Page 290 - 4094-BOOK2

In his first letter, typed out on U.S. Springfield Armory Research and
Development letterhead, Tuttle recounts that he was assigned to
the U.S. Springfield Armory in 1937 and given the title of “weapons
specialist”, working alongside a long time previous friend John Garand
as his “troubleshooter”. Tuttle notes that serial number “5” turned up in
a shipment of discarded parts sent back to the U.S. Springfield Armory
from a “test area”, and after someone noticed and suggesting saving
it from the scrap pile for the museum, they were rebutted that the
museum already possessed serial number “1”. John Garand was present
himself that day, and also spoke up in regards to saving serial number
“5”, of which Tuttle states: “result of which was – without an act of
congress, without fanfare, without ceremony – No. 5 was given to John
and became his “Showpiece””. Tuttle further details in the letters that
he had a “tiger” stock made up for the rifle from rejected spiral, cross
grained, and burl grained walnut blanks. In his second letter addressed
to Pyle, dated March 28, 1990, Tuttle discusses that despite John
Garand being officially presented with serial number “1,000,000”, serial
number “5” was the rifle that Garand personally shot, accurized for
“free-for-all targeting”, and preferred to show off as an “original design”
since it had the older” gas-trap” gas cylinder. The letter further details:
“This was considered John’s gun and was kept in his private vault.
It was a “SPECIMEN” gun- used for displays when v.i.p.s visited the
Armory. This guns was photographed and drawn up in print form for
illustrations such as on PLATE #1, set of 7, ORD. No. 9079A (Chief of Ord.
Office).” At the end of his second letter, Tuttle recounts that when he
was recommended by Garand to “do” the “National Match” job and left
as his troubleshooter in 1946 to work on a “new breed of automatics
and machine guns”. He asked Garand if he could still use serial number
“5” as his “control weapon” for basic targets, to which Garand said: ““It’s
yours, Keep it.”” With that, serial number “5” is not only a true treasure
given its status as the first completed M1 rifle, but also due to the fact
that it was rescued and adopted as the personal pet of its inventor,
passed on as Tuttle so elegantly stated at the end of his second letter:
“So - FROM THE SCRAP PILE/TO JOHN/TO ME/TO YOU”.
CONDITION: Very fine as completed in T1E2 “model shop” rifle
configuration by U.S. Springfield Armory specialist Art Tuttle for
inventor John C. Garand, retaining 90% plus parkerized and 80% plus
blue finishes with some light edge wear, brown patina showing on the
buttplate, some limited pitting under the finish, faint remnants of the
original drawing numbers on the operating rod and bolt, some filing
evidence on modified parts, and scattered light handling marks. The
stock is excellent as hand selected and fitted for the rifle with crisp
markings and striking raised tiger-stripped, fiddle-back grain. This is
an extremely rare and historic rifle that would be impossible to obtain
again, being not only the very first M1 model shop rifle completed, but
also John C. Garand’s own personal show piece that he saved, making
it undoubtedly a true “National Treasure”, the highest pinnacle addition
of all M1 Garand and U.S. Military small arms collecting.
Provenance: The John C. Garand Collection; The Art Tuttle
Collection; The Billy Pyle Collection.
Estimate: 180,000 - 325,000
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