three of my favorite 1903 rifles

[RCS]

Photo shows three of my favorite 1903 rifles, all rebuilds with pre or WW1 barrels and early wood.Attachment 55722 Not worth much but still among my favorite 1903 rifles


Anyone notice something on one of these rifles that is quite rare ?

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[Fred G.]

The middle rifle has the early slide and the early sight with the platinum line in it. It also has an early stock with the high profile edge.

[RCS]

Fred, You have an excellent eye to spot the early slide, the leaf is also without the top rib too. Do you think these leafs and square corner slides are unique only to Rock Island rifles ?Attachment 55723

[Fred G.]

I don't believe so. As far as I know, they're just early features that were updated later on most such rifles. That rifle probably also started out with the hand guard with no sight groove cut but that feature was updated.
Did you ever check to see if it might possibly be in 30-03?

[RCS]

Fred, the Rock Island s/n 3576 has a SA 1910 dated barrel. Years ago I bought Rock Island 1903 serial number 64145 that had a RIA 3-07 dated barrel. The rear sight base was the open bottom and the rear sight leaf was also without the top rib and the slide also had the square left end like the sight pictured above. But both of these rear sight leafs have the Rock Island 7 which is different from the Springfield number 7 on the leaf scale

[rayg]

The middle rifle has the early slide and the early sight with the platinum line in it. It also has an early stock with the high profile edge.

Good eye Fred, didn't see that and had to go back and enlarge the photos to see it, Ray