Letterkinny rebuild

[XM21]

I picked up a nice Winchester M1 Garand with a Letterkinny stamp on the stock. The wood all appears to match. The receiver is NOT marked LEAD. Canfield's book says that they started electro marking receivers in the mid 60s.
My rifle has a SA 10 53 barrel.
Was Letterkinny rebuilding M1s in 1953?

[1563621]

10 53 was when the barrel was made only. It could have been used 5 -10 years later by Bubba in the basement, No one knows!

[XM21]

I got it from CMP so bubba didn't do it in the basement.
If someone know the history of Letterkinnys M1 rebuild program. Please respond.

[1563621]

Letterkenny rebuilds were a very light grey park. Can you post pics? Sorry about Bubba! Couldn't help myself.

[dryheat]

That rebuild program and all the other receiver marked rifles were sixties. I've read that some of the rebuilds from around early '63(or was it 64?) didn't get marked on the leg. SA, Toole, Lead, RRAD. If barrels were good they stayed. I've seen WWII barrels on rebuilds. Letterkenny especially had a distinctive silver finish.

[bd1]

If you have a LEAD rebuild it all means your rifle got a replacement barrel after Korea and its TE and MW were still acceptable when LEAD got it. My stronger hunch is that somebody before or while CMP had your rifle swapped in the stock that's on it now.

[XM21]

My M1 has been refinished but it is not silver. If anything it has a slight green tint.
The gas cylinder is Silver++ the lock and plug are a perfect match....btw there was at least one other in the NS rack with the same gas cylinder, lock and plug color.
These gas cylinders look to have been sand blasted and refinished (maybe the solution was not up to spec?)

I did some web searches on LEAD markings the earliest that I came across was 4-64 (no photo).

[dryheat]

The stock is worth a few bucks to someone who needs it. A lot of rifles get their stocks mixed up over the years.

[dave]

I have a SA LEAD rebuilt from the DCM I got thru NRA in the 60's. Electro penciled on the leg. It has the distinctive light color park and had a birch/beech stock. Traded stock out for a nice walnut GI stock. Paid 165 bucks.

[Matt K.]

I had a beautiful IHC LEAD rebuild (electropenciled). Your greenish color is correct for a LEAD rebuild.

[hkp7fan]

I just got my International Harvester from the CMP, and it's a Letterkenny rebuild, electro-penciled "LEAD 8-64" on the right receiver leg. It has the original LMR 4-54 barrel. Almost all the other parts are SA, with the exception of the HRA gas cylinder lock screw and perhaps some smaller parts. Didn't look too closely at the sight yet.

I'd be interested in discussing a stock trade with you, if you're open to it.

[boykin]

Check the new winter 2014 GCA Journal for excellent article o LEAD rebuilds.