HRA Pics

[togor]

Hi togor, I worked a mil spec plating line for many years and...just have a eye for each finish. I think that perhaps the finish on the HRA gas cylinder and lock obtain color during the oil dip stage...thus oily and black. To explain further, some finished parts will come out of the tank looking just like they did going in, they are then rinsed and placed in a preservative oil, the oil gives the actual color to the finish. HRA, SA and Winchester all seem to have had their own way of finishing parts, I can't speak about IHC as I've never owned an IHC.

Have a look at the machine marks on the front face of the hump some time, HRA versus SA. And of course a HRA upset the stacking swivel screw differently than did SA. The CMP sent out plenty of Correct Grade HRAs that had a SA-style front hand guard and gas cylinder lock with a HRA gas cylinder in between. It makes you wonder if collectors a generation from now will try to make heads-or-tails of some of this stuff or just invent their own logic for what is valuable and what isn't in their markets.