Very Early Inland. Possibly Unaltered

[INLAND44]

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you on the finish. The finish matches my other carbine, and every other carbine I've ever handled.

A quick google image search als shows a somewhat "gloss" like finish and not the flat that you indicate.

***edit****

I'm also taking these pictures right under an overhead light so might be getting some excess shine due to that reflection.

Seeing a bunch of carbines in the wrong configuration does not make my statements wrong. Avail yourself of the M1 Carbine manuals and read it for yourself. But anyone should be able to understand that you don't have a glossy finish on a military weapon. At least not by design.

[browningautorifle]

Military weapons have a flatt or matt finish on the wood...

[JackP]

Great pictures! The more I look at it the better I like it. BTW, that mushroom shaped mark is just a dent in the stock, not a significant marking. Maybe that happened when the marine dropped it on the beaches of Iwo Jima. Mine still has shrapnel in it.

[EinsteinTaylor]

Great pictures! The more I look at it the better I like it. BTW, that mushroom shaped mark is just a dent in the stock, not a significant marking. Maybe that happened when the marine dropped it on the beaches of Iwo Jima. Mine still has shrapnel in it.

Shrapnel?

I'd like to see a picture of that.

[deldriver]

Just curious, but would you call the overall color of this carbine blackish or more greenish? Some of your pictures show one color while others show the other color. Inland used a black oxide finish until the Spring of 43. Your carbine would have certainly gotten such a finish since it's so early in the first serial range block. Also, Inland grit blasted their carbines with the stock on. This left a two tone appearance that is unmistakable on the left side of their receivers. I don't really see that on your carbine, but that could be because of general wear or even a different finishing technique was used. First block Inland carbines had many changes going on is parts and finishing processes. I think the first block of Inland carbines could be the most interesting of all carbine serial ranges because of the changes that went on.

[JackP]

There are a half dozen other places on this carbine that looked burned with shiny metal showing through. What else can it be? That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[browningautorifle]

Could be...makes sense. That's the sort of thing that leaves you bleeding and you can't figure what actually happened.

[EinsteinTaylor]

Just curious, but would you call the overall color of this carbine blackish or more greenish? Some of your pictures show one color while others show the other color. Inland used a black oxide finish until the Spring of 43. Your carbine would have certainly gotten such a finish since it's so early in the first serial range block. Also, Inland grit blasted their carbines with the stock on. This left a two tone appearance that is unmistakable on the left side of their receivers. I don't really see that on your carbine, but that could be because of general wear or even a different finishing technique was used. First block Inland carbines had many changes going on is parts and finishing processes. I think the first block of Inland carbines could be the most interesting of all carbine serial ranges because of the changes that went on.

It's definitely of the parkerized style. I just learned of the two tone effect on some of the earlier ones and need to take it back apart to see if that exists.

I know there is a definite two tone look like where the barrel meets the receiver. That stood out to me pretty clearly. Need to check the receiver itself though.

Will update.

[INLAND44]

I think that 'two-tone' receiver was only on the blued ones. I've never heard of sand-blasting a gun with the stock on. Perhaps they had a dummy stock for that purpose? Sounds like way too much trouble to go to for no reason. On the Parkerized ones they definitely blasted the whole parts. Being Parkerized, I'm looking for the 'white' band near the gas lug where they left the barrel band during Parkerizing, moving it forward for assembly. Maybe with the early ones the band did not get finished with the barrel?
It is a beautiful carbine for sure. I'm not picking at it, just trying to learn something.

[BrianQ]

Also, Inland grit blasted their carbines with the stock on.

That's nonsense, the carbines were not grit blasted while in a stock. In fact, the whole carbine wasn't even assembled when the grit blasting took place.