No idea -- someone said an attempt to drill the receiver for a scope, but again, this is France.
"We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
--C.S. Lewis
WOW! Those are very cool Springfields! Thanks for showing us the pictures!
My French friend and his buddies formed a reenactment platoon representing U.S. airborne troops on D-Day. They are all equiped with vintage WW2 uniforms and field equipment including the garand. I have helped them find stuff here in the U.S. One of them also owns a M1A.