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Info on 1918 Part Markings


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You forgot to mention this is a Lend Lease Gun, that's an important part of the story here.

 

There were a lot of hard to track down markings that showed up on parts that did service under overseas flags. I haven't run into these specific markings, but the font on the W isn't consistent with Winchester W on parts that I have owned. Also, serial numbers (or parts there of) weren't stamped on to new parts (except for the receiver). Colt was very good about marking their parts.

 

My theory (for what it's worth) is that if there isn't a C followed by an Arrow on the gas tube then the gas tube and piston were replaced at some point, it was shipped to England, then there was an overseas arsenal rebuild (at WMA, probably an English arsenal but I'm not sure) during which time the '84' stamps were added to keep all the parts together.

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You forgot to mention this is a Lend Lease Gun, that's an important part of the story here.

 

There were a lot of hard to track down markings that showed up on parts that did service under overseas flags. I haven't run into these specific markings, but the font on the W isn't consistent with Winchester W on parts that I have owned. Also, serial numbers (or parts there of) weren't stamped on to new parts (except for the receiver). Colt was very good about marking their parts.

 

My theory (for what it's worth) is that if there isn't a C followed by an Arrow on the gas tube then the gas tube and piston were replaced at some point, it was shipped to England, then there was an overseas arsenal rebuild (at WMA, probably an English arsenal but I'm not sure) during which time the '84' stamps were added to keep all the parts together.

Thanks very much for your input. Anybody think it's worth trying to track down all Colt parts? Gun works great.

Eric

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A 3 is a good number! Tracking down original parts for that will be tough. I just tore mine down today (basic not complete) and about every internal part (other than pins) is W marked. The WMA does not appear on my gun in the forearm shield. I did not pull the forend off but I'd guess on the backside there is a W somewhere on that channel and the fore end. Many parts such as the bolt, slide, firing pin, etc (anything bright) are also NS marked which according to Jim's book is Winchesters way of denoting nickel steel, so a couple do not have a W, but do have NS and some have both.

 

If you are looking for original parts maybe try Rick BMGparts.com, I can't think of anyone else off hand with a reasonable supply to pick from? If it were A2 parts, those are everywhere. HTH

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  • 1 year later...

On my newly acquired Winchester m1918, the bolt is stamped with “W M.A.”

The W and M.A. are separated and on slightly different baselines.

We need to solve this mystery!

 

IMG_0109.png

Edited by GaryKeim
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maybe one of the parts subcontractors reworked it or completed the assembly with old NOS parts ..... Melchoir Armstrong? Dunno? These are the times you miss guys like Jim to sort out small details he may have had notes on, but too detailed to make it into publication for the masses. Of the guys like Jim I've met over the years they all tell me they have a lot more info that never made it into their books just for lack of space and what the publisher cut due to interest by the general public that buys the majority of the books. Actual owners of all this stuff are actually pretty rare and spread out across the globe. Even here there may be 5-8 of us? And who has Jim's notes, the answer may lie there never to be uncovered?

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These are the times you miss guys like Jim to sort out small details he may have had notes on, but too detailed to make it into publication for the masses. Of the guys like Jim I've met over the years they all tell me they have a lot more info that never made it into their books just for lack of space and what the publisher cut due to interest by the general public that buys the majority of the books. Actual owners of all this stuff are actually pretty rare and spread out across the globe. Even here there may be 5-8 of us? And who has Jim's notes, the answer may lie there never to be uncovered?

 

 

Have run into that several times looking for information on Russian Maxims, one of the reasons I started a Facebook page dedicated to them. Over the past two years have been able to gather a large amount of information from sources around the world that never made it into Dolf's Russian chapter on the 1905s and 1910s in Devil's Paintbrush.

 

Started a similar page on BAR's this year but it has been a slow starter compared to the Maxim page.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Reviewing the old posts on the Yahoo BAR group, I found this entry by the late Jim Ballou:

 

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WWIIBARMAN/conversations/messages/4777

 

He states that Colt was unable to keep up with production so they used parts from Marlin-Rockwell. It's possible Winchester had the same problem?

 

He said he was in possession of a memo by Edwin Puglsey ordering an underling to acquire barrels from Marlin-Rockwell.

 

Jim was going to put this in his book but somehow it slipped through the cracks.

 

 

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