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I saw this receiver on gun broker and couldn't resist. September 1940 date. I referenced the fall 2014 GCA journal article by Scott Duff and Bob Seijas, "The Last Gas Trap" Thinking this serial number was pretty close to when they started making gas ports, to find it was a couple of thousand off. Still always wanted a pre-war, and looking forward to bringing it to life.
Early Receiver Slideshow by dommy13 | Photobucket
I have done some of these 1940 restorations and would advise you to look for a receiver without the rear anneal color - if you are going to use a 1940 barrel. The SA SPG no trap stocks with two equal sized holes are
about gone, but you could convert a worn SA GHS stock to no trap. The op rods and other period parts can be located - if you have the money. You can still buy repro keystone & comp springs too
It sure looks like it's in good enough shape to work with though. The original parts will kill though, price wise.
I would love to take the time and find the appropriate parts for this receiver, but I just don't have the financial wares to do that. I'm going to build this up with parts I have on hand and some stuff I need to get. I have a very nice January 1955 Springfield barrel for it, and a revision 6 op-rod. Little at a time and then I have another rifle for the range. I was excited to get such a low serial numbered receiver, I had to get it.
Restoring one that early will not make sense economically but it can be great fun and very educational. Don't rush it, doing it well will take years.
I follow you there, I had the chance to separately purchase SA 153 and SA 154 with a bit of time in between. They were both functioning rifles and the owners thought they were worth millions...just Danish returns. Nothing special. I have a soft spot for low numbers though...Quote:
Originally Posted by SA M1Dom
Bob, is it possible this receiver was in the first run of gas port rifles? Or is the number too high?
Early gas port barrels were dated S-A-6-40 and used revision 2 receivers around the 50K range - maybe some in the very late 40K range.
photo shows 52112 with S-A-7-40 bbl, original springs and SA SPG stock (some restoration was done)
The last gas traps were over the 50K serial range and used revision 2 receiversAttachment 68486Attachment 68487Attachment 68488Attachment 68489
Odds are very high that it was originally made as a Gas Port. They started in the high 40ooo range and only a small lot of Gas Traps over 50,000 were made, I think to use up a lot of 100 or 200 GT barrels rejected by Art Tuttle and recycled. The 60,000 range would almost surely be Gas Port.
I recently acquired SA #50694 and these fellas are correct. It's a project of of few parts, lots of money and research. I was lucky in I found an "SPG" stock and most of the internals were correct. I think the barrel is probably the hardest part to find, but hope springs eternal.
Good luck on you quest.
Did you have a 1940 dated barrel in your 50694 ? The double springs (keystone & comp) are quite rare to find nowdays. Could you post a few photos ?
Robert
No, unfortunately, it was an SA 1952
I will post some photos if I can figure the system out..
Nice rifle...very nice.
I noticed that is an odd location for the cartouche, as the pre war SA SPG cartouches were just about twelve inches from the butt plate, while the post war rebuild SA SPG cartouches were moved forward and ahead of any previous cartouches that may still be on the stock. Are there any photos of the butt stock with the butt plate removed ?
There can be....
very nice. Love the stock!
Robert... Your thread sorta got hi jacked. Sorry about that!
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ngtify5e-1.jpg
The two holes are about 3/4" ..... Actually .81
Looks like a modified no-trap to me.
The mid 1940 SA SPG stock also has two equal size holes - but the butt plate is solid without a trap door. Your stock appears to be a post WW2 stock that has the 1947-1951 SA SPG rebuild cartouche and the trap door butt plate
I'm not so sure, Robert... the hinge cuts look too sloppy for SA, more like those depot cuts we see. You have a lot of them.
Best to also check the total length of the stock without the butt plate: if the stock was converted from no trap to trap door, the stock will be 3/16 to 1/4 inch shorter because of the conversion.
Also the SA SPG stocks from mid 1940 all had a letter (examples S,V, G,O) or a single or double digit number in the inside of the barrel channel
The location of the cartouche is the same as the post war rebuild examples as the 1940 SA SPG cartouches were just about 12 inches from the butt as the crossed cannon stamp was not used on the SPG stocks in '40
Would advise to take some photos of the barrel channel
I see your point that the SPG is not in the usual location, but it looks to me a bit like this modified no-trap from Rick Borecky. Note the small notch off center to the left and the step between the holes and the edge on the large cut. Plus it's kinda sloppy compared to normal SA work.
I would reserve any comment on the stock in question - until additional photos of the barrel channel, clip latch cut and trigger guard recess are shown in clear photos. The stock is one of the following:
1) reworked 1940 stock
2) SA stock with fake cartouche
3) post war SA SPG rebuild stock
I agree. I love this kind of debate, it's the way we learn from each other. I do, however, feel outgunned arguing with you or Rick on early stocks :)
100% fake SPG markings on a later stock. Rick B
OK....................
The stock measures 29 3/4"
No markings in the barrel channel.
PIX
I feel like Emily Litella. For those too young to remember the old Saturday Night Live, Gilda Radner played Emily, an op ed commentator in Jane Curtin's news segment. Every week she loudly protested some topic but always had it wrong. "What's all this I hear about endangered feces?" she would shout, "Who would want to save that stuff anyway?" After she ranted on about it, Jane would interrupt with a correction... "That's SPECIES, Emily, endangered SPECIES." Emily would look sheepish and deliver the signature line, "Oh... well, never mind."
Emily: "WHAT'S THE BIG PROBLEM ABOUT VIOLINS TV? What's so bad about violins, I love violins, the music is so beautiful!"
Jane: "Emily! That's VIOLENCE on TV!"
Emily: "Oh... well, never mind."
Me: ROFLMAO
Groucho Marx to a bandleader: "That's what's wrong with the world today: too much sax and violins!"
Bob
and I still got it Cha Cha CHa Cha :) Rick B
I have an early stock, modified to trap door butt plate.
It was a large hole over small hole, and the wood bushing can be clearly seen in the upper hole. Nice clean cuts and while it still has the scooped clip latch cut, it was modified to a short throat, likely at the Armory.
It has a non serif circle P up close to the trigger guard, and a serifed circle P lower on the pistol grip, for proofs. Cartouches are not really legible. It is on a gas trap resto project at this point.
I am assuming it was a '39, or early '40 stock.
Sometimes during rebuild, the early stocks were modified to have two equal size holes in the butt, other times they were just left alone and only the butt plate area was changedAttachment 69441Attachment 69442Attachment 69443
I will post a pic. Mine now has the two equal size holes, with the lower drilled out, a little oblong, and the upper bushed, but intruding into the lower channel a bit.
This did not work out well yet..
Click "view photos by Redleg" to the left... works, somehow....