M1 T26 marked "Experimental"

[Spyder]

If it's functional and safe to shoot, I still think it would be very fun to have. Same as a home-roll-marked Mattell AR lower!

[sofbak]

Lots of disconnects, holes, and inaccuracies in the collective "story" of this rifle. Maybe the result of age-induced memory deterioration, fraility of human interpretation, both or other factors.

For starters, the questionable appearance of the markings on the receiver heel can answer a lot, under the discerning exam (10-20x magnification). If it is a roll stamp, this would be apparent by the depth of the "groove".

Note the receiver heel where these markings are installed is a RADIUSED surface. If the markings were installed with a roll stamp, the depth of these markings will be uniform in depth both overall AND from one side of the marking "channel" to the opposite side of the same channel......

If machined, I seriously doubt that both the milling machine AND the programmer/operator would have taken into account the radiused and assymetric nature of the surface depth these markings were installed in.....

Put it under 10-20x mag and look intensely at the depth of the markings as described above. This is the first step of authentication....

If it passes this inspection, next step would be direct contact with Springfield Armory Museum and the Garand Collectors Association... Contact info for both can be readily found on the interweb.....

[glassparman]

Hard to tell by the pictures but if you look at the letters, some of them like the E, look like they were CNC milled and seem to have start and stop marks from the mill.

Does anyone else see that?

[slick44]

Lots of disconnects, holes, and inaccuracies in the collective "story" of this rifle. Maybe the result of age-induced memory deterioration, fraility of human interpretation, both or other factors.

For starters, the questionable appearance of the markings on the receiver heel can answer a lot, under the discerning exam (10-20x magnification). If it is a roll stamp, this would be apparent by the depth of the "groove".

Note the receiver heel where these markings are installed is a RADIUSED surface. If the markings were installed with a roll stamp, the depth of these markings will be uniform in depth both overall AND from one side of the marking "channel" to the opposite side of the same channel......

If machined, I seriously doubt that both the milling machine AND the programmer/operator would have taken into account the radiused and assymetric nature of the surface depth these markings were installed in.....

Put it under 10-20x mag and look intensely at the depth of the markings as described above. This is the first step of authentication....

If it passes this inspection, next step would be direct contact with Springfield Armory Museum and the Garand Collectors Association... Contact info for both can be readily found on the interweb.....

Very good point...but the owner of the rifle a 92 yr old lady stands on what her deceased husband was told from the gunsmith he originally took it to and in turn took it to Lawrence Labaratories of Livermore and they supposedly checked it and told the markings were original...which could be true even if it was a reproduction....I'm trying to get the admin of our local Military Museum to meet her at my shop to check it out and see what him and his gunsmith thinks...the admin is a Korean War Marine and a pretty sharp cookie...they're gunsmith is one of the best in our area...

[sofbak]

Well, ok.
Bear in mind, gunsmiths know guns-i. e. Hardware.

Historians know history, provenance and details...

Again, contact GCA and SA Armory some time in the process.

[kendog4570]

Hard to tell by the pictures but if you look at the letters, some of them like the E, look like they were CNC milled and seem to have start and stop marks from the mill.

Does anyone else see that?

Really?? Amazing!! Hadn't noticed..

[SkyHawk]

Hard to tell by the pictures but if you look at the letters, some of them like the E, look like they were CNC milled and seem to have start and stop marks from the mill.

Does anyone else see that?

Yes I also noticed what looked like start/stop marks after I zoomed in on it

[2761377]

as of 1993 Scott Duff said there was one Springfield Armory T26 manufactured. It was produced after Springfield received two Pacific War Board modified rifles for evaluation.
It was damaged in testing at Aberdeen and it's location is unknown. One of the modified rifles, s/n 2437139 was also tested at Aberdeen; it's fate is also unknown.

these tests were done in July 1945 but the field modified rifles were completed in the fall of 1944. In time for the jump on Corregidor.

S/n 2291873 is the rifle at the museum.

A Springfield Armory new production rifle would be marked Springfield Armory, not Pac War Bd.

The receiver pictured is missing the decimal in front of 30 cal. And where would the Pacific War Board get a green receiver and how did they heat treat it? WW2 Garand receivers were serialized before heat treatment.

the opinion of the gunsmith in the early '90's is wrong.

this is definitely fake.

[SVT-40]

Buy the rifle, not the story...

It's a interesting piece, but the story is all second hand at best.

OP if you get the chance take the action out of the stock look for any markings...

That will tell the real tale!

I've looked at literally thousands of surplus firearms and been told some real whoppers about some of them. It's real easy to get sucked into the story and not follow the actual evidence.

I'm sure the lady is nice, but the story could all be just fantasy...

[slick44]

Buy the rifle, not the story...

It's a interesting piece, but the story is all second hand at best.

OP if you get the chance take the action out of the stock look for any markings...

That will tell the real tale!

I've looked at literally thousands of surplus firearms and been told some real whoppers about some of them. It's real easy to get sucked into the story and not follow the actual evidence.

I'm sure the lady is nice, but the story could all be just fantasy...

If I get a chance I will for sure and post pictures here...the post above about the green receiver was a great tip...missed that one myself but makes another good point....when I was first giving it the once over and checking it all out my first instinct was "there's no way this was made in 1945" but then the first story about her husband and WW2 blablabla and I thought "okay what the hell...I'll check into it...after all there were questions I couldn't answer...I would buy it because it is cool and basically brand new but she's stuck on it being the real deal! So if I get a moment I'll contact SA and ask about it just for the sake of curiosity. The Admin of our local military historical and museum is pretty sharp and was a friend of my Father who is also a Korean War Marine but my dad passed away 3 years ago but I still handle the firearms part of the fund raisers for the museum and work together with the Admin...he should get back to me by next week...see what he says about it too...I've enjoyed everyone's input...valuable source of combined knowledge that's for sure...much obliged gentlemen! Whatever I find out I'll post it here.

[G-forceJunkie]

No serial number could simply be a pre 1968 fake/homage made by some random gunsmith. Were aftermarket recievers available then? Of course, not too hard to sand off or weld up and sand down rollmarks off surplus recievers.

[SonofWWIIDI]

Buy the rifle, not the story...

It's a interesting piece, but the story is all second hand at best.

OP if you get the chance take the action out of the stock look for any markings...

That will tell the real tale!

I've looked at literally thousands of surplus firearms and been told some real whoppers about some of them. It's real easy to get sucked into the story and not follow the actual evidence.

I'm sure the lady is nice, but the story could all be just fantasy...

I had a guy tell me the lee enfield he was trying get rid of (at a ridiculous price) that he got it from his grandmother who got it directly from pancho villa.

[Mustang]

Very good point...but the owner of the rifle a 92 yr old lady stands on what her deceased husband was told from the gunsmith he originally took it to and in turn took it to Lawrence Labaratories of Livermore and they supposedly checked it and told the markings were original...which could be true even if it was a reproduction....I'm trying to get the admin of our local Military Museum to meet her at my shop to check it out and see what him and his gunsmith thinks...the admin is a Korean War Marine and a pretty sharp cookie...they're gunsmith is one of the best in our area...

It is a very interesting story, but it is a third and fourth hand story, at best. Some of the elements do not make much sense. For instance, what program does the Lawerence Livermore National Laboratory have for authenticating stampings on firearms for privately owned firearms?

I also don't know what to make of her stubborn resistance to sending it out to the only people who could authenticate the weapon.

[kendog4570]

So, let me see....
Two very reputable entities (Springfield and Duff) would do a significant amount of research and inspection but she wont ship it, it was at auction at Butterfields' and it didn't move, more than a few guys here that have more than passing knowledge about all things considered with it's history and manufacture raise a bunch of red flags just based on a few sketchy pictures, ... Hmmm.
I guess she can hold out for the 75K.

[kendog4570]

...what program does the Lawerence Livermore National Laboratory have for authenticating stampings on firearms for privately owned firearms?..

Absolutely none. Having worked around engineers and physicists at Stanford Linear Accelerator, I dont believe the guys at Bombtown are any different. Brilliant in their fields, yes. Anything else?? Watch out!