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Gents,
I recently acquired a Remington made 1903 Springfield that has been sporterized. Serial number is 3142XXX, most parts are stamped with "R", barrel is stamped 6-42.
The problem I'm having is with the stampings on the underside of the barrel. Whoever sporterized it polished most of the barrel, thereby almost wiping out the markings.
I have exhausted myself searching numerous sources to decipher the stampings so I am turning to the knowledgeable members here. I appreciate any and all help!
Most of the markings you see are symbols which Remington used as sub-inspection stamps, probably put there during manufacture and testing of the barrel.. The one letter appears to be a partial P, which indicates the barrel was successfully proof-tested. There is no way (that I am aware) to know exactly what the marks stood for or who put them there.
Earlier Remington M1903s had similar markings in the area just forward of the trigger guard on the stock. See below for an example.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...standard-1.jpg
Thank you, Rick. That is the information I was looking for and couldn't find. Is it common for the early Remington's to have more than one mark of proof?
There is a large "P" stamped on the underside of the barrel a couple of inches from the muzzle, which I understand is the standard mark, but I was not aware of any additional being used...
Yes, it is common to see several markings, although I admit two "P"s would be different. Possibly another letter.
Later in production, the symbols on the stock turned to numerals inside of geometric symbols.