So, what grade of Sand Paper should I use to remove the patina on this old stock?

[Fred]

Hi Ray! Actually, i believe that style of hand guard seems to have come out in 1919. Two original Mark I rifles I've seen with 1-19 barrels (mine is one of them) still have the High Hump hand guard. So the change over seems to have occurred after that.
I believe my 1920 National Match rifle with a 11-19 barrel date is all original. Maybe Rick Slater or John Beard could verify or negate that.

[rayg]

You're probably right Fred. I'm away from my books and was only going by what my old mind thought it remembered about the dates of those later pattern hand guards. Ray

[Emri]

Hi Ray! Actually, i believe that style of hand guard seems to have come out in 1919. Two original Mark I rifles I've seen with 1-19 barrels (mine is one of them) still have the High Hump hand guard. So the change over seems to have occurred after that.
I believe my 1920 National Match rifle is all original. Maybe Rick Slater or John Beard could verify or negate that.

My 1921 (not too many numbers higher than your 1920) rifle does not have the "high hump". It probably was profiled like yours but has been altered for Winchester A5 scope bases and mounts.

[Fred]

Here are photo's of two other 1920 National Match rifle's that recently sold. As you can see, one of them has a similar hand guard and the other has a concave hand guard. It's a mystery to me as to what was going on at Springfield Armory at that time.





Then the other rifle

[Fred]

Here is a link to another 1920 national Match rifle that was discussed this past March on another forum. As you can see, the hand guard is just like the one on my "soon to arrive" rifle.

http://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=43094

[Fred]

And yet one more 1920 National Match Springfield that was up for auction two years ago at Rock Island Auction Company. The hand guard seems something in between the straight contour and the concave (high hump) contour. You'll have to click on the two tiny images at the top of the information.

http://www.rockislandauction.com/vie...id/54/lid/3699

[rayg]

That RI auction one does say the hand guard is a post WWI handguard in the description so they must have started using them just post WWI and as my memory has now been jump started, I remember reading a post by RTL stating that the low profile handguards were changed to in the early 20's as yours is. I think I got mixed up in that the later National Match low profile handguards were stamped with a part number in the 30's as were the C stock's at that time. Ray

[Fred]

Ya know, a lot of folks think that what is called a High Hump hand guard actually has a higher profile than other hand guards. They are the same however. The difference is just in the shape of the wood's contour between the barrel band and the sight groove. The "high Hump" hand guard, having a concave shape, has less wood and was more prone to breaking and cracking along there. That's why the decision was made to adopt the thicker hand guard with the straighter and even the convex upper edge. It was just an improved design. It really didn't offer a better sight picture.

[Doug Douglass]

Personally I lean toward a good solid chrome finish, very durable.................

Very nice rifle, the one I shoot is a 1921, #1196714, which was re-barreled last with a 1928 star guaged and with a high hump handguard. Looking at the wear on the safety it has had a lot of trigger time.

[Fred]

I'd like to see some pictures of your rifle Doug!