My WWII US small arms collection.

Well thank you!

 

Saginaw Steering Gear M1919A4

 

Two more M1 carbines, an Inland M1A1 and a Quality Hardware Manufacturing Company.






The Inland has a very low serial number, so the gun was originally not an M1A1, it seems to have been arsenal rebuilt, it's in a nice enough shape but not all parts are original for a first or second production lot. The barrel really puzzles me as the only visible marking I found is an Ordonance flaming bomb, no manufacturers marking! Quite a mystery!!! Maybe it is a mixmaster put together by a previous owner. But the stock is 100% original so I'm ok with it!




The Quality HMC on the other hand seems to be a cool cookie. I spent several hours, checking it with Bruce Canfield's book and different websites and it seems to be an all correct parts, unaltered, original production one, pretty hard to come by in my neck of the woods!

 

Alas, I have appetite for the guns shown but only dinero to shoot sks and the like. Seeing these guns is like "viewing" a full canteen while crossing hundreds of miles of dry desert.

 

Sorry :-( I didn't want to torture you!

 

Well despite the torturous condition of my thirst.........I have to admit they are very nice just to look at with the good pics so all is not lost. Thanks for at least registering a bit of concern but you have a right to also be proud. They look really nice. I am an old demiller but luckily I never had to do guns.....just ordinance and flares. I would have protested ruining good weapons.

 

I got the paperworks for the Madeuce this morning. For a former gimpy-guy it's a heavy mudder!

 

When can we go shooting it? Nice piece!

 

Holy carp, SLD! What a collection. I had seen some of the stuff earlier on, but apparently wasn't paying attention when you posted some of the more recent items. Well done!

 

I'm afraid shooting the Ma Deuce is not an option ;-)

 

Manufactured by the AC Spark Plug Division of General Motors...

Several GM divisions built M2's during the war, including Frigidaire. Several years ago a complete M2 was discovered at the bottom of a sludge pit in an old Frigidaire plant in Dayton, Ohio. It was found by an environmental cleanup crew that was preparing the building for demolition.

 

The BAR 1918 A2 made by New England Small Arms Corporation.








The UD M-42 in 9mm.

 

I'm fast running out of superlatives to describe Skylinedrive's collection......that BAR is enough to make me drool !

 

I was lucky to find these two, they're rather scarce.

 

An FP45/M1942 "Liberator" pistol, it still has the comic-strip instructions! Those are hard to find, at least on this side of the big pond.

 

Another M1 carbine. A Grand Rapid Plant Saginaw Stearing Gear.
Most parts seem to be matching, with the exception of the stock and the handguard, they're from an Underwood. But the rest seems to be ok.

 

An all original parts early Winchester M1 Carbine. The stock is an I-cut that was changed into a low wood, it's strange but the only markings I found on the wood is a "W" in the well for the sling. Maybe the inspectors mark and the eskutcheon have been worn off.

 

Nice early one with the I-cut.

 

This is a quite nice, all matching original parts, early Rock-Ola Carbine.

 

Very enjoyable views of these guns I seldom get to see. I have always been of limited budget when it comes to guns so I really enjoy the close-ups of the machining and stamps put on these guns. I have a small collection of guns but not enough....one seems to never have enough of these as they are special in a way that will not last into the future. Most of mine are handed down and not military but cherished anyway. I often wonder what it will be like when magnetically driven bullets will be used and what will be collected then, in the way of a rifle that uses electrical power instead of gun powder as a propellant. Will the soldier come home with special dia-electric capacitors that are now being manufactured to enable the barrels to be small for easy transport? What will they look like....a barrel wrapped in wires? in capacitors? Anybody seen one yet?