A Gem Hidden in the Rough

[JAS]

I stopped by the CMP North Store last Friday just to see if there was anything new. They had the same old picked over Springfield and Winchester field grades and I was about to leave when I saw a row of HRA rack grades on the end rack. I thought, "Well, before I leave I'll run through them real quick." Second from the last one I see a 5.7 serial number. I have all the HRA's except a 5.7, so why not look it over. The wood is definitely rack grade with a cracked front handguard and approximately 300+ dings everywhere else. But the barrel looks to be an original 11/55 HRA and what's this, the muzzle, while a little dinged, is a solid 1.0! Let's take it up to the counter and open it up and see what's inside. I take it up to the counter and ask for permission the open the action up and what pops out, a gas trap trigger housing! SOLD! It gets even better when I get home. The lower band is Winchester, as is the trigger guard. But when I disassemble the trigger group I find an A marked Winchester trigger.

I tore the rifle completely down. While I had it down to a barreled receiver I set it up in the lathe and trued the muzzle back up to G.I. specs. The Frazier elevation drum had a pretty flat tooth so I replaced it with a NHC I had. I reassembled everything with a new op-rod spring and ran it out to the club. I had to use the 50 yard bench because there were other shooters there. Still though, the rifle repeated eight shot groups that ran 1 to 1 1/4 inches. Not bad for a rack grade!

In this picture I have already replaced the trigger group with an all correct HRA group. The op-rod was a very nice condition 65 series SA which I replaced with an HRA dot op-rod I had on the wall. I also swapped out the SA -12 bolt with a Universal Windings HRA bolt I had in the parts drawer. I still need some decent HRA wood and rear sights.



The bonus; A gas trap trigger housing. Just what I need for my 36,XXX serial number reproduction gas trap.

Information

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[Bill Hollinger]

Score!

[M1Riflenut]

"I have all the HRA's except a 5.7, so why not look it over."

Nice find. Now that you have "all" the HRA's,could you share some pics of your 6 mil HRA and tell us where and how you found it?

[Dan Shapiro]

"13.6 miles from the North Store and 47 Garands. But I can quit any time I want to...."

Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!! Yeah, just like me!

[JAS]

You got me on that one! I consider the 6.0 HRA's, like the 5.0 SA's to be out of the reach of normal guys like us. But if I get that lucky, you'll be the first to know.

[mh53gunner]

Great score on the housing. I have found the Rack and field grades true gems. You are more likely to get a old part than the SG rifles.

I picked up one of the HRA RG rifles two weeks ago at the NS. WRA bolt and op rod. and LMR barrel

[Kerwin Law]

I got lucky too on a rack grade H&R a few years back. It`s the 174th one made. It was mail ordered though. I don`t think it would have lasted long at the North or the South store.I think the odd starting # (4660001) is why the CMP missed it. I`m sure they wouldn`t today.

[mack]

Good find in the trigger housing.

A question about your gas trap clone. Are you going to use the new parts being manufactured recently or are you still looking for parts from original rifles?

I am curious, because the repro parts are out of sight ridiculous in price, but that may be the only way I can finish my own 18XXX receiver. I only lack the front end and the op rod to have a working rifle and cannot decide whether to build up the parts I have as a "rebuilt rifle" or wait around for gas trap parts to fall out of the sky. What are you going to do for parts to finish your rifle, is my question?