Danish M1 with 'waff schu' barrel

[P17]

Hi Everyone.
I've just acquired my first Garand, a beautiful Beretta made Danish FKF one and I've realized that I should have bought one 20 years back. This is a nice rifle!

The barrel is marked S-A 3 51 (so I understand Springfield Armory, March 1951 manufacture) and also has 7.62 stamped and a serial number as well. There is a proof mark that looks like a rectangle with a small star, underneath the star are the letters: FAT and there is an 8 underneath the FAT. At the muzzle end, the barrel serial number matches the receiver, and there is a tiny stamp marking: waff schu which I'm guessing is Waffen Schumacher from Germany.

The rifling is sharp, the bore is mirror shiny. So far, it seems to shoot great. The stock and overall condition of the rifle is outstanding - hardly any signs of use (or a great refinishing job more like). The trigger assembly is SA marked, and the op rod shows HRA.

Can anyone tell me more about the barrel proof marks or share any thoughts on it? I didn't think SA was making 308 barrels in 1951.
Thanks

Tim

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[John R.]

Now THIS rifle IS a conundrum INDEED sportsfans.Denmark to the best of my knowledge ONLY issued M1's in .30-06

Italy on the other hand issued them in BOTH 7.62x53mm(.30-06) and 7.62x51mm NATO.Italian issue M1's in 7.62x51mmNATO were made from CUTDOWN US Made barrels and NOT their own Breda Sidururgica made barrels or Beretta made ones.These Italian made barrels all SEEM to have been used on Export Contract rifles(like Denmark,Indonesia and Yemen,as well as Nigeria).
FAT is Fabricca Armi Terni the Italian equivalent of Rock Island Arsenal.THEY were the folks who converted the US made .30-06 barrels to 7.62x51mm NATO by basically cutting off the threaded barrel shank and then rethreading and rechambering the original US made barrels(I have seen SA,HRA and a few LMR's).
SO?Where did "Waffen Schumacher" get involved ?I think that they must have mated up an Italian converted barrel to a Danish Contract Receiver and then added their "imprimatur"(as the ROMAN Catholic Church would call it) to show that THEY converted it.Are there any GERMAN nitor proof marks anywhere ?Look for little acorn stamps etc.
Certainly an interesting rifle you have there and German gunsmithing is normally top notch and very well done so I am NOT surprised that it shoots as well as you state.

ALL of what I have ventured above is what I have deducted after 45 plus years of collecting/owning/shooting Garands coupled with a few SWAG's(as in Silly Wild Assed GUESSES)

Best I can do,

Regards,

John R.

[P17]

John,

Thanks for the insight. The barrel has no German proof marks anywhere on it, just a P and separately an M stamped. The receiver has 7.62 stamped faintly on it, on the right hand side by the bolt.

If Waffen Schumacher converted it, they certainly did a nice job. As a side comment, I bought some clips for it, not realizing that they were Chinese new production and totally garbage. Fully loaded with 8 rounds, they are simply too wide and are way too stiff to insert. This Garand only likes the real deal.

Again, thanks for your comments and insight.

Tim

[Dave Waits]

Excellent post john, I learned something new!!! One small thing, 30-06 is 7.62x63, not 53.


Nice rifle you have there P17.

[Patrick Chadwick]

John R. is spot on.

Waffen Schumacher, Josef-Schregel-Str. 45a, 52349 Düren has been in business since 1903

Tel.: ++49 2421 / 941194
info@waffen-schumacher.de

- just in case you want to ask if there is any record of the import. Importers usually bought in milsurps by the truckload, not one by one, so there might just be something somewhere...

Patrick