Receiver manufactured in March 1945 and subsequently upgraded to M1C sniper configuration by Griffin & Howe as a part of the World War II contract between the civilian firm and the U.S. Springfield Armory. Adopted in July 1944, the M1C Garand rifle was the U.S. military's first standard issued semi-automatic sniper rifle, with an initial order total of 21,158 placed, though only 7,971 M1C rifles were completed by the end of World War II. Various manufacturing and accuracy issues, along with a shortage of telescopes, delayed delivery of the first rifles until the closing days of the Pacific Theater Campaign in mid 1945, with the M1C replacing the M1903A4 as the official U.S. sniper rifle from the end of World War II, through the Korean War, and into the Vietnam War. An additional 4,796 M1C rifles were built up by the U.S. Springfield Armory c. 1951-1953, utilizing a left over stockpile of approximately 19,000 M1C receivers (pre-drilled with five screw holes on the left side by Griffin and Howe) kept in storage since the end of production in 1945, with this example likely being from this later production block. The leftover M1C receivers were subsequently utilized by the U.S. Springfield Armory for standard rifle production (with the five screw holes plugged). The M1C was superseded by the later M1D variant, developed in late 1944 by John C. Garand as an improvement over the former with 21,380 manufactured c. 1951-1953, making the M1C the more scarce of the two M1 Garand sniper rifle versions, especially with the destruction of several hundred receivers by U.S. Ordnance in the 1980 and 1990s. Features winged blade front sight and T015 adjustable peep rear sight assembly, unmarked Springfield Armory pattern wide-base gas cylinder with post-war 'high-hump' lock and cross-slot screw, stamped lower band with rolled retaining pin, "S-A-1-52" barrel with bright chamber ring, "D28287-12SA/S-06<>" bolt, relief-cut "D35382 9 SA" flat-side operating rod, and "D28290-12-SA" trigger housing with "C 46008-5 SA" hammer, "SA-11"safety, and unmarked stamped trigger guard. Matching serial number "3641855" stamped on the underside of the scope mounting bracket. Fitted with a set of replacement oiled birch handguards and a replacement birch stock marked with a small "P" on the grip. Topped off with a M84 telescope (serial number "37350") on a Griffin & Howe throw-level mount numbered to another rifle ("3714958"). Includes a Hart Mfg. Co. detachable M2 conical flash hider and a "K/LINE" marked leather cheek riser/rest, and a November 24, 2008, dated letter from noted M1C expert Dave McClain confirming the rifle's receiver as being an authentic M1C.

Very fine as arsenal completed and assembled to M1C sniper configuration in the post-World War II period, retaining 98% arsenal parkerized finish with some minor edge wear, some minor handling marks under the finish, some minor patches of spotting, and some minor handling wear. The replacement stock is fine an sanded and re-oiled with numerous scattered minor handling marks. Mechanically excellent. The scope is exceptionally fine with clear optics.