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Short Lived Early M14 Butt Plates

7K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  tonyben 
#1 ·
If you go on the internet, almost always members are referring to early M14's as T44.

The T44 and the T44E4 were two different rifles. The early M14 production was T44E4.

Some are even claiming that the Experimental Aluminum Butt Plates were on the T44E4's.

Here is an example of the Aluminum Butt Plate:



The aluminum butt plates are still unknown as to application. The thinking is it was one of the T series rifles. It was most likely for the T44E6, a light weight version of the M14.

There was another very scarce butt plate during the early days of production. I call it the inward dimples butt plate. I interviewed an SA employee back in the 1980's who worked on the M14. He was pictured in a report while testing receivers for hardness.

SA had adopted the new folder butt plate and was able to produce stocks a lot faster than the butt plates. SA had a financial problem using Garand butt plates from storage for support of M1's, so it ran a small contract (unknown maker) for temporary use with the spacers provided by Rock Island.





Inward Dimples circa 1960, very limited production:



Those butt plates are not to be confused with the very similar pattern, but with raised dimples. These were produced in large quantity in 1968 as spare parts, by a Connecticut contractor.

Raised Dimples, 1968:



Both butt plates have very different patterns than the standard ones from years earlier. That makes me think the Garand Butt Plate drawing was revised.
 
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#2 ·
If it helps any, the T44E6 did have an alloy aluminum butt plate assembly. In U.S. RIFLE M14 from John Garand to the M21, R. Blake Stevens reproduces portions of the Springfield Armory T44E6 manual Notes on Development Type Materiel for the Rifle, 7.62 mm, T44E6. On page 194 of Stevens' book where the Springfield Armory report is reproduced, it states:

"The following components and accessories were fabricated from aluminum alloys:
a. butt plate assembly
b. magazine tube
c. magazine floor plate
d. clip guide"
 
#4 ·
T44E4 Buttplates

Bill, if it helps I have an original T44E4 stock that is original on one of Elmers "Devine Texas M1A" rifles. It has an upside down P in a circle, no markings other than a 4 under the buttplate and no markings at all in the trigger housing area. It does have the eagle and stars in the box on the left side and is made of the nicest fiddleback figure walnut, I've ever seen on a military rifle. The buttplate is obviously original to the stock as it was extremely tight fit to the butt and a lot of patina. It is steel, dimples out and is not a M1 Butt plate as the latch is/or appears much different. Both the stock and the buttplate show the obvious wear over the years that one would associate with a used military rifle

I also have one on the Rock Island spacer blocks with the exact same butt plate with it, also appears to be a non M1 type, similar to your picture of the butt plate of dimples out in the post and exactly like the one on my T44E4 stock. That resides on one of my stocks which is synthetic which has been pictured many times on this forum as a illustration of Bassett's scope mounts.
 
#6 ·
Early M14 buttplates requested pictures

Here you go, Bill. The patina'd one is on a T44E4 stock that is on an original "Devine Texas" M1A and in the full pic on the stool, you can see the short top and long bottom screws, ala M1 that we discussed this morning when I place an order with you. The buttplate on the other rifle has the Rock Island black filler block and the buttplate is the original that came with the filler block. The buttplates are identical in every respect, dimples out, internally etc. One is just old and the other was unused until I installed it in my beater stock for the other M1A. To me they look identical to the 1968 model you show in your pictures.





Anything else just let me know.
 
#7 ·
From the picture it looks like a standard Garand butt plate, not the 1968 pattern. The 1968 pattern has a bend line crossing the dimples just below the bottom screw. I do not see that in the picture, but maybe it is due to dimple wear or not close up enough.

The interesting thing about your screws are I have had several early M14 stocks over the years and back then you had to assemble butt plates in order to sell them. Mine came out of SA and all had the long standard long upper wood screw. The question is now were they modified, or was there a revision, making two different types. The battle for history goes on.

I checked and my current stock has the short screw hole.
 
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