Blog
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Barrel Usage on New M1 Rifle ’52-’57 (Part 1 of 3)
During World War II with few exceptions, new Springfield Armory M1 rifles were assembled using Springfield Armory manufactured barrels and Winchester Repeating Arms M1 rifles were assembled using Winchester barrels. With the much lower production rate in the 1950s collectors would expect the same of Springfield Armory, International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson. However, this was not the case. This is the first of a three-part series covering barrels used to assemble new M1 rifles produced from 1952 to 1957. This article is on Springfield Armory. The second will detail barrels used by International Harvester. The third will be on Harrington & Richardson production. Early post World War II Springfield…
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The Ageless 10/22
It’s October of 2020, so the 22nd must be National 10/22 Day! If you have a 10/22, be sure to bring it out and shoot it. If you don’t have a 10/22…wait, doesn’t everyone have a 10/22? Anyway, perhaps it would be a good day to get a 10/22. The 10/22 is truly a phenomenon in the gun industry. It is one of the few firearms of which we are aware that has not gone through any fundamental design changes in all these years and millions of units. Oh sure, the receiver finishes have changed, and the original three models, rifle, sporter and International, have permutated into literally hundreds of…
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Lowest & Highest Serial Number M1s (Part 2/2)
Lowest & Highest Serial Number M1s – Part 2 By Scott A. Duff 9-10-20 There had long been a question of what was the highest serial number M1. Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM), the predecessor of the CMP, had sales records that indicated a high s/n of 6100499. However, no collector had reported seeing this rifle, so some doubt remained. In May of 2001 to my surprise I was contacted by the owner of M1 rifle s/n 6100499 seeking an appraisal. A careful analysis and appraisal was based upon a telephone interview with the owner, numerous color photographs, and a photocopy of the original DCM Requisition and Invoice/Shipping Document (DD…
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Lowest & Highest Serial Number M1s (Part 1/2)
Many gun collectors are interested in the lowest and highest serial number firearms of the model in which they are interested. Collectors of the M1 rifle are not an exception. With that in mind, a brief summary on the earliest M1 rifles is in order. The goal of the US Army’s Ordnance Department to develop a semi-automatic service rifle began in the early part of the 20th century. John Garand was one of many inventors trying to accomplish this goal. In 1919 he was appointed to work on development of a semi-automatic rifle at the government’s Springfield Armory located in Springfield, MA. In 1932, as a result of tests conducted…
