Very, Very early WW2 SA

[Bill Hollinger]

That is really sweetJoe. Thanks for sharing with us.

[Joe W]

That is really sweetJoe. Thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks Bill, wish I had it here in N.C. so I could take some better photos. Maybe when I return home I will take some pictures showing more detail and drawing numbers and post them. Joe

[Joe W]

From checking data, it would appear that the first half of 1941, the SA stock ferrules were without holes. Sometime around Aug/Sept 1941 the small hole appeared.
Sometime around March 1942 the large hole ferrule is found in data sheets
Sometime around Aug 1942 the no hole ferrule is found in data sheets

There is a very small hole or punch mark but difficult to locate on data sheets,
any additional information from reliable data is welcomed. Easy to change stocks on rifles but few will go through the trouble of changing the ferrule - except in rebuild or restoration.

There is alot of overlap in data sheets concerning the ferrules,

RCS, thanks for the helpful information. Maybe Rick B. can shed a bit more light on this subject as he has observed about a zillion stocks.

[RCS]

Joe, More data would be nice(especially for people who collect data sheets on early pre war rifles) such as your bolt heat lot, type of firing pin, polished bolt face etc.

I really do not know if your rifle is original or not - it looks like it could be original- but remember that back in 1975, Rock Island Armory was in the trade-in program with the NRA.
For around $21 and your old M1 receiver (welded stuff not allowed) you received a like new or as collectors would say "mint" M1 receiver with barrel. I had a friend in Texas that got a Aug 1941 barrel and receiver and another friend in Minn that got a 405xxx with S-A 12 41 barrel. Also saw an early 1943 barrel/receiver, barrel had a TE of 1.0. None of these barrels had chrome on the gas ports.
Some Lend Lease rifles had their parts "harvested" to build-up "correct" period rifles and a late 1941 SA rifle in excellent condition was worth more than the Lend Lease.

Robert

[musketshooter]

I have 394259. About the same condition as yours. Happy to have it.

[RCS]

I made a data sheet from 394052 and 391564 about twenty years ago

[Joe W]

Joe, More data would be nice(especially for people who collect data sheets on early pre war rifles) such as your bolt heat lot, type of firing pin, polished bolt face etc.

I really do not know if your rifle is original or not - it looks like it could be original- but remember that back in 1975, Rock Island Armory was in the trade-in program with the NRA.
For around $21 and your old M1 receiver (welded stuff not allowed) you received a like new or as collectors would say "mint" M1 receiver with barrel. I had a friend in Texas that got a Aug 1941 barrel and receiver and another friend in Minn that got a 405xxx with S-A 12 41 barrel. Also saw an early 1943 barrel/receiver, barrel had a TE of 1.0. None of these barrels had chrome on the gas ports.
Some Lend Lease rifles had their parts "harvested" to build-up "correct" period rifles and a late 1941 SA rifle in excellent condition was worth more than the Lend Lease.

Robert

Robert,

I sent you an EMail. If you are interested, send me your email address I will send you a data sheet

In the meantime, Bolt D28287-2A RE4A, ( HOLE IN REAR OF RIGHT BOLT LUG ), Firing pin - Round, Blue Black, Extractor - blue, TE = 1 MW = 0+, 12-41 barrel
Gas Port is NOT chrome plated. I had always thought the rifle may have been substancially original with possibly a few parts added but never really sure. What you say is quite possible. If someone built this rifle up from the barrel and receiver he did it while parts were reasonable and available. All the parts show very little if any wear.

[Emri]

....sold in hardware stores?? I got this one in a hardware store in 1976 or there abouts. I recently replaced the stock on it. It was a very nice rifle over all that hadn't been monkeyed with but for the stock. It was about the ugliest piece of birch you could imagine.

Attachment 14190

Attachment 14189

Attachment 14191

Thanks,

Emri

[Joe W]

Nice rifle. I would think that they were first sold in the mid to late 1950s by different outlets. Those marked in the barrel chamber area, such as yours, were imported in the mid 1950's by "Interarmsco" of Alexandria, Va. and were part of the first group of M1's purchased from Great Britain by Sam Cummings. I had posted a photo of an ad dated Apr. 1959, by "Winfield Arms" of L.A. Calif., selling LL rifles for $ 97.50. Back in the day those 1941 /42 rifles WITHOUT the British proofs were more popular with collectors and parts were taken from the LL guns to make non LL guns correct. Maybe that is what became of your stock. Or sometime prior to 1976 when you purchased the rifle, a prior owner sold off the stock. He may have just been a shooter and that "piece of birch" was just fine for his needs. The money he got for the stock would have bought him a bit of ammo.

[Bob Seijas]

"Rock Island Armory was in the trade-in program with the NRA. For around $21 and your old M1 receiver (welded stuff not allowed)"

Heh, heh, we exchanged welded receivers several times, got back some honeys. Returned receivers were destroyed. I know a guy who put two halves together with Bondo and sprayed it black -- they took it