Springfield's Transition to Zinc from Manganese Parkerization.

I've tried to do some research, but all that I seem to find are somewhat offhand comments about the arsenals switchover sometime in early 1944. That seemed late due to the number of zinc parked rifles out there, but after remembering just how many went through rebuild it makes sense for so many to be zinc.

Do we have an actual date?

Were receivers, bolts, and barrels switched over first (maybe that park line had the greatest throughput so switched over first)?

Are there original transition rifles that have a mix of zinc and mang (I think that Carbines were like that). As a side note, there are transitional US web gear where both OD number 7 and OD number 3 was used for different parts of the finished good.

I don't like refinishing anything without a knowledge of "what should of been".

Warm Regards,
Jesse

I have what I believe to be an original April 1944 rifle that came from a veterans estate sale in a remote area of Wisconsin years ago. This is is complete as issued in 1944 and has seen service but still has a nice bore. The rifle has a lighter color as noted by my photos

Thanks for the data point!

Do you notice any black parts amid the grey zinc? Is the clip latch black/dark grey?

Here's three neighbors:
Attachment 125447

Jesse, I did remove the clip latch, the back is light gray. My photo shows the outside of the clip latch to be a darker
color, but it is light gray and use in service plus the casting show different in my photo.

also like to include the data on 270090

Rec Leg D 28291 32 065 B <>
Barrel 1SA 4 44
bolt -12SA S-A1<>
rear sight square lock bar
stock SA GAW
trigger housing -12-SA
hammer 5 SA
follower 12
follower rod long fork
op rod D35382 9 SA uncut

Does this help? 2.76 SA. Flash washed it out a little but it's only pic I have handy

Attachment 125467

Thanks!. That's a gorgeous rifle. That's as zinc as one gets methinks. Also, almost no or no green from the chromate conversion bath.

But the oprod and lock bar look to be manganese.

Have to ask, is it in original condition? I suspect that many depots didn't do the chromate rinse after park (to remove free iron that gets deposited on the surface as you park).

Also, is that a curve cut -9 oprod or earlier?

The top half of the rifle is for sure. Came out of the box at the CMP/GCA 2002? Anniston box opening party. It was an upper half. The stock was loose in the box and no trigger group. So I found one and assembled it and brought it home. Several looked at the top half and we all agreed it was original.

It may not be terribly relevant, but nevertheless, here is a set of photos of my 2.76 SA as well; admittedly, I am very new to collecting M1 Rifles and am trying to learn a lot more about them.

Garand - Album on Imgur

This is the finish on my receiver. In person, it has much more of a dark green-brown color to it. I do not know what the original parkerized finish on the rifle is, which is admittedly why I am posting this here, as well as to learn more about what original parkerized rifles tend to look like.

Would manganese parkerizing give it that dark green look if it has been sitting for so long?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ms15710

here is a set of photos of my 2.76 SA

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Nice lookin' rifle Mike...conjecture is the lubricants of the time or preservatives are what gave the greenish tinge. Yours has been handled lots and not abused so it has the glassy finish look to it that's unmistakable original park...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Nice lookin' rifle Mike...conjecture is the lubricants of the time or preservatives are what gave the greenish tinge. Yours has been handled lots and not abused so it has the glassy finish look to it that's unmistakable original park...

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Thank you kindly for your reply! My father and drove six hours up to Buffalo to grab this, so we have a nice little story to go along with it.

If you don’t mind, you mentioned that it shows signs of handling, could you tell me more about that?

Additionally, someone explained to me in another forum that some May ‘44 rifles were in transport but never made it to combat. Do you know the validity of that statement?

You may also send me a private message if that’s necessary, I don’t want to overtake this thread with my own questions/interests.

No concern about overtaking the thread, the more info, history, ect. the better.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ms15710

some May ‘44 rifles were in transport but never made it to combat

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Seems unlikely... the 2.7 rifle recovered from a fallen GI in France in August carried a March 1944 barrel, so at MOST it took five months from Springfield Armory to combat, and very probably less.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ms15710

it shows signs of handling,

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Not abuse but the smoothness resulting from hands on. This can easily be from the 70 plus years after the war. Thankfully no one decided to just bead blast and refinish it to darken it up... No dings or scrapes, just hands on from time.

I thought of bringing a pic or two forward here but they're all the same. A nearly new looking rifle with a beautiful smooth finish. Wood's about perfect.

Thank you, Bob. This actually may have answered one of my other questions of how long the timeline was from a rifle leaving Springfield Armory (or Winchester Repeating Arms) to reaching the frontlines. You say at most this would take five months?

In that particular case, yes, so it's possible. I'm reminded of the German commander who was shown a birthday cake taken from a US position... he said the war is surely lost when they can send a cake from America and have it arrive still fresh, while I can't get fuel for my tanks when it's 200 kilometres away.