Blue Sky Productions, Inc. (Arlington, VA) Winchester M1 Garand

I recently purchased a Winchester M1 Garand (built May 1944) from a friend of a friend, I got what I felt was a very good deal until reading about the negative attitude towards Blue Sky. When I bought the M1 I was completely unaware of the issues surrounding Blue Sky, such as warped barrels from heavy stamping, poor/improper repair, etc. However, everything I read about Blue Sky has to do with Springfield M1s, I can't find any information about Winchester.

I took the M1 out this past weekend and it shot straight, I didn't notice any issues at all.

I have attached some photos, and I am curious in getting the opinions of others who are much more experienced with M1s than I am.

From what I can tell there does not seem to be much (if any) muzzle wear (photo below), the barrel looks almost new and the rifling looks fine with no visible issues.
The Blue Sky stamp on the barrel does not look to be too heavy (to me), there are parts of the stamp that are not pressed (the bottom and top of several letters).

But if anyone has knowledge of what I should look for or any concerns from what they see in the photos could please give me some feedback I would be incredibly thankful!

(Please keep in mind these photos were taken with a point and shoot camera with a wide angle lens so the straight lines may not look exactly straight in the photos.)

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN0995-1.jpg
Blue Sky Stamp

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN0999-1.jpg
Muzzle

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1001-1.jpg
Receiver

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1002-1.jpg
Receiver and Rear Sight

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1006-1.jpg
Receiver Bolt Closed

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1007-1.jpg
Receiver Bolt Open

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN1009-1.jpg

The purpose of a Garand is to send 150 grain 30 caliber projectiles rapidly to the point of aim, your rifle does this. Anything in addition to this is just a bonus.

Enjoy your piece and don't worry about nit picking collectors who obsess about import stamps and replaced parts.

You may have lucked into a nice Blue Sky, but most of them were worn out. The barrels had been whipped out with jointed cleaning rods to the point that some would take a bullet up to the shoulder. Most had either worn out op rods, or the receiver guide was worn out as the rods wouldn't stay in place. With these you could obsess about the bullet rapidly flying down the range tumbling over and over in the vicinity of your point of aim.

IIRC, they were all reconditioned and refinished by Howa Heavy Industries.

Thanks for the info! I'm really hoping I did just happen to get my hands on one that is actually in good shape. The stock is a little dinged, but that's part of the history and story behind the guns.

By any chance is there any way to track a serial number beyond Month/Year of manufacturing? Such as which branch of the military or even more specific. I have tried checking several links in the Stickys but a lot of them seem to be inactive or dead links.

Thank you again, I really appreciate the input.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SVTCobra4pt6

By any chance is there any way to track a serial number beyond Month/Year of manufacturing? Such as which branch of the military or even more specific. I have tried checking several links in the Stickys but a lot of them seem to be inactive or dead links.

Thank you again, I really appreciate the input.

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You might luck into some old records that might indicate where a rifle was at some particular time but, in general, there is no way to determine the history of any one rifle.

In the Blue Sky imports I saw, the reconditioning appeared to be a fresh coat of phosphate. It must have been reserved for the really bad ones, as I saw a few that appeared to have been fresh from a U.S. military facility rebuild.

I just picked up a M1 marked Blue Sky. I hope to take it to the range tomorrow. All parts are SA except the operating rod it is marked NM. stck is pretty crappy. Serial number puts it at Feb 1944. I am hopeing to find a SA marked stock with the proper cartouches on. I hope I didn't let my desire to have an M1 screw up by not noticing it was marked Blue Sky.

you must remember that when these rifles came into the country they were cherry picked before sending out for sale to us common people.the ones that may come in from Korea will have the same thing happen!i did see some very nice blue sky carbines and rifles but they were sold to the chosen few.at the time they were released it was the only way some people had to get these rifles so most were happy to get them.

"IIRC, they were all reconditioned and refinished by Howa Heavy Industries"

If so, my Garand was AWOL for that muster.:D It definitely fits the wore out catagory, suitable only as an action to rebuild on. My carbine on the other hand is pristine as a rework.:thup: Both were ordered from distributors while I had an FFL in the early 90's.

Thaine