M2 Tripod "X-outs"

3511 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Slick, Jul 31, 2006

Slick

Discussion Starter · Jul 21, 2006

I found an M2 tripod in the back corner of a store that sells cowboy clothes, lever action guns & neon beer signs. It has ~50% orginal finish and no holes in the feet. Asking price was $350 when I saw it around 2 months ago...

Having ordered an Ohio rapid-fire, I called back to see if they still had it and they did. I went and looked at it and there was no T&E but the pintle and legs all locked nice and tight.

I asked it they had the T&E - which they didn't, so offered $340 cash out the door and they said "yeah". A friend who owns a suplus parts shop told me this was a real good deal at $350 - so I'm happy that I picked it up.

My question is about the orginal markings. The manufacture's plate is gone and some of the numbers that were on it were "X-ed" out and apeears to have new numbers stamped in.

it says:

No: 4435XX

Mount, Tripod

M122

ANAD 9-76

A lot of other characters are "X-ed" out as well..

I'm guessing this was probably a re-arsenaled unit?? There are serial numbers on each leg and the pintle, but they are all off by just a couple digits from each other.

I'm a TOTAL rank newb to the 1919a4 so any advice on cleaning it up would be appreciated. All of the hardware is staked and was never re-staked, so I don't want to take it apart to re-finish it although I'd prefer to parkerizes is if I'm not decreasing it's value.

Thanks in advance for any tip on this thing!!!

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Arisaka San

· #2 · Jul 21, 2006

$340 is a good price for an M122.

Yours was made by the Anniston Army Depot (ANAD), of AL. in Sept. 1976
However, with all the X's and indications of a once mounted plate it's possible it was converted from an M2 to the M122 (mainly used with the M60).
Original M122's didn't carry the data plate on the front leg.

As far as the numbers, they are part/Lot. numbers. So they wouldn't necessarily match each other.

I say if you have an original USGI pod (non converted Izzy's) is to leave the original finish on them.
Anyone can re-park or paint.. but that history will be forever lost under the Krylon™.

Here is my USGI 1970 M122 set up for the A4 - (the mounting pin and chain are for the M2HB .50)

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Slick

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 22, 2006

Wow, Thanks Arisaka San!!

The info and pix are GREATLY appreciated! Your help on this has cleared up the "mystery" for me.

Mine is indeed a re-arsenaled M2 and has the holes for the original manufacturer plate. Everything fits nice and tight and all the hardware is staked and solid. I didn't get the T&E, but for $340, I'm pretty happy after shopping around for a while. It doesn't seem like I'll lose on this acquisition. I can't wait to get my 1919a4 to drop into it!!

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Arisaka San

· #4 · Jul 22, 2006

Np Slick glad to help with what i can.

Yep that's a re-arsenaled M2/M122 pod.
Yours has the most X's I've seen! Interesting...

To me it looks like it has once had a repaint. Maybe by ANAD during the conversion?? I'm always a stickler for keeping the history original, but it would look nice with a repark.
However, If it was an untouched original M2 or M122 I'd have different opinion on that.

I still think you got a great deal!

Tripod prices have been going up, and decreasing availability on them I've noticed has been common recently. Yours not being a further Israeli conversion makes it a little nicer too in my opinion.

Heck.. reconditioned M2/M122 pods I've seen go for $500+, add another $100 or so for the pintle. Also add a bit more if being auctioned off on Ebay "E-PAY" buying frenzy!

You did fine, now ya just need to set foot in T&E land!

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Slick

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 22, 2006

Thanks again Arisaka San, I figured it for a re-asenal from the missing brass plaque and all the "X" -'s. The most important concerns for this tripod were how well it ?operated?. Meaning how tight everything was and the slight extra ?tug? it takes to lock out the legs.

The pintle (?) cradle, or part that the receiver sets in moves like a ball bearing under a nice ?thick? pre-load. Again, I apologize for my lack of knowledge of the components?

I will ?shop-out? a T&E eventually for a reasonable price. I?m glad to get started with this unit due to its serviceability. I?m still going to buy the Israeli ?A6? conversion (and store the flash-hider till I leave CA) and have the option of shooting this gun a few different ways. Due to my state laws, and short-belt issues, I don?t expect to get much more than 3 to 400 rounds through it on a casual day of shooting. I must admit that a major portion of my inclination to buy this gun was ?investment potential? ? and to enjoy my investment MORE than a bank ?CD? certificate.

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Armorer

· #6 · Jul 23, 2006

This brings up a question that I have had for some time. What was the original finish for the M2 tripod, paint or Parkerizing? During my over 30 years in the reserves I saw many tripods, only a few M2's that still had the data plate but none that were painted not even the ones we had for the 1919A6's. I would guess all the M2' had been re- Parkerized at one time. Was the paint I now see on some in collections a field add on during WWII or were they originally finished that way?

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Slick

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 31, 2006

Armorer said:
This brings up a question that I have had for some time. What was the original finish for the M2 tripod, paint or Parkerizing?

I wondered too... And I finally capitulated and stripped off (what was left) of the OD green paint from it being re-arsenaled. In doing so I likely destroyed ANY “collectability” this tripod may have had – but what the Hay? I was bored and am “frothing” while waiting to pickup my “new” 1919a4 later this week..

So I decided to strip it down a re-paint it. Under the OD green, the tripod was parkerized. I touched a few “bare-metal” spots using some cold blue and wiped it down thoroughly with Methyl-Ethyl-Keytone and shot it with Krylon “ultra-flat” black. My initial investment (including the pintle) was only $340 so I didn’t feel that I was going that “far wrong” by painting it the color that I wanted.

After having seen the DEEP black parkerize on my ORF 1919a4, I felt this would be a nice match for the gun. Besides, If I don’t like it, I can strip it and park it, powder coat it, or whatever…

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