M1 Garand rifle manufactured by the Springfield 1941 and supplied to Great Britain under the Lend-Lease Act in 1942. Although the majority of the Lend-Lease M1 rifles sent to Great Britain remained in storage during WWII, several British commando battalions used M1 rifles in combat. Photographs exist of British commandos armed with M1 rifles accepting the surrender of Japanese troops on Singapore in 1945. This rifle was never issued and remains in the same original configuration as it was manufactured at Springfield Armory in 1941. The metal components have the pre-war black green parkerized finish with the exception of the gas cylinder which the original black-oxide finish. The straight grain American walnut stock, handguard and forearm are oil finished. The rifle has the early components which include: (1) "Type I/flush-nut" rear sight with checkered elevation knob and grooved windage knob, (2) milled trigger guard stamped with the drawing number C-46025-3-SA, (3) D-28290-5-SA milled trigger housing with -2 SA hammer, -6SA safety and un-finished hammer spring guide, (3) D28287-2SA/RE4D bolt, (4) un-altered D35382 3 SA operating rod, (5) "S-A-11-41" dated barrel, (6) front sight with sight seal, (7) milled/grooved rear hand guard band, and (10) single slot gas cylinder plug. The receiver heel has the standard: "U.S. RIFLE/CAL. 30 M1/ SPRINGFIELD/ARMORY" markings above the serial number "405731". The right side of the receiver below the stock is stamped with the steel lot code "B6" above the drawing number "D 28291-14 SA". The left side of the stock is stamped with the Ordnance final inspection mark "S.A./G.H.S." in a rectangle followed by the large Ordnance Corps crossed cannon escutcheon. An encircled, serif "P" firing proof is stamped on the underside of the stock behind the trigger guard. The right side of the barrel beneath the operating rod is stamped with British firing proofs, and the faint impression of a British inspection stamp is visible on the top of the receiver. The barrel chamber is bright and has never been parkerized, the upper barrel band has the original solid retaining pin and the barrel gas port lacks the chrome finish found on post-war rebuilds and late production rifles. There is no trace of the red painted band found on the handguards of some Lend-Lease M1 rifles. The stock and handguards match perfectly and have not been re-finished.

Excellent plus. The rifle is all original and retains 98% of the crisp original parkerized finish. The only significant wear is on the heel of the buttplate which has about 95% of the parkerized finish intact. The receiver and barrel markings are extremely sharp. All of the drawing numbers are correct for a rifle in this serial number range. All of the components are original to this rifle. The bolt, operating rod and receiver show minimal cycling wear. The stock and handguards are in excellent condition with un-handled, raised grain. The SA/GHS inspection mark and large Ordnance escutcheon are in perfect condition with almost no handling wear. Wear is limited to a several shallow dents on the left side of the handguard above the operating rod cut-out and the adjacent portion of the stock and several shallow dents on the right side of the butt above the trigger guard. These marks are typical of wear found on nearly all Lend-Lease M1 rifles and resulted from poor packing when the rifle was imported to the U.S. in the 1950s. Lend-Lease M1 Garand rifles are historically significant weapons. These Lend-Lease rifles are virtually the only examples of pre-WWII or early war production M1 Garand rifles that remain in un-altered, original condition. This exceptional example of a 1941 production M1 Garand rifle in excellent original condition and is one of the very best examples extant.