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Legacy Member
M1903 National Match or Clone?
I picked-up a NM configured M1903 rifle today. I gave a clone price for it ($500) and would like some opinions.
I figure that at best it's some type of "rescue".
First off it does not have a star gauged barrel and the 1938 barrel does not match up with the serial....About three years off.
Serial # 1472256
Evidently it had Unertl blocks on it at one time.
https://i.postimg.cc/9fgjJvWT/DSCN8818-2.jpg
Lyman 48C rear, Lyman front sights.
https://i.postimg.cc/76phQCxg/DSCN8821-2.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/7LJytKbW/DSCN8833-2.jpg
Rear sight base marking:
https://i.postimg.cc/MHQMW7sP/DSCN8826-2.jpg
Stock markings and butt-plate.
https://i.postimg.cc/MpKRhFkt/DSCN8823-2.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/YCZ9bntv/DSCN8828-2.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/dtzPfzTc/DSCN8835.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Zqs1r2mQ/DSCN8827-2.jpg
Bolt markings.
https://i.postimg.cc/dtz39NsL/DSCN8819-2.jpg
Polishing:
https://i.postimg.cc/MTVJqtkr/DSCN8825-2.jpg
The rifle.
https://i.postimg.cc/j5KZnhw1/DSCN8834-2.jpg
Information
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Thank You to 1srelluc For This Useful Post:
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05-22-2019 05:35 PM
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Contributing Member
That’s a hell of a price even for a fake.
Interested hear what the experts say.
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Legacy Member
It's looking like it's a former USMC Special Target Sniper converted to a service rifle competition rifle.
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Contributing Member
It surely seems to has USMC provenance. Will ask Steve to give his opinion.
Edit: would you possibly post additional pictures of your rifle, showing the recoil lugs on bottom of the receiver, the inletting for the rear scope base inside the stock, as well as the magazine guard from top? Is there a small mark (like an indent) on bottom where the two holes are on the barrel?
Last edited by Promo; 05-23-2019 at 04:05 AM.
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Legacy Member
I made this comment on the CMP forum.
But I think you have a National Match that was sent to the Marines as a Marine team rifle. Even though the stock has a 5, I believe this was most likely in the 1936 NM order to the Marines, possibly the 1937 shipment. But I just have a hunch it was 1936. But when the barrel was worn out at the end of a NM season the Marines re-barreled it and made it a Marine Special target.
Then it was converted to a Unertl Sniper rifle post Jan 1943.
Then at some point later it was built into this configuration. Which they always stamp the last four of the serial on the stock and handguard like this. Then they parked the whole bolt and clean off one little spot to electro pencil them. I haven't figured out for sure who did this, or why. But my speculation it might have been Raritan and post when the Unertl was declared obsolete and released to the Army. But I can't prove it. But I know of about a dozen of these. Some have the RA-P on the stock. One has a sales document to LetterKenny in the 50's. But all seem to be made from former Marine team or Sniper parts.
I would love to know if the Marines built them into configuration and just released them to the Army, or the Army did some work on these as well.
But congrats again! That is one rare rifle!
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