Maybe some of the guys down at Anniston would have had a better feel for what was coming out of the boxes years ago, but I never thought to ask them. Heck, as far as that goes, I have never even seen them on a rebuild, only on loose stocks.
But this idea that they were used to reinforce this spot would explain why so many do not show any sign of a crack, though I have yet to see these screws on a complete rifle that is purported to be original (now you guys are going to make me dig around until I find the unused ones that I have somewhere. )), which is possible but no documentation has turned up for that yet, not as far as I know (maybe it is in Bruce's big book somewhere). But that would also mean that WRA ended up using these blanks too (or some other really tantalizing possibilities surrounding the extreme similarities of the two types at this early stage and the inability for Onsrud to make enough of the giant copy lathes to even make them - oooh, good stuff!! (By Korea they had sub'd this to Overton, and those stories are amazing. As early production Garand wood was (rumored to be?) made from leftover 1917 blanks from WWI and therefore perhaps a bit too dry, some have suggested that there was in need for reinforcement in that location, meaning that these screws were being installed when first made. There are lots of ideas and theories on these and they lead in lots of directions. But early on in the pre-war era it was completely different - they were struggling with this new design and its problems and then trying to just get enough of these made, so every part was treated like it was made of gold). I'm not sure when but they seem to have gone out of favor before the war ended and Woody's tenure is about as late as I have seen them (I don't think I have ever seen them on Korean era production - this is when I can see lapriester's comments being spot on a crack goes on the scrap pile. Heck, I think somewhere I even have a rear handguard that has one in it (!). Somewhere from the early days, maybe one of the document guys can locate it, I seem to remember that ordnance had a directive to put them in those locations when needed (for reinforcement?), but they can be and were used in many locations on the stocks and at many repair levels. I've always paid attention to those screws, and over the years I have seen other stocks with them in those same locations without an indication of a crack (maybe the screws just do that good of a job) - some of them were early, some not, some rebuilt and some not, some WRA and some not. No indications of a crack, no rebuild stamps, just two screws. I turned it down when I saw screws in it. Some background years ago, back when Jim at DuPage was still up in DuPage, I got a chance to visit for an afternoon and he handed me a decently readable RS cartouched stock. Standard bumps and bruises of a military service rifle still exist.My questions above were more in an effort to determine if that stock is from the period of the cartouche or if it was perhaps earlier. There are no cracks or major repairs, only surface repairs. The markings are very sharp and clear, and comes complete with all original metal (not shown in the later images for clarity). The stock is a beautiful "Springfield Armory Red" with an aged patina in color, and has been finished with pure Boiled Linseed Oil.
Therefore, it is fair to assume this stock was part of that program. The only official, documented rebuild program performed by 'RRA' was between December 1948 to April 1949 (18,000 M1's rebuilt). The "RRA" markings were used up until November 1961 when Red River Arsenal changed its name, and therefore its rebuild escutcheon, to Red River Army Deport (RRAD). This stock is definitely dated somewhere between January 1946 and November 1961, and is a most likely from the sole documented rebuild program dating between Dec 1948 and Apr 1949. The stock also possesses a very clear firing proof, non-serif "P" in a square box, on the pistol grip. Red River Arsenal (now Red River Army Depot, Texarkana, TX) rebuild stock with very clear "RRA" and rack number "770" on the left side of the butt stock. Nicely restored and finished M1 Garand RRA Rebuild Stock Set.
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