I traded for this old rifle back in the early 1960s:
There was not much finish left on the metal but no rust or pitting. The wood was worn, well used and a little abused. I had planned to buy a new stock, sporterize and mount a scope. But I couldn't bring myself to do it.
The sling came from an army surplus store; its unmarked and undated.
The rifle was made in 1933 according to the serial number . . .
. . . and the Springfield barrel date of 8 - 33 indicates its probably original to the rifle:
Most of the other parts appear to be correct for a 1903 . . .
except for the rear barrel band and sling swivel which are stamped sheet metal that is blued:
The trigger guard and magazine floor plate are correct . . .
. . . as are the rear sling swivel and butt plate:
There are very faint markings left that can still provide some information:
I don't have a clue about the J. There appear to be three letters in a box near the J, only the last letter is legible as an A. It is possible this marking is either FBA or JSA since both were inspectors of new rifles at SA or just two letters AA for Augusta Arsenal indicating the rifle went through arsenal repair at some time in its history.
The final proof mark is present:
But I don't for the life of me know anything about Betty . . .
(Someone on another forum speculated that the letters might be Greek - Beta Epsilon Pi Upsilon, indicating the rifle might have seen service in Greece at some time in its history - who knows?)
The bore is worn but still shiny. I used this rifle to hunt deer until sometime in the 1980s when my wife gave me a Ruger 77R in 30-06 that I could easily scope. I retired the 1903 and haven't fired it since. I would hope to replace the lower barrel band and swivel with vintage 1903 Springfield parts if I can find them, otherwise the rifle will stay in its present configuration as part of my collection.
One member of this forum saw the rifle posted elsewhere and graciously offered the opinion that the the bolt appeared to be an L6 type from the 1920s and that the handguard was of WWII vintage (which, in my opinion, might indicate that the rifle did go through an arsenal - Augusta? - repair at one time).
Any other comments, questions, and information would be appreciated toward attempting to determine the background and history of this rifle.
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