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What kind of M1A

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10 comments

  • mark christian
    Actual M14 Service Rifles produced by Harrington and Richardson would be marked like this: U.S. RIFLE
    7.62 MM M14
    H.&.R ARMS CO.
    0000000

    You say that the rifle does not have a selector. Is it fitted with the selector shaft and welded? Where is the take down notch for the operating rod located? In actual M14 Service Rifles this notch is located at the lower mid point (approx. at the clip guide) and not the rear of the receiver as is the case with commercial M1A style receivers. A serial number in the 33,000 range would have been produced in late 1960 or early 1961 (after the series of blown up receivers and bolts crippled H&R production and shut down the line)in the first of H&R's four M14 Service Rifle contracts. There were a few thousand National Match M14 Rifles assembled and distributed through the DCM for use by civilians in national matches. These rifles are all marked M14 NM and I have seen examples only from TRW and Springfield Armory. How about a photo of the receiver?

    Mark T. Christian
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  • JudgeColt
    MC, here we go with another gun that cannot be! First the bastard Python, then the AR-10, now this!

    Could it be a reweld?

    Let us see some pictures!
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  • nmyers
    Could be a rewelded receiver from Mike Kelly Enterprises or some less competent gunsmith; any of these would have the re-manufacturer's name stamped on the receiver. Unfortunately, all rewelds are subject to seizure by BATFE (so much for having Dubya as president).

    Until we can determine that it is legal, be discrete.

    Neal
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  • mark christian
    Further research into my archives (I REALLY need to get all of this stuff on the computer...or finish writing my book) indicates a M14 Service Rifle in the 33,000 serial number range would actually be in the first contract let out to Olin Mathieson (Winchester). There should be no H&R M14 Service Rifles with serial numbers under 54,000. There were H&R M14's in the 333,000 range- did you leave out a diget je2140? Until we get more information on the receiver I am not going to jump to any conclusions...but I'd love to!

    Mark T. Christian
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  • je2140
    I have posted the photos on my web site (below). Especially note the phone to numbers on the back of the receiver and there is no sign of reweld. If the web site link doesn't work I apologize this is the 1st time I have tried the link to the sit

    http://home.earthlink.net/~je2140

    JR
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  • pack rat633
    It don't look like the H&R I was Issued in '64. The entire name "HARRINGTON AND RICHARDSON" was spelled out on the receiver! Don't know who made it, but looks to be not a reweld or a converted M-14.

    SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI
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  • select-fire
    I haven't seen one of those especially in the fiberglass stock. Might just have the only one made up that way.
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  • Der Gebirgsjager
    [:D] Very interesting! Doesn't look like the one I was issued in '62, either! I'm pretty certain this gun never saw a U.S. Arsenal! je2140, here are some questions for you. I'm sorry if they sound stupid and elementary, but I've been snookered so many times by people asking questions that fail to give enough initial information that I've grown cautious! Here goes....

    1. Is this actually a firearm? The porosity of the metal in your photos, especially that of the clip charger guide and rear sight ears make it appear to be cast--almost like pot metal used in some of the Japanese/Taiwanese non-gun replicas. The receiver also appears cast. Yes, there are end mill marks in the operating rod's slot, but it is always necessary to finish mill castings.

    2. Have you actually fired it?

    3. Does the bolt have an extractor? Perhaps it's just the photo, or the actual part differs in color from the bolt, but it appears to be missing in the photo.

    4. Have you disassembled the rifle and inspected the inside of the bolt raceways for indications of a reweld? The inside of the receiver is where it is the most difficult to remove weld marks.

    5. What appears to be the origin of the two vertical, parallel grooves on the right side of the receiver at the bottom of the operating rod's slot?

    6. Has the H R and serial number been put on with electric pencil? It doesn't appear to be stamped.

    7. What is the metal object visible in the extreme bottom of the selector switch cut in the stock? Looks like the end of an Allen wrench?

    8. Do any of the other parts (you said the bolt is Springfield) have markings?

    Frankly, if your answer to No. 1 & 2 is yes, I'm leaning toward Chinese origin.
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  • bobski
    folks, thats a fake chinese import. the slab sided stock under the receiver is the dead givaway. remember back in 'nam many u.s m-14's were captured and copied to supply the reds? they appear to still have the original mold over there and they are popping out copies!

    former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction.
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  • mark christian
    Well those photos took me forever to download but they confirm exactly what I suspected 8 months ago when you first posted this: It is NOT a Harrington and Richardson rifle. All known H&R M14 and M1 service rifles were stamped just as I told you; H & R Arms CO. followed by a serial number, none of which exist in your rifle's serial range. From the photos I am sure that this is not a rewelded M14 service rifle receiver and this is very good news for you! On the other hand I have no real clue to what the receiver is so I'll jump on the Chicom bandwagon with the others.

    Mark T. Christian
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