Winchester Question

[Ted Brown]

Winchester Carbine serial number 647XXXX. This carbine has a receiver produced on January 3, 1945. What was the approximate amount of time before the rifle was actually assembled? Flip safeties and .30 round magazine catches are reported to have been available around April 1945. Could this carbine have been assembled with these features? The safety is JAO marked and the Magazine catch has no manufacturers marking. My assumption is that these parts were an arsenal add on, but could they have been installed by Winchester when originally built?

[bug]

Both parts would have been marked on a factory gun, JAO is a post war replacement safety. How did you come up with the very specific date for the Win receiver?

[BrianQ]

Your receiver wasn't "produced on January 3, 1945", that is when the serial number was applied to the yet unfinished receiver.

The J.A.O. safety isn't a post war replacement safety and there is some evidence which suggest they might have been used by Winchester during production. The modified magazine catch with additional support tang would be manufacture marked if it was an put on when your carbine was originally assembled.

[Ted Brown]

Thank you for the information. Now the question is how long did it take to get the finished carbine out the door? If Winchester did use some JAO marked safeties it might be an original part... The mag catch most likely is not, but I can see where these parts could have been a field add on. There are no arsenal inspection markings and all other indications are that this carbine is original. I've had carbines since I was 16 and this is one of the best examples of a Winchester I've seen.

[Tuna]

It could have been finished in a month or say up to two months after it was numbered depending on conditions at the time in the plant. But I would say about March 1945 for your serial number. Your magazine catch should be marked W if it's original. Winchester started using it about the 6.5 million range but only on M2 carbines. So I think yours has been changed somewhere along the line.

[n64atlas]

look to see if the trigger housing has the groove for the 9 spring. Remember, lots of carbines were converted to M2, post war.
At this point in time, there has been lots of "corrected" M1 carbines built. Some match up very well. I just bought a Winchester
with all Underwood trigger parts in a Winchester trigger housing. It has an IO high wood stock on it. It has a Bayonet lug and
adjustable rear sight and a replacement front sight. Still need to do a data sheet on it and then post pics ect on this forum.
No rebuild marks on the high wood oval cut IO stock. It is probably a build by someone who wanted a mid war M1 Carbine, but didn't
know that they didn't have bayonet lugs or couldn't remove the front sight to change the band. Also the Bayonet that came with it, is
Post war Korean.

[Ted Brown]

The trigger group is an M1 and appears correct. All parts with the exception of the mag catch and safety appear to be correct and original. As said, I think the odd parts are field upgrades as there are no arsenal rebuild or inspection markings. It does have the correct ordnance mark (right side of stock) and W marking in the sling well. Overall it appears near mint condition with only a few rub marks on the bolt. It has been fired, but not much.

I've seen a lot of rebuilds and restorations, but this carbine looks exceptional.

[Tuna]

What are the stamps on the right side of the stock? WRA over GHD and an acceptance stamp crossed cannons?

[Ted Brown]

Being a late production carbine it only has the crossed cannon cartouche on the right side and the W in the sling well. It's a low wood, oval slot stock and it is correct.

[Faulkner]

Winchester Carbine serial number 647XXXX. This carbine has a receiver produced on January 3, 1945. What was the approximate amount of time before the rifle was actually assembled??

Any answer that anyone gives you is little more than a SWAG.