International Harvester M1D Sniper
- Thread starter jonh172
- Start date
Nice rifle. M1Ds were all conversions of previously built rifles, mostly on Springfield Armory and Winchester rifles, but less often on IHC and HRA rifles. None were factory built. The barrel is a bonafide M1D barrel made by Springfield Armory. Most M1Ds were assembled at armory/depot level, but they could be put together at lower echelons depending on ?availability of components.
The rifle itself dates to mid-1955 so the M1D conversion would heave been done at a later date. The markings/cartouche of the rebuild facility may be on the stock under the leather cheek piece, but perhaps not. There would be no arsenal markings if the rifle was assembled at base/unit level.
The flash hider is the later T37 type as opposed to the earlier cone-shaped M2 type. These came into use in the late '50s/early 60s. M1Ds remained in US service into the early 1970s, and sometimes later in reserve units.
M1Ds can be easily built on any Garand as components are available. The agreed upon method of authenticating an M1D within the Garand collector community is documentation showing sale from a military arsenal via the NRA or CMP. M1Ds which were surplussed out of Danish or Norwegian military stocks can also be found in Canada. The Danish ones can be found with unique markings on the scope and often on the stock. The stock was normally drilled for 2 brass screws to secure the cheek piece to the stock.
There is no precise way of establishing the provenance of your rifle w/o the surplus documentation. Stock markings may be helpful on this. The sling is obviously a commercially made addition.
The rifle itself dates to mid-1955 so the M1D conversion would heave been done at a later date. The markings/cartouche of the rebuild facility may be on the stock under the leather cheek piece, but perhaps not. There would be no arsenal markings if the rifle was assembled at base/unit level.
The flash hider is the later T37 type as opposed to the earlier cone-shaped M2 type. These came into use in the late '50s/early 60s. M1Ds remained in US service into the early 1970s, and sometimes later in reserve units.
M1Ds can be easily built on any Garand as components are available. The agreed upon method of authenticating an M1D within the Garand collector community is documentation showing sale from a military arsenal via the NRA or CMP. M1Ds which were surplussed out of Danish or Norwegian military stocks can also be found in Canada. The Danish ones can be found with unique markings on the scope and often on the stock. The stock was normally drilled for 2 brass screws to secure the cheek piece to the stock.
There is no precise way of establishing the provenance of your rifle w/o the surplus documentation. Stock markings may be helpful on this. The sling is obviously a commercially made addition.
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Thanks purple!
Maybe I'll pull the cheek riser off to see if there are any markings.
The 53 barrel and 55ish receiver I figured this would be a Vietnam era rifle.
Given its condition I doubt it ever made it to a training session let a alone a battlefield!
Being all matching I'm guessing it was built somewhere that didn't have an abundance of rifles and parts laying around but new rifles ordered for their use added the barrel there.
Either way a beauty rifle I'm so glad to have in the collection!
Maybe I'll pull the cheek riser off to see if there are any markings.
The 53 barrel and 55ish receiver I figured this would be a Vietnam era rifle.
Given its condition I doubt it ever made it to a training session let a alone a battlefield!
Being all matching I'm guessing it was built somewhere that didn't have an abundance of rifles and parts laying around but new rifles ordered for their use added the barrel there.
Either way a beauty rifle I'm so glad to have in the collection!
The last US GI M1D barrels were made in 1953 and have the drawing number ending in 555 on the right side of the barrel. The early M1D barrels have the drawing number on top of the barrel under the hand guard. Original lIHC stocks have a 4 digit Julian date stamped in the bottom of the barrel channel as well as the "eagle" cartouche on the left side of the stock below the elevation knob, so this one appears to be a replacement.
Still alive
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Rainy mosquito infested part of BC
Was the seller from BC? Rifle looks familiar.
Out of curiosity did you find any markings/stamps on the right side of the stock under the check piece?
We can see the front part of the right receiver leg in one of the pics. Any electro-pencil marks on it or on the left front receiver leg?
We can see the front part of the right receiver leg in one of the pics. Any electro-pencil marks on it or on the left front receiver leg?
Electro pencilling on the receiver leg was applied by arsenals during rebuilds done in the 1960s.Examples; "SA over 3-65" indicates a rebuild by Springfield Armory in March 1965, "LEAD over 5-68" indicates a rebuild by Letterkenny Arsenal in May 1968.
Arsenal rebuild markings during the late 1940s/1950s were stamped on the left side of the buttstock.
Arsenal rebuild markings during the late 1940s/1950s were stamped on the left side of the buttstock.
Its tough to draw absolute conclusions from the stock markings. Like anything else in the military there are rules and then there are exceptions to them.
The SA within an open box stamp appears on Springfield Armory Garand overhauls/rebuilds done thru the 1950s into the early 1960s when the electro-pencilled marking was adopted. It was not US practice to add rifle s/ns to the stock.
I have 3 M1D stocks. One is on a Danish Surplus M1D. It has the SA open box stamp, the Springfield "P" firing proof and also has a Danish addition of the rifle s/n stamped on the top edge of the stock below the windage knob (Danish practice was to stamp the s/n on rifle stocks on the bottom of the butt on most, but not all, of their Garands). It doesn't have holes drilled on the bottom of the stock for check piece mounting screws which were normally installed at unit, rather than armory, level.
Another loose/spare M1D stock has no markings at all, but is drilled for the cheek piece screws. My assumption is that it was a replacement which was installed at base/unit level.
The 3rd M1D stock has the SA open box stamp, the firing proof stamp, the ordnance wheel stamp and another stamp which I can't ID. Its also drilled for the screws. I assume this one was originally installed on an M1D by Springfield Armory with the check piece installed later at unit level.
I'd enjoy the rifle for what it is. I have a spare M84 scope and mount, an M2 flash hider, a NOS M1D barrel, a M1D rear handguard and a cheek piece which I'm going to assemble on a Springfield Armory receiver at some point using one of the spare stocks mentioned. It will be indistinguishable from an armory assembled M1D and will be valued as the sum of the parts.
Reproductions of all unique M1D parts are in circulation so people need to be careful on these.
The SA within an open box stamp appears on Springfield Armory Garand overhauls/rebuilds done thru the 1950s into the early 1960s when the electro-pencilled marking was adopted. It was not US practice to add rifle s/ns to the stock.
I have 3 M1D stocks. One is on a Danish Surplus M1D. It has the SA open box stamp, the Springfield "P" firing proof and also has a Danish addition of the rifle s/n stamped on the top edge of the stock below the windage knob (Danish practice was to stamp the s/n on rifle stocks on the bottom of the butt on most, but not all, of their Garands). It doesn't have holes drilled on the bottom of the stock for check piece mounting screws which were normally installed at unit, rather than armory, level.
Another loose/spare M1D stock has no markings at all, but is drilled for the cheek piece screws. My assumption is that it was a replacement which was installed at base/unit level.
The 3rd M1D stock has the SA open box stamp, the firing proof stamp, the ordnance wheel stamp and another stamp which I can't ID. Its also drilled for the screws. I assume this one was originally installed on an M1D by Springfield Armory with the check piece installed later at unit level.
I'd enjoy the rifle for what it is. I have a spare M84 scope and mount, an M2 flash hider, a NOS M1D barrel, a M1D rear handguard and a cheek piece which I'm going to assemble on a Springfield Armory receiver at some point using one of the spare stocks mentioned. It will be indistinguishable from an armory assembled M1D and will be valued as the sum of the parts.
Reproductions of all unique M1D parts are in circulation so people need to be careful on these.
