Cartouche emerges

I began stripping the paint off the stock of a M1898 and was pleased to see a cartouche and proof mark emerge from under cover. The cartouche is, I believe, a boxed ILA 1903, which matches the rifle's year of production. It appears the stock was lightly sanded or the marks, particularly the P, were lightly struck. Above the P is what I take to be an E or F.

The rest of the rifle is encrusted with grime and it will take a week or two to soak & clean the metal.

Attachment 30898Attachment 30899

That's pretty neat. I have one 1895 cartouched stock, you could have seen beneath the paint. The stock had absorbed so much cosmoline over the years that the cartouche is raised. It probably weighs a couple pounds more than other stocks.

kirk, that cartouche would be JSA --J. Sumnar Adams.

Yes, I can see that it is JSA now! The script is hard to decipher!