FIVE (5) QUESTIONS: M1 Rifle / M1 Rifle Items / M14 Rifle Items

[45B40-95B40]

Got it to work tonight must have been me sorry. Great looking pictures and one nice NM Rifle.

Semper Fi...

U. S. G. I.,

No problem. My Member Name (45B40_95B40) and my Password for my paid Webshots account are slightly different than all of my other internet Member Names (45B40-95B40) and Passwords, so I sometimes have difficulty accessing my paid Webshots account because I incorrectly enter my Member Name and/or my Password.

I’m glad you liked my photographs, and thanks for the compliments on my NM M1 RIFLE.

ASSIST, PROTECT, DEFEND
Ralph Van Buren
(45B40-95B40)

[Neal Myers]

The M1 combination tool with the solid piece is the M3, while the one with the brass brush is the M3A1. Bill Ricca (at Bill Ricca's Home Page ) is the expert on these. He has a collection that includes variations from different makers, & he can tell you the differences. He sold the M3A1 tool until about 2 years ago, when they ran out; the only thing you can find are foreign & repro tools.

[45B40-95B40]

Neal (Myers),

Thanks for commenting on my post, and thanks especially for directing me to the William J. Ricca Surplus Sales home page. I was totally unaware that his business existed, and I now know that it’s located only about one hundred (100) miles southeast of where I live.

I carefully moved both of the blades of my M3A1 M1 RIFLE COMBINATION TOOL and found that it was marked with “KRW” inside of a circle, indicating that it was made by K. R. Wilson in Arcade, New York, which was located about seventy (70) miles northwest from where I live. According to William J. Ricca, “K. R. Wilson produced . . . M3A1 Combination Tools during the period of 1952-1953. This tool is one of the most common markings found. The KRW tool is so common, many can still be found in their original green grease wrappers from 1952.”

Now if only I could find out some equally excellent information about my M3 M1 RIFLE COMBINATION TOOL and my M14 RIFLE COMBINATION TOOL . . .

Ralph Van Buren
45B40-95B40

[Bill Ricca]

Your M14 Combo Tools are as follows:

1967 - Curtis Industries, Southfield, Michigan
1968 - Prospect Engineering, Taylor Center, Michigan

Your M3 combination tools were repacked for storage in June of 1957.

[45B40-95B40]

Your M14 Combo Tools are as follows:

1967 - Curtis Industries, Southfield, Michigan
1968 - Prospect Engineering, Taylor Center, Michigan

Your M3 combination tools were repacked for storage in June of 1957.

Bill (Ricca),

Thanks for identifying both of my M14 RIFLE COMBINATION TOOLS, and thanks for publicly sharing so much valuable information about United States Small Arms and their related militaria on your excellent website.

Back during the summer of 1972, the Military Police Company I was assigned to in West Germany disposed of (i.e. buried) ALL of its remaining M14 RIFLE spare parts, accessories, and cleaning equipment. Luckily, I was able to “rescue” slightly more than one hundred fifty (150) of the new and wrapped 1968 Prospect Engineering (Taylor Center, Michigan) COMBINATION TOOLS and just a very few of the new but unwrapped 1967 Curtis Industries (Southfield, Michigan) COMBINATION TOOLS, so I brought all of them back home with me in early 1973. Then in the summer of 1973, I sold one hundred fifty (150) of the new and wrapped 1968 Prospect Engineering (Taylor Center, Michigan) COMBINATION TOOLS to an East Coast Military Surplus dealer (I can’t remember his name, but it wasn’t you) who had an advertisement in SHOTGUN NEWS for $300.00 (three hundred dollars).

I want to keep the two (2) M1 RIFLE M3 COMBINATION TOOLS and the one (1) M1 RIFLE M3A1 COMBINATION TOOL , but if you would like either or both of the M14 RIFLE COMBINATION TOOLS that I’ve described and posted pictures of in this post, just let me know and I’ll send it or them to you via U. S. P. S. Insured Priority Mail at no charge.

Thanks again,
Ralph Van Buren
45B40-95B40

[45B40-95B40]

I advertised the SA NM M1 RIFLE SN 5796843 “FOR SALE” in the “GARAND MARKETPLACE” section of the Summer 2009 edition of the GCA JOURNAL, and I sold it to a collector who has several 100% original and 100% correct M1 rifles but who didn’t already have a(any) NM M1 rifle(s). That collector is about my age [I’m sixty-one (61)], he has two (2) sons who are currently serving in the United States Military [I served in the United States Army], he is a career law enforcement officer [I was a Military Policeman in the United States Army], and his father carried an M1 rifle in World War II [my father also carried an M1 rifle in World War II]. Additionally, that collector has proven to me that he will keep the rifle along with all of its related paperwork and accessories 100% original and 100% correct, he will not fire the rifle, he will not field strip the rifle, he will not disassemble the rifle, he will properly store the rifle along with all of its related paperwork and accessories, and he will eventually pass on the rifle along with all of its related paperwork and accessories to his heirs. Even though I was offered considerably more money for that rifle by several other collectors, I sold it to that particular “right” collector for $4,500.00 (a substantial profit, considering that I purchased that rifle through the Director Of Civilian Marksmanship for “only” $155.70 back in September of 1971), and I was able to personally meet him as well as personally deliver that rifle to him. In addition to that rifle and all of its related paperwork and accessories, I also gave him a CD of all of the original large size digital photographs I’d taken of that rifle, a few M1 rifle military publications, a copy of The M1 Garand: Post World War II by Scott Duff, the original 1958 nearly new “CASE, INDIVIDUAL WEAPONS, PARACHUTISTS” that I’d always stored the preserved and protected rifle in for more than thirty-seven (37) years, and a late 1950’s nearly new “CASE, WEAPON, UNIVERSAL” which was designed to carry an M1 rifle in a military vehicle. That collector presented me with a genuine nickel plated brass UNITED STATES ARMY whistle, the exact type of whistle that was used by MILITARY POLICEMEN.

I could have easily sold five (5) identical SA NM M1 RIFLES for at least $4,000.00 each. I corresponded via telephone and/or via email with people from all over the continental United States, and one thousand seven hundred thirty-two (1,732) people viewed my WebShots “SA NM M1 RIFLE S. N. 5796843” photograph album from June 1st of 2009 up through June 30th of 2009. [I uploaded that photograph album to WebShots on February 24th of 2008, and from that day up through May 31st of 2009, only one thousand five hundred ten (1,510) people viewed that album.]

Over the past more than forty (40) years, I have sold a variety of firearms (but never any M1 rifles) by renting a table and selling them at the Empire State Arms Collectors Association gun shows at Rochester, New York; by carrying them around and selling them at various New York State gun shows, by selling them through “word of mouth” throughout New York State, by selling them through Gunboards.com, by selling them through AuctionArms.com, and by using them as partial payment when I purchased other firearms from New York State FFL dealers. However, if I had to sell the SA NM M1 RIFLE S. N. 5796843 all over again, I would once again only sell it by advertising it “FOR SALE” in the “GARAND MARKETPLACE” section of the GCA JOURNAL.

Take care,

Ralph Van Buren
136 Durland Place
Watkins Glen, New York 14891
(607) 535-4042