Ross M10 markings

[Terdfergus]

Hello everyone,

After coveting one for some time, I finally got my hands on a beautiful Ross mk.3. Although its sporterized, the barrel length and sights are unmolested and it seems like a good candidate for desporterization . Unfortunately, the stock has no markings, its either aftermarket or they have been sanded off, so I was hoping some the experts here could help get a glimpse of some of this rifle's history based on the stamps on the barrel and receiver, the only markings I could locate on the gun. Thanks in advance for any help!

Information

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[browningautorifle]

I don't think there have been any replacement stocks until very recently. We do have a forum member that reproduces them and another that can make certain hardware... The marks are just Dominion of Canada marks and nitro proofs... The stock marks were the story.

[Terdfergus]

Yeah, it's a damn shame somebody felt the need to sand the stock like that, especially since there is no way of knowing the rifle's serial number now. I've read that taking a black light to it could help to make out markings that were sanded away, I may try that but I doubt it will help, the wood is smooth as a baby's bottom. I've done some reading on the BM proof mark, and from my understanding it along with the .303 nitro proof stamp indicates that the rifle was proofed in England sometime between 1925-54 either before being sold off or reissued for home guard use. The E stamp seems to indicate that the chamber was widened to handle British ammunition better, which if I understand correctly was generally done at field workshops in England. So, would it be a fair assumption that the rifle at least made it overseas one way or another?

[Surpmil]

Hopefully the bore is in as good condition as the exterior?

Your bolt may be a substitution as the finish does not at all match that of the barrel and receiver.

I wouldn't worry about it though; Ross apparently believed his bolts were interchangeable as they were rarely serial numbered to the receiver.

Just ensure correct bolt assembly and fire 'at arms length' from a rest the first few times if you have any concerns.

[browningautorifle]

So, would it be a fair assumption that the rifle at least made it overseas one way or another?

It probably did go over but could have been withdrawn before they left Salisbury. Then they did all kinds of service after the fact. We just had a US collector showing his off with all it's US markings...

[Terdfergus]

Hopefully the bore is in as good condition as the exterior?

Your bolt may be a substitution as the finish does not at all match that of the barrel and receiver.

I wouldn't worry about it though; Ross apparently believed his bolts were interchangeable as they were rarely serial numbered to the receiver.

Just ensure correct bolt assembly and fire 'at arms length' from a rest the first few times if you have any concerns.

The bore is in great shape, the bolt has the safety rivet installed and shows the correct full inch of exposed bolt sleeve when open, and closes and locks correctly so I have no concerns at all about safely firing it. My only concern is that the action is a bit stiff when pulling back from the locked position when the firing pin isn't cocked, maybe from being non-matching as you mentioned, but I suspect a good cleaning and oiling will help remedy that somewhat.

It probably did go over but could have been withdrawn before they left Salisbury.

I suspect that was likely the case given the metal is in as good a shape as it is, probably sat in storage for a while before being sold into the civilian market.

[Surpmil]

Try black light on the stock in a darkened room. You may be able to read the marks despite the sanding.

[Terdfergus]

I did try using a black light on the stock, no dice. All I could make out was a very faint outline of the cartouche, bubba did a very thorough job of it. As far as safety goes, the bore looks great, the bolt has the rivet installed, shows the correct full inch of exposed sleeve when open, and closes and locks correctly, so I have no concerns at all about safely firing it. My only concern is that the action is a bit stiff when pulling back from the locked position, could be as you mentioned because the bolt is mismatched. I suspect a good cleaning and oiling will help remedy that.

[boltaction]

It definitely did spend time overseas as the Crown BM proof mark is a Birmingham one, and the .303 Nitro Proof mark is also British. You say the bolt is mismatched--they were never numbered, except sometimes by the British if issued to the Royal Marines. What is stamped on the bolt? As for the bolt finish, looks about right to me for a well used gun. The original bolts were case coloured but that often was worn off by cleaning over the years.

Ed

[Terdfergus]

https://i.imgur.com/ORabqIj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Tdjw2kJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/aCZqDag.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/OMm2wSM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1S7KlqX.jpg

Here are some images of various stamps on the bolt. Looks to me like the top of the sleeve maybe has a 9 and a 0 showing while the bottom says "AX31" (the 1 looks like it could also be a Greek letter or something like that) along with a lower case a or u. back of the magazine cutoff looks like it has a "Y" stamped on it, bolt handle has an inspectors mark along with and "X". No idea if any of that means anything or it's just standard inspection/ manufacturing marks.