What colour is the USGI issue upper hand guard on an M14

[JeffMan]

I've painted my stock to match (as close as possible) the USGI issue stock colour (one of the colours anyway) but don't know what color the upper hand guard usually is. Where they ever issued in the colour of the Norinco hand guards or should I paint it to match the stock?

here is a pic.
http://142.179.174.253/PICT15.jpg

Jeff

 

[smgcon]

Mine was a flatter brown, nearly the same colour as your stock, but with a little more satin a finish as it was fibreglass and not paint.

 

[J.P.]

I have had GI and Norc handguards side by side, the GI is slightly lighter brown and less glossy than the Norc. The correct colour is about half way between your stock colour and the handguard as it is now. Also, there is such a thing as black GI hanguards, I have one of these as well- its not painted black, the colour is in the resin.

 

[girlsgunsandfastbikes]

Actually I have seen about 6 - 8 different colours of GI handguards. Green to brown and even one that was almost black.

GG&FB

 

[J.P.]

Got a pic of those GG&FB? Do you know what part/branch of service used which stocks/handguards when? Is it possible to know that say, a birch stock and brown handguard was used by army infantry during a certain time period?

 

[girlsgunsandfastbikes]

This is probably how most were issued in the early 60's, like for Vietnam.

The M14 was intended to be issued with a FG stock but Springfield armory had not mastered the art for the FG/plastic stocks until the mid 60's.

I think who got what stocks was all random.......Lee Emereson.(aka Different) might have the answer, but none of the books I have (all of them) discuss the stock issue in such detail.

GG&FB