Hey guys, I just picked up what I believe is a matching Inland M1A1, SN 810684. The catch is that sometime in its past someone decided that it needed a shiny nickel finish and tapped and drilled the receiver and modified the stock for a scope mount.
I bought this under the assumption that it was a folding stock retrofit, to plink with and maybe take it back to a parkerized finish and clean up the wood. Now that everything I can verify is checking out as a matching M1A1 I don't know what to do.
I would love some feedback on the following questions:
Does this look like an early matching M1A1 to you?
Is it worth too much to use as a plinker?
If so, should I take it somewhere to get professionally refinished/ cleaned up or leave it as is?
I'd appreciate any thoughts on this. I'm way out of my depth on this one.
(Rear site leaf is missing and front sight wings have been... disappeared)
(Scope mount carnage)