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Finally took some pictures of my Detroit Police Winchester m1 carbine after getting it back from Shuff’s parkerizing. I bought it 10+ years ago when Detroit traded them in to Zanders when they finally upgraded to M&P15’s and M&P40’s. The finish when I got it was pretty much non-existent it looked to be polished with steel wool so figured it needed a tune up. I would like to figure out how to clean the stock (mostly the upper handguard) just don’t want anything that would damage the stock. I am not sure if the stock is a match set or not. I am kind of thinking since they were stored in standing racks under fluorescent lights for 50+ years it maybe be why the stock is lighter then the handguard.
The Detroit carbines were marked in a lot of different ways some had the inventory number stamped in the wood some the metal some hand engraved. Some of the handgrips were stamped with the precinct number or unit and a rack number some like this one may have moved from 12th to 15th precinct. Usually the precinct was a large number and rack number was smaller these are both small so who knows for sure. The DPD inventory number 14129 is stamped in the side of the receiver as well as hand engraved in front of the rear sight.
If anybody knows of any DPD marked shotguns (really looking for a 1897 trenchgun DPD) or m1 carbines and handguns drop me a line [email protected] I am always looking to add to my DPD collection my father just retired Mar 2020 after 45 years with DPD.
Hi Aerojoe,
Great looking M1 Carbine, Tim Shufflin does nice work.
For your handguard, check the underside the next time you have it apart, there should be either 1 or 2 letters stamped there to indicate who made it. Yours originally would have had a Type II “W” handguard with 2 rivets from Winchester, since your carbine currently has a Type III 4 rivet handguard it is not original to the rifle.
For the stock, there should be a “W” stamped on the flat sloped area where the sling is attached. Other letter(s) indicate other manufacturers. The stock color looks correct and the handguard looks dark with oil. It can be lightened by cleaning but that will highlight the scratches and gouges since they tend to hold the dark oil more at the edges of the broken wood fibers than the smoother undamaged areas. I would leave it as-is or swap it with a more correct handguard of the proper color, they are not too expensive.
I also noted a few other non-Winchester components in your pictures, including the recoil plate and screw, and the rear sight.
None of that really matters since it is how you received it from the DPD which is what is important. All in all, a cool sub-collection of Winchesters, thanks for posting!
Regards
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
JWA said
Hi Aerojoe,Great looking M1 Carbine, Tim Shufflin does nice work.
For your handguard, check the underside the next time you have it apart, there should be either 1 or 2 letters stamped there to indicate who made it. Yours originally would have had a Type II “W” handguard with 2 rivets from Winchester, since your carbine currently has a Type III 4 rivet handguard it is not original to the rifle.
For the stock, there should be a “W” stamped on the flat sloped area where the sling is attached. Other letter(s) indicate other manufacturers. The stock color looks correct and the handguard looks dark with oil. It can be lightened by cleaning but that will highlight the scratches and gouges since they tend to hold the dark oil more at the edges of the broken wood fibers than the smoother undamaged areas. I would leave it as-is or swap it with a more correct handguard of the proper color, they are not too expensive.
I also noted a few other non-Winchester components in your pictures, including the recoil plate and screw, and the rear sight.
None of that really matters since it is how you received it from the DPD which is what is important. All in all, a cool sub-collection of Winchesters, thanks for posting!
Regards
Yeah I never even wanted to try and make it all Winchester to me it just isn’t that big of a deal to spend the money and make it all Winchester it will never be for sale anytime soon. I will check the stock next week how hard is it to find a good or better matching handguard to the stock? Anybody have a good process to refinish the stock not looking for perfect just better matching and clean finish DPD never took care of these rifles ever!!
It appears that this gun has a bayonet mount on the barrel. These were late manufactured guns and the Military used them in Korea. Some were made during WW II but never made it to this war. Another interesting civilian gun.
Chuck said
It appears that this gun has a bayonet mount on the barrel. These were late manufactured guns and the Military used them in Korea. Some were made during WW II but never made it to this war. Another interesting civilian gun.
These were Government surplus sold to the Detroit Police Dept.
It is fairly easy to find the handguards on eBay, just look for one that has a similar finish to your stock. Like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/M1-carbine-hand-guard-2-rivet-Quality-Rock-Ola-deep-sighting-groove-handguard/333615891333?hash=item4dad0e8385:g:c60AAOSwSMZe2B23
The stock itself is fairly easy to refinish. The original finish was simply boiled linseed oil (BLO). In some cases lightly rubbing the stock with the grain using 0000 steel wool soaked in BLO and then wiping of the excess with a lint free towel will do wonders to clean and refresh the stock without having to do a total refinish. You can try that process on your handguard first as an experiment.
I also use “Tom’s 1/3rd Mix” (natural) as a overcoat/protectant. It is 1/3 BLO, 1/3 Acetone and 1/3 beeswax. It gives the stock a slight sheen and protects and seals it. The ingredients are all compatible with the original military finish. http://thegunstockdoctor.com/Products.html
For a total refinish of USGI stocks I strip the wood completely, steam out any dents, LIGHTLY sand or scotch-brite the wood and then finish it with Fairtrimmers Military OX which is a combination of BLO, an accelerator for faster drying and a toned color. Unfortunately Frank no longer makes the Military OX so it is no longer available. I dread the day when my can is finally empty.
Best Regards,
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
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