reconbob Posted February 24, 2020 Report Share Posted February 24, 2020 This topic came up here are the shop this week. As we all know many Thompsons wererebuilt and reworked by the Ordnance Department and many of them were given a parkerizedfinish. The parkerized finish has been very popular over the years with fakers because you canparkerize a gun today, yet claim that it was an original "arsenal rebuild" from years ago. Unlikebluing which always leaves evidence of changes to the finish, parkerizing does not, The thing here is, I maintain that when a gun was reworked and parkerized, they did notremove the crossbolt and washers from the stock, but left them. If they were rusted or damagedthe stock itself must have been rotted/damaged sothey just replaced the whole stock - not a big deal if you are the Ordnance Department. Onereason I think this is because I processed a large quantity of torched guns many years ago which had been parkerized and some of the torched pieces of the trigger frames had remnantsof the stocks still attached and the cross bolts were blued even though the guns were parkerized. I think that when you see a parkerized crossbolt you are seeing evidence of someone tryingtoo hard to make/fake the point that a gun was an "arsenal rebuild".Added to this is the fact thatany gun -Thompson or otherwise - that was rebuilt at an arsenal would have had the stock markedwith the initials of that arsenal and it is very rare to see these markings on stocks. The counterpoint to this is that during rebuilds they did remove and parkerize the crossboltsand that a parkerized crossbolt can be correct. Although this does not address the absence ofstock markings. So what do you think? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawksnest Posted February 24, 2020 Report Share Posted February 24, 2020 I agree. Makes absolute sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSMGguy Posted February 24, 2020 Report Share Posted February 24, 2020 Right. Buttstocks were simply replaced during arsenal rebuild. The stocks I've seen with parked cross bolts were on guns that had been parked, but later, not during arsenal rebuild. Little clues can add up. M1 TSMGs were rebuilt to M1A1 standard and parked as part of the process. Pin style pivots and safeties were installed, along with the later style "winged" rear sight. These were new parts, left blued. The new bolt was blued as well. So, an arsenal rebuild didn't necessarily have a completely matching parked finish on every part. That's a hallmark of later refinishing. Depots never buffed original surfaces, either. If evidence of final milling is gone and markings are faint, it's a later refinish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipsaunders Posted February 26, 2020 Report Share Posted February 26, 2020 A question for the experts relative to arsenal rebuilds. Have you ever seen an arsenal rebuild that converted an M1A1 to M1? This gun is a Mt. Rainier rebuild that I bought in 1975. Did the government do it or was it done by a dealer/manufacturer? Thoughts and comments will be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijive Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 Chip,Get American Thunder III by Frank Iannamico. It will answer all your questions. Yes, the government actually retro-stamped some guns from M1A1 to M1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) https://i.imgur.com/grXAEPcl.jpg No better provenance then to have a RIA FK stamped Thompson. It was in a collection for 32 year with a AAE stamped rear stock and a forearm that had a P inside a square on the tip of the forearm. Edited February 27, 2020 by Bridgeport28A1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU Tiger Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 I agree with Bob. To my understanding, during a rebuild, parts that didn't spec were tossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgeport28A1 Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 I believe they sanded the wood if needed which would also be consistent with M1 stocks being sanded during rifle overhauls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk VII Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 Here's one which went thru Augusta Arsenal. http://www.fototime.com/B783DDBD02B5B84/large.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipsaunders Posted February 28, 2020 Report Share Posted February 28, 2020 Roger that, thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now