M1917 stock with a "T" makers mark

[Merc]

I acquired a really nice M1917 Winchester recently with an early serial number 65030. The rifling is crisp and the rifle's general condition would indicate light duty throughout its life. The stock has been replaced at some point in time with one that has a "T" makers mark stamped on the front end where you would expect to see a W, R or E. I am not familiar with this manufacturer and I am not seeing anything on the Internet that would shed any light. Does anyone have any information on, or can identify this company?

Update with a photo:

Ipad Photos 116.jpg

[warbrds]

I have seen on other sites the it could be for length of stock T tall, M medium, S short
never seen a manufacturer with a T
also could be an E that is worn and was an attempt at a re-stamp gone bad...

my 2 cents worth

[Merc]

The stamping is crisp so it is definitely a T. The stock has good darkly toned walnut color, a nice dull finish, zero wear and all hardware fits as it should. I was thinking possibly aftermarket. I only have a few mechanical parts to replace to return to an all original Winchester M1917 but the stock won't be among them.

[jaie5070]

Does the stock have any other markings, ie eagles head or "P" proof stamp? Markings inside the mortising?

[Merc]

There are no identifying marks anywhere except for the T stamped on the front end of the stock.

[kcw]

Have you checked the configurations of the bolt handle notch in your stock? There are differences between the three WWI manufacturers. The "sculpting" is similar between R & W, but the difference is discernible. E is totally different than R & W. The reason that I mention this is because I've seen a few M1917 stocks where there was simply no evidence of the front end ever being stamped. An examination of the bolt notch however revealed their origin. It may that those stocks were from finished but uninspected inventory from the end of WWI that were used in the WWII rebuild? Additionally the front ends of M1917 stocks were commonly stamped with what appear to be unit or inventory markings. It's also my understanding that at least one contractor was supplying stocks for the WWII rebuild program, but I've never heard of who it was.

[Merc]

I recently bought a Winchester bolt to replace the Eddystone bolt that came with the rifle and I can see a difference in the shape of the bolt handles. The W handle is curved and the E handle is squared. Both seem to fit inside the stock notch. I might take my W M1917 with me to the next gun show and compare it to the stocks on the M1917s that are for sale to see if the notch on mine matches any of them. Thanks for the suggestion. The stock on my M1917 is close to being flawless so I'm committed to keeping it.

[kragluver]

The lack of a P or eagles head stamp would indicate your T stock is a replacement. This thread caught my eye as I own a '17 with a stock fore tip stamped LT with the two letters being over struck. My stock has a proof and Eagles head stamp and no rebuild mark. The rest of the rifle is a mix master.

[Merc]

Kragluver, I've always known that the stock has been replaced if only because of the like-new condition and I'm ok with it. This rifle probably went into storage after receiving a new stock. The only damaged part was a rusty butt plate that was probably caused by it being propped upright on a damp concrete floor. Good to know I'm not the only '17 owner with questions about the origin of their stock. I read about another stock stamped with a T on this forum. The owner was also baffled as to its origin.

Pretty sure the typical service performed at arsenals almost always resulted in mixed parts. I've read about the early W '17s with a star in a circle stamping on the receiver (like mine) and the Army's supposed reluctance to send these guns to Europe due to parts interchangeability issues. However, my early '17 (Ser. No. 65030 made in Nov. 1917) mixmaster has a W barrel and receiver and the rest are mostly E and R parts. Everything fits properly and the rifle functions as intended.

[chuckindenver]

S short
M medium
T tall
3 lengths of stocks available for the 1917 during rebuild or lend lease , most were made by Melton Bradly. and other sub contarctors