January 1940 Gas Trap Conversion......Restoration?

[browningautorifle]

And if it does show the 7th round stoppage repair, why would that mean its a restoration?

They were built up with weld and a restoration back would mean it would be ground down again. You can see the weld in pic one. Here's an article to show you, scroll down. Marines The M1 Garand: The First 400 | An Official Journal Of The NRA

Some guys would grind the weld back down but not always. The rifle could have been assembled from parts would account for the later op rod and barrel...

Others will be along to confirm or deny these points...

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[SRiverrat11]

Someone showed me what it looks like without the repair and that makes the repair easy to recognize.

[SRiverrat11]

The rifle could have been assembled from parts would account for the later op rod and barrel...

Others will be along to confirm or deny these points...

Someone on another site said that after the initial conversions of gas traps at the Armory, the gas traps that were already at the units, the units did the conversions of gas traps that they had, leaving the original parts and just changing the barrels, gas cylinders and front sights making the change with barrels and gas cylinders they had at the time. IDK how true it is, but it seems like a logical solution to rifles that were scattered all over the country. The units would have had replacement parts to repair weapons at their facilities. I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just trying to understand why an 8-41 barrel and gas cylinder make it a definite restoration, and it very well could be a restoration.

[browningautorifle]

leaving the original parts and just changing the barrels, gas cylinders and front sights

Yes, the original barrels were shorter and slightly different configuration. Not sure why some of the others haven't come in yet...

[Bob Seijas]

C'mon, guys, this is well known history... when the gas port system was introduced, the decision was made to continue to produce the "spline type" until all the parts were used up. The rationale was that it would be more economical to upgrade them when they came in for normal rebuild after about 18 months in the field. Gas Port and Gas Trap were thus produced side-by-side until the last several thousand were made. The theory of "direct conversions" by SA doesn't hold water. The only ones SA converted were occasional guns returned for repairs and fixed after the gas trap parts were used up. This has all been explored in detail in older GCA Journal articles.