US Front seam M1 Fixed bale helmet shell dated 1943 good?

[christek]

Hello all,

I am starting to get my hands on some of the earlier WWII M1's and hope that this shell is all correct.

I have done some homework on these and it all appears good, but I have not seen enough fixed examples to have developed a good eye for these bales, they look fine to me; though I hope to get some of your valued opinions. This example appears to have it's original finish, and is in decent condition. It had a horrible surface rust area inside the shell, which I have lightly rubbed away with gun oil. The common stress cracks are there and the rim is a bit rough in some areas.

The rim is stainless and the production number '623C' indicates early to mid 1943.

Thanks for looking. Kind regards,
Chris


P.S Sorry the pics could have been better, still learning how to use my new DSLR!

[ruddersrangers44]

Nothing to worry about chris at all,as you said mid 43 McCord shell.............

[Patches]

nice lid, i just wish it uad its chinstraps. i usually get my helmets ith the chinstraps lost or taken off to sell seperately

[christek]

Many thanks for the replies gentlemen.

It is great to have some confirmation of my pre-purchase homework.

Out of interest, what would you do with this shell? I have been looking for some original khaki chinstraps, but these are really hard to find . I am not crazy about the idea of professional repros from a good place such as J. Murry or Toppots, but it is an option as originals so difficult to find.

I found this WWII liner (appears to have been reused postwar , Korea?), i had forgotten about it, had it for years. The webbing is in pretty bad shape, but the liner is solid.

It is marked W (Westinghouse) and above this is '26'. Is this an early (1943 or earlier) liner? If this suits, it will accompany fixed bale M1 until a better example comes along.


Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
Chris

[Patches]

the black A washers are black meaning that this is after 1943. this will be fine until you get a better replacement. you should get the sweatband and leather strap for it. i wouldnt get repro parts for the helmet. i would wait for originals. check m1helmetdepot.com for parts. they usually have them

[christek]

the black A washers are black meaning that this is after 1943. this will be fine until you get a better replacement. you should get the sweatband and leather strap for it. i wouldnt get repro parts for the helmet. i would wait for originals. check m1helmetdepot.com for parts. they usually have them

Thanks for the info. I had not yet found that company. Seems that I just missed the example they had for sale. I'll keep checking. Thanks again!

[timothy]

Nice fixed bail m1 I have one just like it down to the lighter color faded with time. Most assure ww2 issue yours is. timothy

[Panzersaurus]

Nice helmets guys! better than my crappy post war M1. First post of 2014!

[Patches]

they usually add new ones every so often and if you message them they may have a pair that hasnt been listed. i am keeping and eye on the usmc helmet with the diamond patch.