Century Import Garand ?'s

[coneten]

I came across a Springfield Garand SN#297584 today...1941?. It had the Century Arms Int. St. Albans import EP scrawled on left side receiver just above wood line. All parts were SA with the exception of the WRA op rod. The barrel was un-marked with the exception of a 10 and a PV in oval. Stock and hand guard were walnut, (P) under pistol grip,stamped AA over stamped four digit number..not the SN#. Finish was thin on receiver and bolt which made for a worn looking exterior..but other than that..solid.. The lock bar sights had been removed and sold. Were these very early CAI imports and where did the come from? Any clues on the un-marked barrel? Thanks ahead of time.

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[KarlKW]

...sounds a lot like a WW II Winchester barrel. If so, the mark is actually a "P" and a "W" surrounded by an oval. You would have to remove the rear hand guard to see if the drawing number has a WRA prefix. HTH, KarlKW

[Calif-Steve]

Century just recently brought in a small lot of Garands and Carbines from Central America. They are available at Big 5 Stores on the west coast.

[coneten]

The scrawled Century Import markings were pretty early...they did similar markings on M1 carbines from Germany because the pressed stamp system had not been worked out. I have seen just a few Garands with this style import mark and have no clue as to where the rifles originated....or exactly when they were coming in.