[gman552]

I am guessing the faint "M" in the sling cutout is the original cartouche and the "BA" is for a rebuild/replacement, but what manufacturers do they represent?

These are on a replacement stock and handguard I recently purchased. I am thinking of re-staining/re-oiling the stock, will this affect the value? I'm pretty sure it won't, but it never hurts to check.

[IMG=left]http://img170.exs.cx/img170/5294/m1carbinestockcartouche0qq.jpg[/IMG]

 

[Chuck Lamb]

BA is for Benicia Arsenal, Calif [ Bay area ].
I have a pot-belly stock that has the Winchester flat fore-end profile that is also marked with a M [ upside down W?]. Maybe they misplaced the W. I really do not know, except it sure has that Winchester profile. HTH.

 

[gman552]

Thanks for the great info - the stock is indeed a potbelly with a flat fore-end. Perhaps the "M" is a Winchester subcontractor (just guessing)?

Any thoughts on re-staining and re-oiling?

 

[Chuck Lamb]

My stock is also a very dark walnut. It never had a barrel band tightened on it.
To refinish it try the following: use Mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool to clean the wood. After letting it dry a couple of days I would then give it a coat of no-gloss tongue oil, inside and out. After that dries a couple of days I would give it several coats of boiled linseed oil, leaving a couple of day for each coat to soak in. I would then give it a coating of "Culver's Magic Paste"[1/3 BLO, 1/3 bees wax, 1/3 mineral spirits, carefully mixed while heating on a watched hot plate]. Rub it in and let it set for a day, then rub it down with a terry cloth towel and the finish it off by rubbing it down with a siliconed dust rag, like used for dusting cars back in the 50's. The stock will really look good after that. HTH.

 

[Guest]

No gman, you won't hurt anything by cleaning this stock up, at least not right now. Someday, an arsenal refinsh/marked Winchester potbelly may have collector value, and may for a registered M2 owner now, but otherwise they aren't desirable as they are purportedly wartime replacement stocks. I believe there should be a flaming bomb hiding in that bevel also!