kBob
Member
Well my Danish return Garand Field Grade got here this past week. My first thought was "BARK! BARK!" as it looked to be a dog.
Then I got to looking. It's a SA recievier SN 730,XXX which I belive makes it an early 1942 reciever.
Contray to what the nice lady from Anniston said on the phone when she asked be to change my order it ain't even close to USGI. I will not complain however about the VAB barrel that won't let an M2 slug get remotely close to the crimp groove untill I get a chance to wring it out on the range. What appeared to be scratches on the two little feed ramps were just grooves in the goo still on parts of the rifle and wiped right out.
Ah, the bicycle refernce. It been about two decades since last I had to care for a Garand and yet stripping it came back like riding a bike. There are a number of parts with no draw numbers. The bolt is oddly marked and not finished as well as any USGI one I remember seeing and I suspect was necessary to have proper head space on the VAB barrel.
No pits or scoring in the gas cylinder and it slides on fairly tight with the teeniest amount of play so I plan tro shoot it as is before trying to peen the grooves on the barrel and see how it goes. Op rod lookes straighter than I remember and the cut seems odd. The cutout in the "arm pit" is fairly small as in less than onehalf the distance from the flat part the cocking handle is on and the round part that houses the Op rod Spring. the cutout is also part of a cuttout on the flat portion I do not recall seeing sort of a o__o shaped deal. If I can figure out how to post pics I try to.
Very little finish on ANY metal parts except barrel bands ( one marked PB)
The wood......did not grow on the US side of the Atlantic I don't think and the butt stock was appearently used as a digging tool by Dwarves in an Ur metal mine. The butt plate was used to crush said Ur metal with and the squares are nearly worn off the toe area. I am going to try to clean it a bit( havn't decided whether to go mineral spirits or Easy-Off yet) Forestocks are not as gnawed up but not US walnut either. Traded my like new USGI Butt stock away ten years ago as I had no use for it at the time, grrrr. Did keep some nice forestocks though. Local gun store offered me a supposed USGI stock w/o metal that has a circle P on the grip that looks not walnut to me for $40. Also what appears to be a walnut buttstock with B.A. in a square that I am not familiar with same price. Thinking about it. May offer nice M-14 butt stock W/metal in trade unless you guys thingk that sounds too much like being ripped off ( yes, M-1A is gone , too)
As you guys can tell I am pretty excited about this project and would appreciate any info and advice some of you even older farts and younger whipper snappers can offer.
-Bob Hollingsworth
Then I got to looking. It's a SA recievier SN 730,XXX which I belive makes it an early 1942 reciever.
Contray to what the nice lady from Anniston said on the phone when she asked be to change my order it ain't even close to USGI. I will not complain however about the VAB barrel that won't let an M2 slug get remotely close to the crimp groove untill I get a chance to wring it out on the range. What appeared to be scratches on the two little feed ramps were just grooves in the goo still on parts of the rifle and wiped right out.
Ah, the bicycle refernce. It been about two decades since last I had to care for a Garand and yet stripping it came back like riding a bike. There are a number of parts with no draw numbers. The bolt is oddly marked and not finished as well as any USGI one I remember seeing and I suspect was necessary to have proper head space on the VAB barrel.
No pits or scoring in the gas cylinder and it slides on fairly tight with the teeniest amount of play so I plan tro shoot it as is before trying to peen the grooves on the barrel and see how it goes. Op rod lookes straighter than I remember and the cut seems odd. The cutout in the "arm pit" is fairly small as in less than onehalf the distance from the flat part the cocking handle is on and the round part that houses the Op rod Spring. the cutout is also part of a cuttout on the flat portion I do not recall seeing sort of a o__o shaped deal. If I can figure out how to post pics I try to.
Very little finish on ANY metal parts except barrel bands ( one marked PB)
The wood......did not grow on the US side of the Atlantic I don't think and the butt stock was appearently used as a digging tool by Dwarves in an Ur metal mine. The butt plate was used to crush said Ur metal with and the squares are nearly worn off the toe area. I am going to try to clean it a bit( havn't decided whether to go mineral spirits or Easy-Off yet) Forestocks are not as gnawed up but not US walnut either. Traded my like new USGI Butt stock away ten years ago as I had no use for it at the time, grrrr. Did keep some nice forestocks though. Local gun store offered me a supposed USGI stock w/o metal that has a circle P on the grip that looks not walnut to me for $40. Also what appears to be a walnut buttstock with B.A. in a square that I am not familiar with same price. Thinking about it. May offer nice M-14 butt stock W/metal in trade unless you guys thingk that sounds too much like being ripped off ( yes, M-1A is gone , too)
As you guys can tell I am pretty excited about this project and would appreciate any info and advice some of you even older farts and younger whipper snappers can offer.
-Bob Hollingsworth
