Rareity of a GAW A3 stock

[Truman]

A friend was getting ready to demo a old house of an "old gun guy". Inside were a few old dies and reloading books and some decent A3 stocks. One was an excellent scant stock with a sharp GAW cartouche. The rest had the standard FJA or OG stamps. The cosmoline and fuzz leads me to believe it is original and not a fake. I have seen quite a few GAW stocks on Garands but not so much on O3 rifles. How commen are these? Would these be used with Rem or SC or both? Thanks Truman

[Rick the Librarian]

In the case of M1903s, the SA/GAW was a rebuild or inspection stamp. Obviously, Springfield Armory was not making any "new" M1903s in 1943-44, the period the inspection stamp was used, but quite a few M1903s were being overhauled, thus the stamp. In the case of M1s, the SA/GAW usually denoted new production. GAW was George A Woody, the commander of Springfield Armory from 1943-44.

SA/GAW M1903 stocks are not exactly common, but far from rare. I have seen few, if any on M1903A3s, nearly all were on M1903s.

[Col. Colt]

I have an M1903A1 ("C" Stock) with the SA/GAW cartouche, with a small Ordnance Wheel on the right. It has obviously been professionally reworked in an arsenal, as there is an almost invisible, amazing stock repair to the left wall of the stock, about 3" long and 1/2" deep, with three neat little nail holes in the top of the repair, almost invisible, also. The inside of the stock has a layer of cosmoline, and it is obvious dents on the butt were raised and the stock very carefully sanded back to a near new texture. There is also an angled biscuit repair to the tip of the forend. The SA/GAW cartouche has some damage, as it was applied to this stock which must have served on a rifle, then was returned to the Armory for repair/sanding. Marks on the bottom of the stock are "XX" in front of the trigger guard, along with an "S" and an upside down "U" on the bottom of the pistol grip, and an "L" between there and the bottom swivel. This stock is NOT cut for the 1903A3 handguard ring, so it could not be installed on an A3. CC

[RCS]

Winchester M1 rifle stock rebuilt and stamped with the SA GAW