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The first production M14s were equipped with Wood, (Walnut)? Hand Guards. A switch was then made to vented Fibre Glass Hand guards and finally to un-vented Glass Hand Guards. I know why the change in the Glass Hand Guards but why the switch away from the Wooden Guard?
When shooting on full-auto the wood would smoke. Actually, firing them semi-auto could do the same. The wooden handguards didn't last very long.
They look really good though! The early rifles also did not have the fancy buttplate assembly. Instead, it was a regular M1 rifle buttplate.
T44 stock on an M1A with M1 rifle buttplate, an aluminum buttplate was often
used. Barrel is dated Jan 1960, sling is MRT DEC 1953
I have told this story before, but I love it. When SA made the switch, they threw all the wooden guards on the scrap heap, a mountain of them. A handyman loaded them in his pickup and took them home to use as kindling in his stove. He had burned most of them when Cholly Steen heard about it and bought the remainder for 50 cents each. Sarco put them up for sale at $20. I bought three. When he got down to about 25, he raised the price to $50. They eventually sold. I put one on my M1A, cut one down to make a no-nick guard for a GT restoration, and still have one, brand new with the clip :)
I always thought the M14 looked way better with the top wood and M1 butt plate. But I never had to carry it in action.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RCS
Any more pics? That one just doesn't do the package justice.
Never saw a "plain" no flip-up thingy aluminum buttplate. Does it interchange w/ the regular M1 style?
It is a regular M1 buttplate made out of aluminum, Bill Ricca had one for sale on his excellent website. The very early wood and plasitc T44 stocks often had this buttplate
thats a beauty!Quote:
Originally Posted by RCS
I could use a T44 safety too
Y'all are gonna make me drag my rifle out for pics, aren't ya?
[QUOTE=jmoore;104334]Y'all are gonna make me drag my rifle out for pics, aren't ya?[/QUOT
Yes, please.
OK, then. It might be a bit, as its mighty busy in these parts just now!
I bought one from Brownell and finished it with BLO, matches the walnut Boyds stock well. Have shot this rifle at Perry in the P100, Hearst, and NTI. Always get positive comment from all who see it, specialy active military. Even R. Lee Ermy said it " sure is purty", the year before last at Camp Perry. He and Dennis Demill were shooting the Hearst next to my partner and I, and like him and Demill, we both were shooting wood and steel rifles as well. Just Another Old Doggy, Don
Cleaned up the pics a bit. Still, not the best job, but I hope it helps.
Let's clear up a few items.
The T44 and the T44E4 were two different rifles. The early M14 production was T44E4.
The aluminum butt plates I have are still unknown as to application. The thinking is it was one of the T series rifles, but none have been found on a rifle yet. It was most likely for the T44E6, a light weight version of the M14.
There was another very scarce butt plate during the early days of production. I call it the inward dimples butt plate. I interviewed an SA employee back in the 1980's who worked on the M14. He was pictured in a report while testing receivers for hardness.
SA had adopted the new folder butt plate and was able to produce stocks a lot faster than the butt plates. SA had a financial problem using Garand butt plates from storage for support of M1's, so it ran a small contract (unknown maker) for temporary use with the spacers provided by Rock Island.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...tespacer-1.jpg
Inward Dimples circa 1960, very limited production:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ced_size-1.jpg
Those butt plates are not to be confused with the very similar pattern, but with raised dimples. These were produced in large quantity in 1968 as spare parts, by a Connecticut contractor.
Raised Dimples, 1968:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ced_size-1.jpg
Both butt plates have very different patterns than the standard ones from years earlier. That makes me think the drawing was revised.
Sweeet!! :thup:Quote:
Originally Posted by jmoore
How does one tell the difference between an original and a newer reproduction piece. I'm sure there are some repros out there that have been "roughed up" in order to appear old.
Thanks, Greg V
Never seen a reproduction wood handguard, but I've no idea why not. M1a's aren't select fire, except for a few...
They surely look better than the reproduction fiberglass handguards!:ugh:
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmoore
Fulton Armory advertises walnut M14 handguards for $40. I personally favor the dark brown/black USGI solid guards. It shows the transition from an all steel & wood US service rifle to the steel, aluminum & plastic we've gone to for the past 45 years.
The older repros looked a lot different than the GI. Due to manufacturing warranties, they were much thicker. Like M1 rear hand guards, many cracked, creating problems for the manufacturer. So the wood was produced much thicker.
It was so thick that the rear "spring clip" was down inside a "wooden ditch".
Looks pretty deep on this one. Wonder how high it will go!
Springfield M1A Walnut Front Handguard Hand Guard - eBay (item 220566040026 end time Mar-10-10 18:15:57 PST)
Learn something new all the time... Recently bought another original from one of the forum members. Its really, really nice!
Any chance you might post a picture of it?
Thanks, Greg V
The camera I borrow for good pics is back in the owner's hands for now. My camera (digital), well, I haven't found it to be much good for anything! Don't feel like forking over $500-1000 right now for a decent rig, and I'm not going to cheap out again...(Unfortunately, my good old film equipment is wretchedly obsolete!)
"New" GI wood handguard pics:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC01910-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC01911-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC01912-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC01914-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC01915-1.jpg
So, there you go!:beerchug:
BTW, you may be able to see the top of the "speedhammer" as detailed in an earlier thread- this rifle's had many thousand of rounds through it, but NOT w/ the new H/G...
originals are really thin in back against the receiver, almost always cracked or split. Do you have a brass repair in your handguard ? very difficult to locate any originals now.
Had a TINY split- as advertised- but it did not go all the way through the thickness of the wood, AND it closed up entirely when the rear band tension was taken up by the barrel. No repairs!:dancingbanana:
ETA No refinish, either! Matched up nicely, no?:thup:
Couple of notes:
That's the stock the rifle came in, but most of my shooting has been done w/ it in different furniture, including quite a while in the "Frankenrifle" stock whilst it was going through multiple changes. All that business is now on another rifle (as pictured).
Link to the "Speedhammer" thread, if you haven't seen it previously:
M1/M14 Speedhammer - Military Surplus Collectors Forums