03A4 markings

[Promo]

Any idea why someone would do that to the markings on an 03A4?
Attachment 22790
S/N is in 4.993.XXX range, barrel date 5-43.

I know another 03A4 rifle with such "changed" markings. The brown stuff is just oil and dirt.

Information

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[Chuckindenver]

seen it done many times. during rebuild...it was a military remark.. iv seen more Z numbered A4,s with this then any other.

[Johnny Peppers]

Probably not an Ordnance authorized modification. The receivers were marked 03-A3 for a reason, but some rebuild facility thought they would correct the marking.
At one time Ordnance was considering putting the 1911A1 type trigger cutouts in the 1911 receivers. A few examples were modified, but Ordnance decided against the modification. The 1911 receivers with the cutouts show up on a regular basis with the receiver marked 1911A1, so some facility decided to modify some anyway.

[Emri]

Would the re-build facilities, or any gov't facility have torched (annealed) the reciever to allow the stamping of them ?? The discoloration from a torch, with attendant finish loss is obvious in Promo's pic.

[Promo]

Found that

After this block had been used to 4997045, receiver marking was changed to "03‑A4" and a new series of numbers begun with Z4000000.

(Source)

concerning that topic. Did they really do that?

[JGaynor]

Found that

(Source)

concerning that topic. Did they really do that?

No. The source you are quoting is completely off the mark. Rifles were manufactured roughly in serial number order. There is no basis in fact for the assertion that "receiver marking was changed to 03-A4 after serial number 4997045". Also Remington produced the entire run of the so-called "Z" series A4's before the first
499xxxx receiver was made.

The remarked receivers are believed to have been done during a rebuild. As Johnny P mentions above quite possibly an unofficial modification. The 5-43 barrel on the rifle depicted by the OP is definitely a replacement.

Are there any indications of a rebuild stamped into the buttstock or on the barrel under the wood?

Regards,

Jim

[Chuckindenver]

id bet that all these were done by one man...thinking he was doing the right thing...stamping a reciever isnt an issue with a hard stamp.

[Chuckindenver]

if you look at the handguard ring, its parkerized, a tell tail sign of being rebuilt..

[Promo]

The shown gun has been supplied to the Austrian Army after WWII by US government. Might been through rebuild before, I also have one of those and it has a SA over R marking.

[JGaynor]

The shown gun has been supplied to the Austrian Army after WWII by US government. Might been through rebuild before, I also have one of those and it has a SA over R marking.

One of these days i will wise up and check my own database . i have a record of 4993402 with a 5-43 barrel, Smith Corona Bolt (or at least the bolt sleeve) that was listed on the Gunboards forum a few years ago. The note i have with it was that it belonged to an Austrian collector and carried an M73B1 Scope. It had the modified receiver marking.

Regards,

Jim