My buddy's cleaning lady just inherited some rifles. Among them was a Springfield with a 6 digit S/N that put it in early '42.  It is most SA parts, the OP rod is marked NM which I believe means it was a 60s replacement.  I was pretty excited for her until I saw the big BLUE SKY stamp on the barrel.   I have heard about them before,  but I don't know how much it affects the value.  Overall,  I'd say the rifle would be a nice rack grade or low field grade from the CMP. I dont have a throat or muzzle gage.

Sum of the parts really. Probably anywhere from $500-800 depending on how bad of shape its in

I am no expert by a long shot, but even with the Blue Sky - it is still a 6 digit M1, so it is still a nice piece.
I have a Blue Sky M1 Carbine and when I was doing my research, the biggest issue with the import mark that some guns were stamped way too hard to the point of deforming the barrel on the inside and screwing up the rifling.
The majority of Blue Sky imports are fine shooters and still hold good value - just make sure the stamp is not slammed into the barrel too hard.

I have two and they shoot just like my other not marked ones. One has a Winchester receiver

Bothers me about as much as the stamping on the barrel of my AR...

As far as I'm concerned, a properly stamped Blue Sky carbine is no different than any other import-marked gun. The value will only go up as it is still a genuine USGI surplus firearm.

For clarification, this is a Garand not Carbine.

To collectors, the import mark decreases value.  This is especially true for a USGI weapon.

$100 less than a Garand in similar configuration and condition without Import Stamp

Blue Sky were Korean re-imports weren't they?

That is my understanding .

Korean Imported rifles not re-imports

Read my post again and note that I compared it to other import-marked guns. Obviously non-marked guns are more desirable for the collector.

No need for me to read it again.  I wasn't saying thst you didn't already post your opinion, but simply stating that it does affect value.  We are on the same page.  The value on an import stamped Garand is the sum of the parts.  I would generally pay $100 to $200 less for a stamped rifle as a comparable non stamped rifle.

I've bought two NOS Springfield Armory barrels from a guy in Greece.

Both barrels were dated 1954.

If I had a Blue Sky rifle, I'd get rid of the barrel and replace it with a NOS Springfield.

Re-import meaning they were exported as foreign aid and were commercially re-imported, not re-patriated like CMP guns.

Many Blue Sky imports have been rebarreled. You won't know the difference.

FluffyTheCat wrote:



Quite a few NOS (as well as used) USGI parts, for various weapons, have turned up on ebay from a seller or sellers in Greece. Sometimes these guys use Cyprus or Bulgarian addresses to disguise their true whereabouts.

These are from spare parts stocks supplied to the Greek government, along with the parent weapons, as foreign military assistance. Technically, the weapons were "on loan" and had to be returned to the U.S. when no longer needed by the Greeks. (Hence, the CMP Garands.) But the spare parts were considered "expendables" and were not accounted for separately. Due to the endemic corruption in Greece, they found their way to the black market and from there to ebay.

In other words, these are stolen goods.

Besides that, the importation of surplus barrels into the U.S. is illegal. I'm not sure what the rules are concerning imports into Canada.

You can take a chance and order these parts, hoping that the postal inspectors won't catch you.

FWIW, I bought a Blue Sky M1 Carbine and M1 Garand when they first were sold back in the early 90s.  Neither of them has ever given me a bit of trouble and they both shoot to point of aim.

The M1 has a 6 digit serial number dating to June 1942.  All the other parts, except for the barrel, are from that vintage.  The barrel is a Marlin rebarrel from the 1950s.

Bought a Blue Sky Springfield for $290 around '93 or so. Shot it a year or 2 before accuracy really got bad. Rebarreled it with a Douglas barrel from Champions Choice in Lavergne, Tn as they were very close to me.
Reparked it and refinished the stock. It's a real nice one now.
It sits in the safe with the Winchester I inherited from my grandfather years ago.
I only shoot my H&R now.

My m1 is a Blue sky import.. The barrel might need to be replaced.. I would also pick up a new sear and clip latch for it.. I started to use my for service match. I shot it for several years until sear went bad than it double and triple firing it..

This happened when we chester in the oval office and the AWB was floating around. I couldn't get parts quick enough for the next match..

So I sucked it up and picked up an colt ar15 to shoot service match.

I finally got  the sear and clip latch replaced but barrel was gone for shooting service match..

During this time frame the match leader had M1 308 national match for sale which i ended up picking up for what i did pay for that imported m1.. I purchased the barrel for the blue sky but never got it barrelled maybe this year I'll send it off to shuff's to have it re-barreled, but at this point i might just purchase another barrel in 308 for it..

The only other 30-06 i own anymore went to my son a 1903a3 so it doesn't make sense to to re-barrel if for 30-06.

Back in 1988 i purchased the blue sky for 600.00 out of NYS did i pay way too much yep but i did end up with an M1 with the only other place to get them was the pre cmp and it was only 1 a life time.

6 years ago i purchased a blue sky for $450. It was ugly. Lock up on the chu wood stock was non existant. Park was almost blue. Turns out it had Some correct parts on it. I came across a correct barrel and stock, changed out a few other parts to be correct to the serial, and sent it to Shuffs. Its now beautiful and happy to be restored to her former glory. No way id be able to do a restoration like that today with the high cost of parts.  But some collectors like keeping Blue Skys as they are, because it proves the history of where it came from. I have a CMP Austrian police carbine, and while some may try to rebuild that one, i wont touch it. I know the history and want to keep it as pristine as i can. Same idea with a Blue Sky. But id put yours dependant on being a six digit, barrel wear, and overall condition between $650 and $875 perhaps more in a bidding situation.

A GRAND....



Because M1s are now worth $1000 regardless.

I bought a Blue Sky M1 and Carbine back in 1989 for 175 and 125 respectively. Recently I had James River Armory restore them. The M1 is an Aug 1941 Springfield and the carbine is a Standard Products June 1943. Criterion barrels and like new. I'm happy.