Interested in Collector's opinions on Inland stock and handguard

[Gus Fisher]

I have an Inland stock that has not been modified for the M2. It is a high wood stock. It still has most of the Ordnance Crossed Cannon cartouche and has "IH" in the stock cut out for the sling.
This stock had way too many small dings and dents in it, so some refinishing was necessary. I can not get all the small black marks out at the bottom of the dings by steaming or sanding because that would cause too much loss of the surface of the stock. When I run into this on a Garand wood set I use a medium or dark walnut stain to cover them so they don't stand out as much and are not as objectionable.

I figure I should go as light as possible with the stain to just make the dark spots less noticeable rather than make the color really dark. Is this how most collectors prefer it or would they prefer a darker color?

I have two different handguards with only two holes I can use, but I"m not sure which one is better to match the stock for collector purposes. One handguard is marked "OI" and the other is marked "IN." The "IN" marked one matches the grain a bit better, but wiith having to stain the stock and handguard to match, that isn't as big of a deal in matching color. What I'm interested in is which handguard would better match the stock for the time period of the stock?

I'd very much appreciate anyone taking the time to give their preferences as I'm looking to make this the best combination for the most people.

[Gus Fisher]

DARN, I forgot to ask what would be the correct marked recoil plate for this stock as well or if more than one would be correct.

[Mike in NC]

The late style with a "DI" marking would be the most likely to find in this stock originally unless it is an "I" cut oiler slot (see question below). The "DI" marking would be on the surface facing the receiver lug. The other recoil marking would be "W.I." on the bottom of the tang, toward the rear.

The "IN" marked handguard is probably a light stamp that is actually "TN" for Trimble Nursery, made for National Postal Meter. It is probably very small font.

The OI handguard is an Inland, Overton for Inland. The two hole handguard is the time period the match for a highwood stock. I don't think you mentioned it, but is the stock oval or "I" cut for the oiler slot? If it is an I-cut stock is worth more more and might have had the early style recoil plate.

I think a lot of collectors perfer the stock color not to be so dark that wood grain does not show through. Lighter is probably better than too dark a color. Just my preference.

[Gus Fisher]

Mike,

The oiler slot is oval cut. Sorry, I didn't think to mention that. Thank you for your thoughts.