Rem-Lee M1899 sporter in 7.65: Ever seen one?

First post on Milsurps. This is my dad's old hunting rifle; I inherited it when he passed away in '87. I've done a lot of research on the Rem-Lee factory sporters and have not seen or heard of any other 7.65's known to exist. I don't know how my father came to own this rifle; he was born in Alabama 15 years after this sporter was made. 7.65 Belgian Mauser seems to me to be a very odd caliber to offer the American sportsman and hunter of that era. I've got Gene Myszkowski's ecellent book on Remington-Lee's, and would value any additional input on the possible early history of this rifle.

Best,
Garrison

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Is the serial number in the correct range for a sporter? I have one in the correct serial range that is marked ".303". It is marked in the same type of script as yours, but on the bottom of the barrel, under the forearm. The magazine has been played with a lot with bent feed lips and solder. The magazine spring is very weak, preventing proper feeding. I have made a wax chamber cast confirming a .303 Br chamber. I will get some pictures up in the near future. Having similar script on the caliber markings helps support the opinion that these may be rare, authentic factory products. Many thanks for putting up the photos.

Greetings, and thank you.

Yes, s/n is in the correct range for a factory sporter:

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I *think* this puts the year of manufacture as 1904. The caliber designation is in same the location as you describe on your Rem-Lee:

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Do you have a copy of "The Remington-Lee Rifle" by Gene Myszkowski? It was published in 1994, and in it he mentions only five .303 British sporters turning up in his survey (all located in Australia and New Zealand), and "the .35 Winchester and 7.65 Belgian Mauser have not appeared." I have scoured the internet looking for the slightest mention of another 7.65 sporter in existence besides mine, to no avail.

Here's are some photos of my mag, including five rounds of my dad's old ammo:

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You may already know this, but there's an exploded view of both the Rem-Lee M1885 and M1899, plus disassembly procedures for each rifle, in the April 1980 edition of American Rifleman. I picked up a mint copy off of eBay a couple weeks ago.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...rBJk4CXL-1.jpg

I hope you post up some photos of your sporter.

Best,
Garrison

Thanks again for the great photos. That "N.Y.S. S.A. F. " marking is of considerable interest. New York State ........?????. 757 looks like a rack number or issue number for some specific organization. It is impossible to imagine they had 757 1899s in 7.65. Yes, I have the book. I will get some pictures up in the next day or two. My serial no. is 75556. Metal on mine has been reblued and that lovely metal butt plate has been replaced by a rubber Pachmayr pad. 303 is on the underside of the barrel. The forward 3 starts 3 inches forward of the forend.

Here's a better look at the top of my receiver:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...Pg8hPGXL-1.jpg

My s/n is F757XX, and according to Gene M. it's not known the significance of the letter "F" in front of the s/n; about 75% of the observed s/n's above 75650 have it, he says, but there are no discernible differences between a sporter with or without the letter preceding the s/n.

Based on your s/n your sporter *should* be an '03 model, which would mesh nicely with Gene's research that indicates Remington introduced the .303 British caliber to the M1899 sporter lineup in '02.

Best,
Garrison

Hope I am uploading these photos. Barrel is stamped Remington and 303 is marked as in the 7.65 of another poster. Unfortunately the metal has been refinished as evidenced by the elimination of some markings. Also the rubber butt pad is not as nice as the one from metal. Still, I believe a quiite rare example.

Excellent photos, thank you for posting. Your rear sight is fascinating. I'll keep an eye out online and at local shows for a mag. Have you had the bolt group out and apart yet? I'm curious as to how yours is numbered. You probably already know this, but the locking lever (it pins the bolt head to the bolt) pivots OUT, not up (see below). This piece is thin and relatively fragile.

Thanks again.

Garrison

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Have one in .303" calibre marked on bottom of barrel also 303 stamped on tg and another place. S/n 755xx, has Lyman sight on cocking piece.

Thanks , Green, for the info. Please consider putting up some pictures. Especially interested in the 303 marking on the barrel, the Lyman sight and the shape of the lips on the magazine. Looks like our serial numbers are quite close. All this is very interesting and helping to verify that these are original factory products. Regards.

I have one in 6mm Lee Navy. AGB-1

Please consider putting up some pictures.

>>> Have one in .303" calibre marked on bottom of barrel also 303 stamped on tg and another place. S/n 755xx, has Lyman sight on cocking piece.

>>> I have one in 6mm Lee Navy. AGB-1

Photos welcomed. :-)

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Sorry about hijacking the thread, but I was wondering if any of you had a source for any parts for the 1899. I am missing the ejector spring and have a broken Bolt Head Locking Spring. I will post some picks of the gun when I get a chance. It is the sporter model in .30-40- Serial 101350. In addition to the missing parts it has a cracked stock. I am interested in getting it back into working order-but may not fire it. It has not been fired much for the last 50 years. About 25 or 30 years ago my brother used it a few times and it worked great. The bolt head spring was still good then, and he just held it in the air and shook it to get the spent cartridge out. I am originally from Michigan and the gun has been passed down through the family, so though it probably does not have much monetary value, there is some sentimental value to it.

Your 7.65 is a excellent woods cartridge. I shoot a mod 91 Argentine in that caliber and can tell you for a fact it is plenty good for just about anything in north America except the biggest of bears. Hunt with it and enjoy it.

FTIII

FTIII, thanks for the feeback. Doubtful I'll hunt with it as time has, IMO, transformed my dad's rifle from "just" a tool into a rare, relatively valuable antique. There are plenty of "lesser," more-modern rifles I can hunt with and not worry about knocking into a tree or dropping in the mud.

OTOH: My dad, were he still around, would probably tell me I'm full of beans and to take the derned thing out and fetch-up some venison. ;-)

Best,
GLM

What could help keep you closer to your dad than to do just what he would want you to do, go out n fetch up some venison and use this rifle to do it with. A few dings scratches and some carry wear are pretty small in the making memories department.....no? It's your rifle so I would always respect what you decide to do with it but were it me and if it had been my dads rifle you can take it to the bank dads rifle would be with me in the timber looking for a deer, bear, elk or moose.........but thats me. No matter what ya do be sure to enjoy it.

Regards
FTIII

Here is a picture of numbers on my bolt. These appear to be assembly numbers as bear no relation to the serial number of the rifle.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE=FTIII;253129]What could help keep you closer to your dad than to do just what he would want you to do, go out n fetch up some venison and use this rifle to do it with. A few dings scratches and some carry wear are pretty small in the making memories department.....no? It's your rifle so I would always respect what you decide to do with it but were it me and if it had been my dads rifle you can take it to the bank dads rifle would be with me in the timber looking for a deer, bear, elk or moose.........but thats me. No matter what ya do be sure to enjoy it.
I agree with you FTIII. I can say that I've never come across a Remington Lee of any type, but I think using it for its intended purpose can't be a bad thing. I agree too, definitely enjoy it!!

---------- Post added at 01:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 PM ----------

I forgot to say....what handsome rifles!!

You might have guessed that the picture of the action is my Ross not my Lee. I am on drugs is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Regards.

I heard that was going on a lot in Detroit! :lol::lol: If I remember correctly, Norma ammo of that vintage was fairly hot, but the action looks strong enough. Thanks for the pics all!

I have one in 303 british with serial 754xx, does not have USA stamped after NY

Am following this thread with some interest. I used to have an 1899 sporter in SOME version of the 6mm round, It was in the 75000 range as well. I have Gene's book. My rifle was marked ".236", but it was my understanding that such rifles were "supposed" to be stamped "6mm". I wonder if it might have been chambered for the fat-cased ".236 Remington", a rare rimmed cartridge (thus not the Navy round, or at least not the more common version of it) which was chambered in a few rolling blocks. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance.

FWIW - I use to have a Winchester-Lee Straight-Pull (commercial 'sporter'). It was marked on the receiver ring ".236 U.S.N."

Possibly, commercial rifles and ammo, in the 6 mm Naval cartridge chambering, bore the .236 designation?

As I said, mine is 303 but a couple of differences, Does not have U.S.A. or the "F" on the side of the receiver. Has a different butt plate, I have no way of knowing if it is factory or not. My barrel is stamped 303 on the bottom, nice shooter. I was also lucky in that I got 4 mags with mine but 3 are rusty, Still work but rusted bad.
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I just was noticing how the lines of the last one posted are so similar to the Lee Navy sporter....236.

Just wondering, could anyone make a guess at the value of the Remington Lee Sporter in 303 British? I have read that there isn't much collector value but I find that hard to believe if there are only as few as 12 left in 303. I have not been able to find one for sale in this caliber.

OP is from 2013.
"...guess at the value of..." Not without a picture. Condition is everything.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sunray

OP is from 2013.
"...guess at the value of..." Not without a picture. Condition is everything.

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Some pics in post # 24

Anyone know where I could find a magazine for a Remington Lee 1899. I also have a sporter in but no mag... Please PM me if you got one!

Not getting any answers or other sites so here goes:
Can anyone tell me if this rifle has any collector value? Some say it has no collector value yet there were only 1446 made in total from 1899-1909. I have been reading that only around 12 have turned up in 303 British. Pics in post #24. Seems like a lot of people don't even know that those rifles exist, maybe that affects the value. Some say it is Remington's first sporter with a detachable magazine. There is a book by Eugene Myszkowski called The Remington Lee Rifle , but I don't have it. I have not been able to find any for sale so it is kinda hard to find a value.

My rem Lee Sporter is in 303British, serial 7546x, I am trying to find out the lowest serial number in 303Brit, trying to determine if mine is close to being the first 303

Thanks for resurrecting this old thread. Neat Rifles!

I briefly owned an M1899 Sporter, in the correct s/n range (have Gene's book) which was marked ".236" ahead of the forend tip. I was told, but never verified during my brief ownership, that the rifle was chambered for the very rare .236 Remington, NOT the common 6mm Navy round. At this point I cannot verifiy anything, just thought I'd throw it out for comment. The rifle is probably still in Northern CA . . .