Unless its all/mostly WRA it shouldn't command a premium...

Yes it's lower number made but is some of the worst machining and finishing.  I have a correct(ed) '44 WRA.  It hasn't seen the range in maybe 15 years.  I should probably shoot it more...lol

I have two M1s that were built on Winchester receivers.   They both have Winchester bolts; one has a Criterion barrel and the other has a Springfield Armory barrel.

Both these rifles shoot well and both are fun to shoot.   If I could have found a Winchester barrel, I still would have used a new commercial barrel or a NOS Springfield barrel.

The thing is that the rifle was only original once.   Unless everything is original WRA, it's just a rebuilt rifle.  And in all honesty I don't think that the Winchester receivers are as good as the others that I have.

Yeah but not original WRA...its just worth the sum of the parts...

Right...then its just WRA in name and the value is in breaking it down for parts.  Not as a complete rifle.

I have two cmp WRA rifles.   One of them is missing two machining operations, basically lightening, shaping cuts aft of the op rod handle slot.

Add in in the poor machining marks.  One WRA I sent back for replacement was in Greek service, they silver soldered a barrel that wouldn’t draw tight.  I think Winchester slipped a short faced receiver in to the army and stock barrels wouldn’t draw tight at TDC.  The Greeks soldered it at TDC.  I wouldn’t found it but the shot so poorly I was really looking it over to figure it out.   Sent that one back and they built me another from parts, including lock bars.

I would like a VG WRA barrel but there are only so many.   That said any barrel that shoots well is good.

For a collector a WRA with an appropriate WRA barrel is worth more than one with an SA, LMR, HRA or aftermarket barrel.  As a shooter only the TE/ME numbers really matter.

A properly restored WRA rifle is worth more than a typical rebuild but not as much as an untouched all original rifle.  You'll never get your money back from a restoration though especially on a Winnie or an IHC.

This is not a greek repair and is not silver soldered. If a receiver was out of spec but otherwise serviceable US arsenals chromed the receiver face for proper barrel draw. I have seen this done on other manufacture garands not just WRA. I have seen it done also on SA and IHC rifles
Instead of throwing out parts arsenals would repair salvage them. As another example, when bullet guide lugs would wear out of spec the would chrome the tip of the lug to build up material. If you ever see a bullet guide with a shiny tip this is one of them. When refinished the chrome will not take parkerizing