NOS Barrel Marked S-A-9-50 and D6535448-37-MD-5

[couldbfishin]

I bought this barrel, which looks new to me, a few years ago from another fellow. He said he was collecting parts to put together a 1950 SA M1 for his father, as he had carried one in Korea. His father passed away I think he said, before he could complete the project. I have a late 50's M1 that I shoot, so I bought this as an extra barrel. Now I am thinking of selling it separately as I don't need it.

I assume it is a Springfield Amory barrel manufactured in September 1950. That would make it Korean War era. I have seen another on EBay used and about this date for $350.

Can anyone tell me more about this barrel and what it is worth? Are they hard to come by for someone rebuilding a rifle from that time?

Sorry I don't have photos right now, but can take some to show numbers and condition if anyone is interested. Rifling looks pristine to me. Entire barrel does.

Thanks,
Couldbfishin
Houston, TX

[couldbfishin]

Using a CMP set of gauges, the TE is 2, and the MW is 3. The barrel surface is very shiny and the grooves all look deep and outstanding. There is a gas port. All threads look sharp. I really don't think this barrel has ever been shot through, or possibly never assembled in a M1. It will have to be examined by a professional gun smith and installed and seated on your rifle.

[jak]

Most likely the barrel was used for an arsenal rebuild of WWII rifles. Since no receivers were officially manufactured in September of 1950, the barrel can never be matched up to make a "correct" rifle. That alone would lower the price. Also the MW and TE are somewhat high for a supposedly new barrel. Personally, I wouldn't pay $350 for it.

[Orlando]

New in wrap post war barrels can be bought for around $230. I suspect yours is used /refinished. Take a picture of the chamber face and post it

[couldbfishin]

Thanks jak. Good point about no receivers being built in Sept of 1950. I didn't think to look that up.

Your supposition on this being a barrel used for an arsenal rebuild of WWII rifles sounds reasonable.

Not sure why the seller of the barrel on eBay was asking $350. It was also a 1950 S.A. barrel from earlier that year. And, it was used.

Is it uncommon for new barrels to have the MW and TE dimensions this barrel has?

I am thinking I will just keep this barrel as a spare, in case I ever need one.

Thanks again.

[jak]

Is it uncommon for new barrels to have the MW and TE dimensions this barrel has?

A few years back, CMP was selling barrels and they were wrapped exactly like yours. I ordered some and all of them had a ME of 1 and a TE of 1 to 1.5 and all were from various months in 1951. I don't remember the exact price, but I think they were in the $125 range. I'm not saying that your barrel came from CMP, but it's possible and when something comes from CMP, anything is possible so it could be a new barrel.

[couldbfishin]

Hello Orlando,
I took some photos and will post them here. Obviously I need to clean the barrel and threads real well. One thing I noticed when I enlarged the photo of the receiver end of the barrel is a burr that needs to be filed off, and a 'rip' along the edge of the metal. It looks like stainless steel might when it galls. Your opinion of these would be appreciated. I will definitely have a qualified gunsmith check all dimensions before using this barrel.
But, I would still like to hear your ideas about the origin and what might have been the life of this barrel before I bought it. Anything you can tell me would be appreciated.

Thanks

[couldbfishin]

Can anyone else tell me anything about my barrel based on the photos I have posted? I know I should clean it and take more photos. Does it look used or new? The rifling looks great to me, sorry I couldn't photograph it. Any suggestions on how to do that?

Thanks,

[jak]

Most of your pictures look like they were taken with a flash. I usually try to take pictures of guns outside in a natural light. For me, a flash picture cast an artificial light on the barrel and it's hard to determine the actual color and other details.

[Orlando]

From the dings on chamber face I would say it is used.
On your other question about muzzle wear measurements on NOS barrels I have taken them out of wrap and found them to be over 2 . While this is high its happens, it is very unsual to find a unissued barrel gage 0

[couldbfishin]

Orlando and Jak, thanks for your comments.

I agree that based on the dings it does look like it was at least installed, if not shot through. I will try taking some photos outdoors as suggested, without the flash, and include some of the inside of the barrel. I will post those tomorrow. If I can ask one more favor of you both. Please let me know what you can tell of the exterior finish, and the condition of the bore?
At this point, I have decided to keep the barrel and use it as a spare. But, I would like to know more about it. One of you suggested it might be a rebuilt barrel. Please let me know if you still think that is likely after you see more photos, including the bore.
That leads me to a question. I assume that in rebuilding a barrel, the bore is drilled out and then new grooves are cut. Can that be done and still leave the TE at 2 and the MW at 3?
Thanks again.

[Orlando]

No such thing as a rebuilt garand barrel. Might be confused with a barrel that was used for rebuilds

[couldbfishin]

Thanks Orlando. I was wondering how that could be done. I must have misunderstood.

Sorry I haven't posted pictures of the barrel and the rifles since my last post. I have decided to take up reloading M2 ball ammo and will be taking a NRA reloading class tomorrow. I have been sorting through and separating my spent brass in preparation for that class. I have been shooting Greek HXP from CMP for years, and I saved most of the brass. I am glad I did, because I haven't seen HXP for sale on CMP for a while. I got on the site tonight to find out the recommended reload specs for the M2 ball ammo and saw your post.

Thanks again.