Can someone tell me about this barrel (maker and maybe when it was made)?

[kfields]

These markings are on the top, directly under the rear handguard. The faint crossed cannons can be seen upper left in the picture frame. Except for what looks like a "V" type symbol at the oprod cutout, there are no other marks.
To me it looks like it wasn't chromed at the port.

Thanks!
Kim

Information

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[Tom Doniphon]

I've seen a May 1951 Springfield barrel with the same drawing number. The heat lot was MD19.

[GUTS]

Usually a post war barrel will have either a 55 or 65 after the D and before the last five numbers of the drawing number. The absence of an SA and the date on the side of the barrel throws me off a little, it should be there along with the markings on the top. The gas port area wasn't chromed untill the late 40s, so if it's unchromed it should be a WWII barrel. So it seems to have characteristics if both post war and WWII, strange.

[Bill Hollinger]

I have one with nearly the same markings but in addition to those it has an oval where the op-rod opening would be and the oval looks like it has IWP or IW or PW in it. I thought it was a Winchester barrel because the oval stamping is so close to old eyes. No chrome gas port either.

[Bill Hollinger]

Here are the pictures of mine.

[latigo 1]

Here are the pictures of mine.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...P4290002-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...P4290003-1.jpg

That one looks like one of the fake Winchester barrels that were showing up about 7 or 8 years ago. The oval is too round and shape of the P is incorrect. Also looks engraved rather than stamped, but hard to tell with the white outline. From the two barrels shown here, I wonder if there might have been some early post war barrels that had the post war drawing number (located on top of the barrel rather than on the side like most post war barrels), unchromed gas port, and no marking under the op rod.

[GUTS]

Bill, does that make yours a 1942 barrel and kfields a 41 barrel? Are they some kind of replacement barrel that didn't require the normal side date? I can't find anything about them in my Garand books.

[Bill Hollinger]

Latigo, I don't believe mine is one of the WRA fakes. The oval on mine is a very slight olan and it clearly has IWP or a combination of those letters all combined to make a logo. I also thought the 65 series parts were much later than when they started the chrome pad. I don't know but I'm stumped on it.

[latigo 1]

Latigo, I don't believe mine is one of the WRA fakes. The oval on mine is a very slight olan and it clearly has IWP or a combination of those letters all combined to make a logo. I also thought the 65 series parts were much later than when they started the chrome pad. I don't know but I'm stumped on it.

I see your picture and to me it more closely resembles the fake barrels than an original one. The fake barrel stamps had a very slight oval. Actually much slighter than the original stamps which were more distinctly oval. They also had the WP but the letters were slightly different than an original stamp. Just like fake stock cartouches, the markings are all there, just not exactly the same as original markings. The fakes I saw also had the WRA drawing number but that was also fake since the font was wrong. That made it easier to identify as fake. They were made from aftermarket unmarked barrels which also helped identify them as fakes. I was just thinking that if one of the fakers got hold of some USGI barrels with no markings under the op rod and no chrome on the gas port they may have stamped them in order to sell them off as WRA barrels even if the drawing number was incorrect. Here is a pic of a real one. Note especially the width of the W in relation to the width of the oval. Please let me know if you get any valid information that is different from my opinion. I always welcome new info.

[Bill Hollinger]

Thank you for the post and great photo. This makes good sense. My buddy that bought this for me thought it was a WWII WRA barrel. It is an old worn and pitted barrel. The thing that throws me is there is no chrome gas pad and yet it is a 65 series drawing number. A $70.00 lesson. The guy had another "WRA" barrel that my buddy bought for himself but he hasn't got back to me as to its authenticity. I rather doubt it will prove real.