086-1.jpghttps://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3/M1s091-1.jpg
Yep..........I didn't cry, but the elastic in my shorts melted. Haven't been stable since.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by bob seijas
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...standard-2.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...standard-2.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by JohnF
Yup. Not blaming Orest or the CMP for my lack of stability but this is definitely a potential trigger for a weakening of the knees ... (oh, look, a pun to boot).
I musta handled 20 of those to walk them up front - one in each hand - gorgeous, just gorgeous.
Hats off again to the CMP for that - what a great time we had.