Sgt. Saunders

I'm no expert and can only go on what I see in the photo. The screw on the left (with the larger slotted head) looks correct. I don't think the smaller head screw is. I'll leave it to an "expert" on the different shape spring retaining posts. As far as your "S" stamps on the wood, I'd say they are all legit. Some people would prefer to have a perfectly centered, deeply stamped "S" over a light stamp that is off center. With all of the wood forearms produced during WWII, I don't think there would be enough "financial incentive" to fake a "S" stamp. An "Anchor" stamp on a 1921 butt stock would be a different story, but "S" stamped M1/M1A1 forearm stocks are quite abundant. Just My Opinion. Thanks for your opinion!!! Here is another view of the forend, you can see that the center one with the light S stamp doesn't have the machine marks like the other 2.....Hmmmm? FOREND INSIDE VIEW

Hi Gentlemen, just want your opinions on which is the original Buttstock small screw? My guess is the screw without the washer below it is the replacement screw....Also why do the stub/knobs where the buttstock spring go have different shapes, one seems to have a fatter flatter head and the other one is round pointy, hope I make sense...Hmmmm? TIA!!! 1928 Buttstock Small Screw Regarding the FOREND GRIP, just want to know what you guys think about the letter S on the 3 forends, which one is legit? TIA AGAIN!!!!!! THOMPSON FOREND GRIP

Hello Gentlemen!!! Still learning about the M2, this wasn't mine so I couldn't detail strip it and look for more markings. There are 2 selectors, selector 1 is marked L.I. and seems to have a milspec finish while selector 2 is unmarked and seems to have a blued finish. I understand that L.I. was LOMBARD GOVERNOR COMPANY for INLAND, would this be correct? Who would be the maker of the unmarked selector 2? BTW the round part of selector 2 is fixed while selector 1 can be spun around. TIA!!! Selector 1 Selector 2 Disconnector question...Disconnector 1 is marked 7161837 w/ a 6 inside a C on the upper right corner, while Disconnector 2 has no markings (sorry couldn't strip this further). Who are the makers of these Disconnectors? TIA again!! Disconnector 1 Disconnector 2

Thanks for the info. Jim!!! Now that also answered a question of mine that I've been wondering about years ago. Because I spoke to a Vet. and he told me he once had an M3 and when I asked him what made it an M3; he told me that it was full-auto and the barrel was short. I told him that an M3 was nothing more then an M2 w/ original factory mounts for a 1st Gen. Infrared Scope (scope included). So what he was calling an M3 was actually an M2 with this shortened barrel modification.

The barrel of this M2 looks shortened. Was this a common modification done during Korea maybe? TIA!! Short M2

Sgt. The grease gun uses the M1 carbine sling---so if its a M3 it would have been issued with whatever a carbine had in 1944. If its a M3A1 then it would have been issued with whatever a carbine had in 1945. If it is a Ithaca M3A1, then whatever a carbine had in 1955. Best to check with a carbine specialist on this. A Viet Nam bringback gun might have had a nylon sling, but that would be a replacement. How are you and your M3 getting along? Jim C Thanks for the useful info. Jim. I'm shooting my M3 more these days, the video of you shooting motivated me!!! :hail:

Hi, what would be a desirable era sling for an M3/3A1? Would this be the same as a WWII M1 Carbine sling w/ tin D clips and snaps marked Klikit? How about those post war slings w/ the MRT markings...TIA gentlemen!!

David Thanks a lot for posting the close-up photos of your M1A1 and those are really interesting photos you added about the owner of the 1911A1, the finish of that firearm will make any collector turn green with envy!! Well, here is my rebuild M1A1, it is not the best looking one, but its mine... Ric P. http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg198/rickyep007/DSC06043-1.jpg http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg198/rickyep007/DSC06046-1.jpg

Agree, that collection and the condition its in is superb, would make anyone envious!!! I also have a 1st run M1A1 but unfortunately its the younger brother of both of your carbines, INLAND #685xxx and its a rebuild RIA/EB w/ the later T3 sights & band. If drm2m would oblige, I'd love to see close-ups of your flip sight & T1 or 1A band. Thanks! Ric P.

The MP5 I had was issued to me in El Salvador in 1989, I did not experience one malfunction with that weapon. When you have to depend on one for much more than a play day at the range you tend to take much better care of it than the average range shooter. In those circumstances when they go from being a toy to being something your life depends on you look at matters a whole lot differently. Maybe your range officer hadn't had that type of experience with MP5s. I've also shot an MP5 that my buddy owns lots of times, we never had a malfunction either. What I like about it, is that its light and there's hardly any muzzle rise, dunno about knockdown power though, unless its a 5.56! I guess if your life depended on it, you really have to keep your duty gun clean and well lubed. But my good ole M3 can eat about anything I feed it with no malfunction despite hardly cleaning it and I don't end up wondering why my mag was finished so fast. Different strokes for different folks, as long as the bullets go where you want it to w/ every squeeze and no malfunctions, gets my vote for that firearm. If I had to choose between Jim and his 65 year old M3 and the guy w/ the HK on his video, I definitely wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of Jims barrel!!! MP5

Thanks for the post Roscoe, now I know mine has been re-finished and I found other clues. My trigger housing seems to have some light pits that was covered by the park job.... http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg198/rickyep007/IMG_4840.jpg Wow Jim, I really enjoyed that video!!!! I loved the part when you hit all the steel plates w/ no miss and the 10 bowling pins in a row on FA, that was just amazing!!! You were shooting better then the person using the HK. Thank you for sharing!!! Ric P.

Thanks Jim, yes I am...I also like firing the M3 because of the slow cyclic rate I can control it better and I love to shoot plates w/ it. But it's definitely no looker w/ all those Frankenstein looking weld marks I still love the beauty of a TSMG, it just has that WOW factor!!!

If the mag catch has a purple color, it is a cast Hurley part. It should be replaced with any GI mag catch. The GI M1 and 28 mag catches are identical. Also check the actuator, if it is not stamped with a GI mark, replace it as well. -Darryl Is this the cast W. Hurley part you are talking about? I ordered this from Numrich years ago and was surprised to receive this purplish mag catch w/ the wrong checkering so I never used it! It also has a part of it made from another metal... http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg198/rickyep007/DSC06031.jpg http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg198/rickyep007/DSC06032-1.jpg

Reading past posts, I think can answer my own question, M3's w/ black finish were lend lease guns with a bar welded over the magazine release to avoid dropping of the magazine and these were done by British armorers. I am just asking if the finish of this M3 (close-up) looks original because the broken part of the ratchet spring seems to also have parkerizing probably a clue that it has been re-finished but I am not sure if the whole firearm has been re-finished because I have nothing to compare it with.

You or your friend are looking at 10 years in club fed’s suite w/ Bubba as your room mate or a $250K fine my friend!! An unregistered NFA firearm can't legally be owned, sold, or transferred in any way since May 19, 1986. Burying it would also be a felony, because you are destroying evidence of the illegal possession. Listen to the advice, talk to a lawyer to check if it has been registered or how it should be turned over to BATFE. You are probably thinking that you can own this for a song that is why you are considering this option instead of getting what’s on the market, but what you save will never be commensurate to the price of freedom!!!