General Tire & Rubber fiberglass M14 stocks

When the M14 rifle became available in large numbers in the early 1960's, there also appeared a fiberglass stock also with the hinged butt plate (early examples of the fiberglass stock used the M1 rifle butt plate). From the examples that I have found, there are two variations.

The first variation is without the checkering pattern on the pistol grip and fore-end while the second variation has the checkering patterns.

It is not common to find the early variation of the fiberglass stock and would assume that it did not last too long in service. I have seen the early fiberglass stocks on new issue M14 rifles and often wondered if they were testing the stocks. Also could some of these fiberglass stocks be used on new production M14 rifles ?Attachment 95526Attachment 95527Attachment 95528Attachment 95529Attachment 95530

They used to turn up at gun shows every so often. Wasn't there a green one too?

I have not seen any of the "smooth" ones. They will "work" on modern receivers, but they definitely need some reworking to get band tension and aligned with the Ferrell.

I know two friends that were both together in the same US Army basic training company at Fort Leonard Wood, MO in Feb 1964. They were the second basic training
group to receive the new M14 rifles, which were all TRW manufacture. They had about a dozen of these M14 rifles with the smooth General Tire & Rubber fiberglass
stocks. I would doubt they broke that many stocks in the first group to cycle through basic training and think the fiberglass stocks were just being tested (it was winter)

I would the General Tire & Rubber stocks would be considered collectors items now

They experimented with fiberglass stocks for the M1, too. This one is by Lunn Laminates on Long Island (NY). I seem to recall that it was done around 1955 and was not good in cold weather. There were other types around, similar to the ones Robert cites for the M14.Attachment 95599 IIRC I paid $80 for it in the 1970s.

Bob, you are about right on the timing I believe of the m1 stock. Before I retired from Carlisle I met a guy at a Maryland arms collectors assn meeting and he said he would bring some documents to the Baltimore show that year regarding the Garand. His father had apparently worked at Aberdeen and had found these documents in the garbage or were being tossed during renovation etc. They were the accuracy test documents for the m5 and m5a1bayonets as well as the plastic or fiberglass stock. I believe there were a couple other folders too but I don’t recall what they were. I offered to buy them but he wanted to show them to Scott Duff first. I never followed up so I assume Scott ended up with them. All were in the 53-56 time frame I believe.

There was also a fiberglass handguard assembly that incorporated both front and rear guards in one piece. It required a special lower band.
Attachment 95654

Those glass M14 stocks fit just fine on the new Bula M14's. I put one on mine.

TankerDon, trying to catch your brass?

They fit well on a '86 SA M1A also.
Attachment 95696

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Originally Posted by Snowman1510

TankerDon, trying to catch your brass?

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Yes, the tub hauls my gear from car to bench, then catches brass.

I know it's luck of the draw when you buy the "fair but straight" stocks from GPC. I want to try painting one OD green. I picked up 2 more last month. Both were much nicer than the first one in the pic on the bench. Both also came with slings. The best one just had a little rust on the front sling swivel. I removed the flip-up part of the butt plate and that removed around 5oz. of weight.

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Originally Posted by TankerDon

I removed the flip-up part of the butt plate and that removed around 5oz. of weight.

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I did that to a wood stock and inserted a block to replace the hinge...like the original stocks. I used an M1 buttplate and it was nice and balanced.

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Originally Posted by TankerDon

I know it's luck of the draw when you buy the "fair but straight" stocks from GPC.

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In 1989 I found myself in GPC by change and as I walked in the door there were stocks in a cardboard barrel for sale. They had failed their redfurb program and were hard done by. I found a walnut M14 stock and bought it for $4 USD, took it home and sanded it, oiled and it looked like a factory new. Nice and functional and clean...was on the gun when it sold. Silk purse/sow's ear...

My semi'd Winchester came with the fibreglass stock with the hinged butt plate. Said butt plate supposedly for use with the rifle on FA.
"...considered collectors items..." The issue with anything M14 related is the daft 'Once an MG, always an MG' nonsense from the unelected civil servants at the ATF. That they exported here. No easily acquired real milsurp rifles reduces the demand for the accessories. Even though the stuff usually fits on SA Inc. sporting rifles.
Treeline lists milsurp issue fibreglass stocks starting at $95 with no metal. No mention of who made 'em.

Going through some old files, found this shot of one that used to turn up at shows back in the day. There were 3 or 4 different styles, don't know if they were done by different makers or not.

Attachment 96052

For what its worth, I went through Fort Knox Basic in April 1969. I was issued a TRW M14 with brown fiberglass stock. I don't think there were more than three others in the unit. I liked it as it was different and I could find it quickly. I was rather annoyed when I later picked up a wood stocked rifle and found it to be several pounds lighter (seemingly).