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It is the RA marked by the FJA inspector mark. Here is a good website http://m1903.com/rbmarks.htm
Last edited by surpman1911; 03-26-2014 at 07:02 PM.
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03-26-2014 06:57 PM
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Nope , that is the Remington Arms stamp put on all thier stocks when ( or shortly before or after ) S/C joined the party . I do not see any rebuild stamps on this rifle , but the pics arn't good enough to see if it's been refinished or if a stamp is there but not shown . All I can say for sure is the bolt's been switched , which could have happened anywhere .
Chris
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rifle has been rebuilt, at least once.
metal has been reparked. bolt and other bits were replaced at that time..
RA is a Remington marking. SS is a common mark used at the time the DCM sold these rifles..
US is another mark..but one a person doesnt like to see...
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Manufacturers did not mark their stock on the left hand side of the grip, rather, they put their mark on the end of the stock under the barrel. Nor did Remington take part in the rearsenaling process. When these rifles were first produced, the left side of the grip would only have one inspector stamp. A second stamp would be put if rearsensled which is what the RA mark is. RA stands for raritan arsenal not Remington arms. This is a common misunderstanding.
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I think you are confused about the RA stamp. If it is on a stock that was originally on a Remington produced rifle, it stands for Remington Arms. If the RA ( usually with the -P ) is on a rebuilt rifle, it stands for Raritan Arsenal.
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I read this on m1903.com but it could be wrong. I have never seen factory markings in that particular spot but then again I haven't been around 1903 Springfields much.
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Originally Posted by
surpman1911
Surpman thanks for the reply but as others have mentioned the large "RA" in that location stands for Remington Arms. Interestingly the rifles specifications called for marking the stock withe the: Ordnance Escutcheon (Crossed cannon topped with flaming shell encircled with a cannoneers belt), and the Final Inspectors Stamp - in this case the FJA with or without a rectangular surround. BTW Col Atwood was in overall charge of contract manufacture for the entire Rochester Ordnance District which covered a number of industrial plants. Remington alone operated 20hours a day i believe six days a week. So the actual inspecting and stamping would have been done by a small army of enlisted men (or women) or their civilian counterparts who ultimately reported to Col. Atwood.
What's unclear Is why Remington felt it necessary to apply the RA? it was not called for in the specs and Smith Corona never stamped a similar mark. Clearly the markings on the receiver left no doubt as to who made the rifle. Another mystery!
Regards,
Jim
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The Following 3 Members Say Thank You to JGaynor For This Useful Post:
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S/C was not a gun mfg before this , and Remington knew that S/C's stocks would have the wheel and FJA mark . I don't think they had an inkling about the little sub stamps or minor cutting difference . Just like Ford's little "F" stamps and castings , they wanted to cover thier behinds if S/C produced a lot of bad stocks that the govt. wanted refunds on . This extra stamp was not added till after they knew S/C was on board.
Chris
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Don't see a Raritan rebuild mark either, and Col. Frank J. Atwood did not inspect rifles at Remington Arms. His initials will be found on small arms and equipment manufactured in the Rochester Ordnance District, and indicate that they had passed all required inspections and had been accepted by his authority as the Commanding Officer.
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Originals used a mix of parked and blued metal. I posted several photos trying to show an original finish.
Remington 1903A3 (displaying original configuration and finish)
It looks like a great rifle! I have another that's been rebuilt and it's my favorite shooter of all. SUPER accurate!
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