info and help about this hra 1-52 in .308 cal

[andy_ita]

hi guys
i found this hra m1 garand. the barrel is marked on the side HRA 1-52, but on the top is marked 308 W.
all the other parts (bolt, op rod, trigger assy etc) seem to be correct.

it have a strange black plastic stock
thanks
andy

[Dan Shapiro]

Andy,
Interesting M1. Someone, civilian, has converted a 30-06 M1 into a .308 weapon. Don't think this is US military, as they would have marked it 7.62mm. That would also explain that spacer inserted in the bullet guide. Keeps you from loading 30-06 ammo. The plastic stock also indicates civilian provenience. The US military experimented with plastic stocks for the M1, but I don't think it became an issue item. Hope this helps.

[Southron]

Hope the barrel was re-chambered rather than the metal ring inserted in the original .30-06 chamber to convert it to 7.62 M/M NATO. The Navy tried that and found that the rings had the bad habit of coming loose and getting ejected with the spent cartridge case.

[mack]

Get a Garand spec sheet and find correct barrel length. Measure your barrel and see how the lengths correspond. If yours is shorter, then someone has set your barrel back to accommodate a .308 cartridge. If it is original length, then run away. Inserts in .30-06 barrels turn loose and that is the reason the Navy quit their adapter/insert program and ditched the rifles. Sounds like yours is a commercial re-work though although I have no idea why it is marked HRA. I do not have any memory of HRA making a .308 barrel.