Armory Sponsor
Posted: 4/12/2009 8:45:02 AM EDT
|
Tinkering on my Springfield Garand last night, and it dawned on me that the dark 'staining' inside the front end of the buttstock was actually charring!
I had thought the blackened stock channel was the result of gas getting blown back into the buttstock channel, and had just stained the wood. However, a scrape with a knife blade tells the tale, the front inside of this buttstock has been charred pretty good! 
My rifle is a 1955 made upper assembly, with a later wartime/postwar style Springfield trigger group. The buttstock is a wartime Springfield made part, has the early style 'long' channel where the wood is burnt. Needless to say I doubt any of the wood is original to the gun. Apparently my earlier made buttstock has seen some serious use in the past. This stock has several places on it where somebody banged their clipped ammo against the wood to seat the cartridges. Several other woo-woos that have been filled with putty at some time or other. The stock still has the 'P' on the grip, and a 'BA' on the left rear butt, however no other marks remain. The old walnut looks good for all it's character marks. I can say this for sure, somewhere, sometime, someone fired the poor Garand my buttstock used to belong to until the front inside of the stock was smoldering! 
Can't buy that sort of history brandnew!! Just too cool 
|
|
I fired my Garand in an action rifle match. It was approximately 50 rounds in a very short period of time. When I was done, the front handguard was smoking (charring). The wood finish was oozing/boiling out of the end grain. I was concerned it would catch fire (open flame).
The handguards protect the shooter from a hot barrel but the minimal ventilation does not prevent the barrel from getting ridiculously hot. It almost causes it. |
Armory Sponsor