My WWII US small arms collection.

I have been collecting firearms, mainly post WWII military small arms, since 1993. It is only last october that I started adding older stuff to my collection. All the guns are fully functional, there are no deacts! I'm not allowed to shoot the full autos though, you only get a collectors licence for full auto small arms over here.

 

This is a Russian Lend-Lease Thompson SMG.

 

The Garand is a mix-master, recently rebuilt from post WWII parts, based on a SA pre-war receiver. I wanted a shooter so I thought it to be the best choice.

The receiver is serial # 369728, made in october 1941 by Springfield.

 

This is a battle field pickup Saginaw M1 that seems to have been rebuilt in the end of 1944, in one of the rear area armouries in Belgium. The previous owner, clearly a heathen, threw away the original stock and put on a repro M1A. I will have to drive to Belgium one of these days and buy a decent replacemnet stock.

 

Inland DIV. M1, serial # 4995186, late type stamped adjustable rear sight, barrel is an Inland MFG General Motors dated 1-44, second type barrel band marked JM, switch type safety, late type M - marked mag release.




The Manufacturer mark for the stock in the sling well is either IO or OI, anyhow correct stock for an Inland, made by S.E. Overton, South Haven, MI.




P proofmark




Crossed cannon cartouche, it's hard to see but it's there!




My best guess would be that this is an inspection mark, I'm not sure though!



The oiler is an original marked SI, the mag pouch also, made by D.M. SHOE CO., marked 1943. The sling is a repro though.

 

I'm much more familiar with the Garand than the M1 Carbine but indeed, that is an inspection mark. There are plenty of websites that go through the different markings in detail.

Nice collection, SLD!

 

Send me the markings and i can look into Bruce Canfield´s book about the M1 Garand and the. 30 M1 Carbine. And i´m veeeery jealous on your Garand! Lets make a deal, the Garand for my 1942 Swedish M38 in collector grade? ...OK, i know your answer!

 

ROFL!!

 

Thanks Ullrich, I also have Canfield's excellent book
but I haven't found a match yet!
Waffen Janssen seems to have Garands from the same source! Look them up, they are quite expensive though!
Waffen Jansen

 

A Yougoslav M53:








and a PPS43:

 

nice weapons, but you need to darken that sling on the garand, on the M1 there were some wwII M1's that did come with a paratrooper stock.

 

I do not emphasize on the historical accuraccy of the Garand...it's a mixmaster with post WWII parts included, the barrel is brand new and it is a brilliant shooter, that's what I bought it for! We have many battle field leftover Garands around here, first decent one that I find will be mine.....I'm also hoping on finding an original M1907 leather sling. Regarding the M1 carbine I know that there were M1A1's in WWII, first one that crosses my path will come home with me, it's the repro stock I don't like....but I would love to find an original M1A1 stock though!

 

Nice rifle! Mine is a 5 million Springfield

 

Garands can't be described with words...they are poetry turned into a firearm!....oops....I can't believe I wrote that;-)

 

I'll take a "brown rifle" over a black one anyday....twice on Sunday!

 

This seems to be a "mixmaster", the slide is a Colt but the serial # 857694and the FJA = Frank J. Atwood, inspectors mark make the receiver an Ithaca.

 

Another battlefield leftover mixmaster.




Serial# 2463788 with flip sight.



Early type operating slide but a "new manufacture" bolt. Two rivet handguard.




Uncheckered push type safety, marked "EW" and old type "short face" magazine catch.




Underwood barrel marked 3-44.




The stock is a potbelly, low-wood. I only found the IO/OI marking in the slingwell which makes it a S.E. Overton South Haven, MI stock, those were only fitted to Inland carbines. I guess it is a replacement stock.




And the crossed canons eskucheon. No inspectors stamp and no P.

 

'Mix' it may be, but the Colt is a beauty !

 

The service rifles are often mixmasters. The armourer did often change the parts from one rifle with another. The same on the 1911. Fine pieces!