New Inland M1A1 stock set. Review with pics.

Received my Inland M1A1 stock assembly with handguard set for range use. The stock looked great out of the box with no visible problems. Dropped my receiver into the stock and the fit was very snug, a tighter fit than the original.

I had to tweak it a bit in 2 areas: The handguard forward lip and buttplate edge but only very minor tweaks.

It cost a little over 2 bills. That is more than some I have seen on the net but the quality seems worth a few extra bucks. Have nothing to compare it to though.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6986-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6987-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6988-1.jpg
The glue on the back of the leather rubbed off easily with a fingertip. Very neat job on the leather.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6989-1.jpg
The hand guard is a 4 rivet type but the 2 forward rivets are just holes. The support plate only has 2 rivets in it. Also I noticed that the sight channel is very high, almost too high. You can still see through the peep rear to the front sight but any higher and it would have to be modded.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6990-1.jpg
A bit of extra room in front of the magazine well. Hopefully that won't be a problem. No fore and aft movement though.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6991-1.jpg
The recoil plate cap fit was almost perfect. Right side was a bit off in the back but acceptable. No big gaps.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6992-1.jpg
The wire stock looks well made and very close to the originals. The buttplate had a very rough cast edge which I filed down a bit since it was gouging the wood when folded. Now it just rubs.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6994-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6997-1.jpg
Metal on the back of the leather side shows in the flash but not in the other pic. It is parked color not white.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6998-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6993-1.jpg
The barrel band was too tight and wouldn't close enough to get the screw in.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_6995-1.jpg
I used a file to removed a small bit of wood from the circumference of the hand guard front lip and then it fit better. Had to take a bit off and test, then a bit more and repeat a couple times until I could get it closed. Not much had to be removed, less than a half mm.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_7000-1.jpg
Still not perfect but ok. Have to wiggle and work the barrel band into position. I could take a bit more off but I will wait to see if the wood compresses or shrinks a bit. Tight is better than loose here I'm guessing.

I would recommend this stock set. Very happy.

I'll post an update after a range test.

One of the nicest repro stocks I've seen in a while. Does it have the M2 cut? ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by shadycon

One of the nicest repro stocks I've seen in a while. Does it have the M2 cut? ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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It doesn't have the cutout as shown in the pics on this page:
The U.S. Caliber .30 Carbine Stocks & Handguards

Looks good. What you can do if you would like a little more "original" look to it is sand down the area the cheek rest goes. Also blacken up the leather ( I used black shoe polish but leather dye might be better). I did this on my repro stock (a high wood!!) which (don't hate me) was an ebay snag for $79!!.
https://www.milsurps.com/

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Great score for that price. I may antique mine up a bit, good suggestions. I'm going to keep the original stock on the gun except when at the range though. Feels strange to have the spare on and the original sitting right next to it.

The wood stock and handguard are made by Altamont Company in Illinois for both Inland and Auto Ordnance. They use someone else to manufacture the folding part of the stock.

The thickness of the rivet heads are unique to these stocks.

Attachment 74826

Initially Inland's M1A1 stocks were the same as Auto Ordnance. Those stocks, and those still used by Auto Ordnance, the handguard often doesn't align with the stock properly with parts of the handguard sticking out over the edge of the stock. Inland has been correcting this with theirs. Inland also stains the wood with the darker walnut stain where Auto Ordnance uses a much lighter stain.

Inland is now taking it a few steps further by having the metal finish darker than before and with those still used by Auto Ordnance. The buttplate had a copper color color to it, likely due to the make up of the metal used for the buttplate. Metal with a higher quantity of nickel requires a different temperature to get the dark gray/black color. Inland's newer finish appears to cover the copper color.

Below is what they look like disassembled. This example was purchased from Auto Ordnance as a replacement stock. The leather is glued onto the side plates and the exposed area around the oiler opening is sticky. The example below the leather had cosmetic flaws.

Two notes. First, the overall length of the wood of the forend and handguard have been slightly shorter than GI. This only becomes apparent if you switch out the handguard with one from another manufacturer and try to mount the barrel band to it. Second, if you are considering buying an M1A1 stock you might want to also have a look at those being sold by Fulton Armory. They use the correct brake line rivets. The finish isn't as dark. They are GI dimensions. Most commercial M1A1 stocks require a small amount of handfitting to the carbine.

Attachment 74827

Attachment 74828

Jim

Jim I'm glad to hear about most needing a bit of hand fitting. I didn't know some may be required. The extra glue on the backside of the leather rubbed off easily thankfully since it looked like it would be a mess. My handguard was slightly off at the back but otherwise fit fine. Looks like the Fulton armory is a quality alternative. If I had one I would try it out to compare fit.

Just looked and the pic with the sanded area is gone so here it is again...

https://www.milsurps.com/

I was checking out the stock again last night and noticed that the stain was coming off on my hands. I think someone else mentioned this happening to them with one of these.

I took a bit of boiled linseed oil and rubbed the stock down, then wiped it off with a paper towel. A lot of stain came off and the paper towel came away brown. However the color of the finish was only lightened a bit. This morning the oil is dry and when I rubbed it with a paper towel again no more stain came off.

I'm still happy with the stock but buyers be aware that it will need to have the excess stain wiped off. The oil treatment seems to have drawn it into the wood more effectively overnight.

I have no experience with refinishing or staining of wood so I don't know if too much stain was applied, it was applied incorrectly, or they didn't give it enough time to dry. Perhaps someone else here can shed some light on why it so readily came off at first.

ok, 3rd time I am posting this picture that I mentioned in post #4. If mods are deleting it please let me know and if not I am becoming really senile!!

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...vb13jpg1-1.jpg

3rd times the charm, IT WORKED!!!!! Nice M1A1's to both of you!!! I had a nice one once , but sold it to replace my roof. It was pieced together and the wood was real nice, except it had the M2 cut 'carved' into it and was filled with wood putty. It was not really noticeable. ENJOY!!!

Must be senility, we have not deleting anything. Especially pictures. :D:D

Jim

Update: A second coat of blo did not soak in or dry overnight. Big difference on my dry old stock, which soaked it right up and dried quickly. Had to wipe the Inland stock off this morning and a bit more stain came away on the rag. Not enough to change the color though. They must have applied the stain incorrectly or used too much. If I had taken it to the range out of the box my palms would be brown by the time I got done shooting.

---------- Post added at 01:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 PM ----------

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shadycon

3rd times the charm, IT WORKED!!!!! Nice M1A1's to both of you!!! I had a nice one once , but sold it to replace my roof. It was pieced together and the wood was real nice, except it had the M2 cut 'carved' into it and was filled with wood putty. It was not really noticeable. ENJOY!!!

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Now that I have been bitten by the bug: Next time let me know and I'll come over and fix your roof for the gun. I'm not a roofer but I have a blue tarp left over from Katrina. :)

Andrew early 90's you couldn't trade a gun for a tarp in Miami.
I wonder if they 'seal' the stocks before staining or use a minwax type that seals and stains.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shadycon

Andrew early 90's you couldn't trade a gun for a tarp in Miami.
I wonder if they 'seal' the stocks before staining or use a minwax type that seals and stains.

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I am curious about that since some of the stain came right off on my palm before I had put any oil on. This morning the stock is dry and the stain seems to have finally set in.

Are these repro M1A1 stocks different then the ones that SARCO and others sell for about $150?

I've had one of the these for fifteen years or so without issues or having to make any adjustments.

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Originally Posted by Jefe

Are these repro M1A1 stocks different then the ones that SARCO and others sell for about $150?

I've had one of the these for fifteen years or so without issues or having to make any adjustments.

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Only difference I can see is the big flat rivets on the cheek pad instead of the brass original style ones. I bought one from Inland because I want to support the family trying to make a successful go at preserving the name. They have some work to do though.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_7160-1.jpghttps://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...100_7158-1.jpg

I checked on the Sarco folders when they had a sale on them awhile back. It appears they are made in Taiwan and the quality is a bit lower than the ones from Italy. - Bob

Follow Up: After I sanded the front lip a bit and the nose on the forestock I could close the barrel band and get the screw in but just barely. Today while reading a reference thread on CMP forum I learned that when everything is fitted right the back end of the action is wedged and held in place so that the barrel is "floating" in the barrel channel.

From the thread: "It is incorrect and possibly damaging to pull the barrel down more than 1/8" to get the band on the stock." That was my case at first. The nose on the forestock is definitely too thick. I used a dremel with a small tube sandpaper to make a cutout all around where the band rests rather than sand the entire nose and now the band fits.

The recommended fix in the link if the handguard is interfering with the barrel band is a low number sandpaper sheet flat on the bench to take a bit off the rails. So I used some 60 grit and the barrel band goes on a lot easier at the top.

According to the link info my earlier fix could result in poor accuracy or cause damage. This is probably old news to you guys with a lot of experience but posting it for other new guys like me. I am always grateful for the info here and on other forums, I have dodged a few problems thanks to the community.

Carbine Shooting With Accuracy: The 2007 Article Intact - CMP Forums