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Need help identifying an M1 garand cylinder please! Bought as NOS USGI in the grease. Seller said he believes post war Springfield. Has only the W or M mark on top of the rear ring. No obvious staking of stacking swivel screw. Kind of a dry looking parkerizing when storage grease wiped away. Weird squiggly lines in the cylinder that look to be outward into the cylinder not indented. Would this affect performance? Thanks in advance!!!
https://imgur.com/a/rsKbtAc
That one looks like a well used one to begin with. The lines inside are from a man twisting something back and forth. The whole thing looks sandblasted.
The lines actually look outwardly formed rather than indented into the cylinder, if that makes sense? Also, you're thinking this gas cylinder was blasted, re-parkerized (its a bit green) and packed in storage grease? Thanks much for the reply!
Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
They look like scratches.Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMechaNick
I'll post another photo. They arent scratches, but outward bumps in that pattern.
https://imgur.com/a/JKkacJv
Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
Lets put the pics up so guys can actually see them here...
The lines inside looks like someone twisting back and forth to remove a tool, or maybe a stuck/bent op rod that got jammed in there. That is not the way they would have backed out the reamer during manufacture. It is used. I also agree with the comments on the finish, and likelihood of being sand blasted. I have several cmp garands with minty original gas cylinders, correctly marked and not refinished (at least not by CMP). None of them look similar to this one.
This thing has been resurrected by someone to APPEAR to be something it isn't.
Does not look NOS.The stacking swivel and screw finish would be different. Usually a quick indicator is if the gas lock screw threads are in the white or not. New cylinders the threads have no finish on them.
I have seen used arsenal refinished repacks in grease and wrap
NOS gas cylinders will come in wrap with no stacking swivel.
Surely, not NOS.
To my eye, the stacking swivel screw does appear to be staked judging from the flattened end of the screw.
So far, the gas cylinders I have seen with the W mark on top of the rear ring have been on Oct. and Nov. '41 rifles.
In this time period, there is usually, but not always, a mark on the bottom of the tab (tang ?) of the cylinder at the rear.
As the gas cylinder does appear to be sand blasted and refinished in some way, a mark on the tab may be more difficult to see. Take a really good look at the tab and see if there is a mark there.
Don't know what effect the squiggly lines might have on performance.
It's definitely sand blasted and refinished, maybe with Brownells Parkerizing colored baking paint. M1 gas cylinders are stainless steel so they will not take Parkerizing. The original finish was called dichromate black and it was a highly poisonous process to apply. It was also not very durable. That's why most gas cylinders you see in documentaries that are in the field are worn bright.
We did some with Brownell's Oxinate 84...for stainless. The magic is pickling in muriatic acid. That will give them a matt finish and of course bead blasting before all that. I'm pretty sure you know all that though...Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Dick
So, it turns out the weird pattern in the bore was in the grease, my bad. Bore looks like new otherwise. I agree it's likely a refurbished unit, given the finish isnt correct. As for stampings there is what looks to be a 7 stamped on the bottom tab behind the stacking swivel.
The current gas cylinder on my rifle was unfortunately refinished with black duracote, which really stands put against the blueing/black oxide and parkerizing on the rifle, so I was looking to try and make it look a bit less obviously modified/"restored". I'm in Canada so my access to Garand parts is unfortunately very limited.
Is the gas cylinder lock, screw, and sight hood also stainless? They were also painted with duracote unfortunately.
Thank you all hugely for your time and expertise!!
Sight hood? Do you mean the front sight? They're steel and can be reparkerized. The gas cylinder lock and screw are both the same as the gas cylinder.Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMechaNick
I blasted, painted and baked a couple years ago with Suncorite 259 and they were lovely. Very durable too and hard to distinguish as refinished.
You are a tease!Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Dick
I can't find that material for sale anywhere :lol:
I think it's considered dangerous goods now isn't it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Dick
the new "expert grade" cmp rifles have refinished receivers, new barrel and wood, and at least on the two I have, they refinished the gas cylinder by painting with something. It has a glazed on, spray-ain't look. But I imagine their surface prep isn't very time consuming. Give them a call and ask what they used. My guess would be flat black epoxy paint like Brownell's alumahyde (did I spell that right?). I would never use it for this purpose, but it did wonders on the receiver of an old Glenfield 70 I restored for the kiddos. Hasn't chipped, tolerates any of the usual cleaning solvents. It would probably look better on a glass cylinder if there were better surface prep.