Manufactured post-World War II by Harrington & Richardson with an "8 55" dated Line Material barrel, this M1 Garand has been prepared for special presentation, with the back of the receiver heel bearing the logos of H&R and Line Material, flanking "1955/ONE OF NINE". Line Material got its start in 1911 under the lead of William Kyle Senior, and until the 1950s made their name as a manufacturer of hardware for telephone grids and high voltage lines. In the 1950s, as a subsidiary of McGraw Electric and helmed by Kyle's son, William Kyle Junior, Line Machine was tapped to produce M1 Carbine barrels for the United States, but an urgent need for fresh barrels to refit M1 Garands caused a shift in demand. While not experienced in the arms trade, Line Material's experience with high precision, high stress electrical work prepared them well, and they spun up with aplomb. At their height, Line Material was feeding the U.S. Army's arsenal system with barrels for rebuilds and feeding both International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson for their new-made Garand production, cranking out tens of thousands of quality rifle barrels each month. And "quality" is the operative word; Line Material barrels still hold a reputation as top notch hardware among collectors and shooters. An included signed letter from the son-in-law of William Kyle Junior identifies this rifle as a family heirloom, inherited after Kyle's passing in 2004. It is known that H&R produced a very exclusive run of presentation M1 Garand rifles as gifts to their partners and subcontractors, and the letter indicates that Kyle was one of three Line Material execs so gifted. Aside from the lack of conventional serial number, it is dated 1955 with Line Material company stamp on receiver. Includes leather sling and consignor research. Manufactured in 1954. Standard blade front and adjustable peep rear sights. With the exception of a "DRC" windage knob, "IHC" trigger housing and the aforementioned "LMR" barrel, components are "HRA" marked throughout. The heel legend shows variances from the standard mark consistent with other observed H&R presentation Garands, particularly the absence of a serial number and a non-standard "&". Both of the handguard components are made from a fancy, lightly feathered walnut, with a smooth but unmarked pistol grip stock fitted with a leather sling and a checkered steel buttplate.

Excellent plus, with 99% original parkerized finish, showing some minor edge wear on the front sight and minor handling/cycling wear overall. A mixed gray patina is present on the stacking swivel. The excellent buttstock shows a small chip near the magazine floorplate and some light scratches and dings overall, and the handguards show fewer markings. The pin is absent from the lower band. Mechanically excellent. One of an extremely limited number of presentation Harrington & Richardson Garands, extremely difficult to find in any condition, and worthy of a place of pride in any collection of American rifles.