Rock island

[rice 123]

I have a 5 digit Rock Island with a 1-19 AV Barrel. Looks like it was rebuilt after WW1 it has a BA W rebuild stamp and was sent to the Philippines because it has a POD D stamp on it. There are no other rebuild or inspection stamps on it. What are the chances that if it was sent to the Philippines in the 1920s or 30s and would have still been there iat the beginning of WW11

Information

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[RCS]

Being far from an expert on these marking, i believe the P.O.D. with inspector letter is pre WW2 and the BA - WL is a WW2 inspection stamp. I have seen the following P.O.D. M, P.O.D. D . I have some data on a Rock Island 196xxx serial range with 6-11 dated barrel marked P.O.D. B BA-WL. My P.O.D. is on a four digit Springfield with SA 1918 dated barrel.

It would be difficult to prove if your rifle came back from the Philippines after WW2, although it has been said that some rifles (M1903) were imported from there during the 70's?

[rice 123]

this Rock Island is 7i536 I figure the 1- 19 AV barrel

[cplstevennorton]

BA and POD sort of go together.

Benecia was the portal to the Pacific so I see a lot of times shipments of rifles from BA going to the Philippines, or coming back to BA from the Philippines.

The other caveat in this is, even with the cartouches on the stock, it's nearly impossible to say when the stock was mated with that rifle.

[RCS]

I have heard from others that there were some Model 1917 stocks also with the POD Philippine rebuild stamp ? There were
quite a large number sent to the Philippines before WW2. Any information about POD marked Model 1917 stocks ?

[Rick the Librarian]

Believe me, a CERTIFIED M1903, M1 or M1917 that had Philippine service before WWII is HIGH on my list and I have yet to see a POD-marked M1917. There were about 220,000 of them which were sold to the Philippines back in the late 1930s.

[enbloc8]

Being far from an expert on these marking, i believe the P.O.D. with inspector letter is pre WW2 and the BA - WL is a WW2 inspection stamp. I have seen the following P.O.D. M, P.O.D. D . I have some data on a Rock Island 196xxx serial range with 6-11 dated barrel marked P.O.D. B BA-WL. My P.O.D. is on a four digit Springfield with SA 1918 dated barrel.

It would be difficult to prove if your rifle came back from the Philippines after WW2, although it has been said that some rifles (M1903) were imported from there during the 70's?Attachment 124576

I wonder, are there any verified examples of M1903s that were recovered from the Philippines after the war? From reading accounts of Bataan survivors, it sounds like many were ordered to burn their weapons or throw them in the ocean the evening before the surrender. Obviously some survived the Fall, in the hands of guerillas and the Japanese occupation forces, but I wonder what condition they would have been in by the liberation...whether they would have been refurbished instead of simply scrapped as worn and obsolete.

I too have heard of the 1903s that came out in the 1970s, but I wonder if those had been supplied as military aid immediately after the war.

[browningautorifle]

I too have heard of the 1903s that came out in the 1970

Since that too. They were touted loud and long as having come from bunkers in the Philippines...but that and a couple bucks will buy you a small coffee now. They were hard put rifles too.

[Snowman1510]

I have one of those 1903 Philippine imports. It is a low number SA. Oh heck I'll grab it and see if i can post some photos. I took multiple photos, but they are to boig to upload now. The rifle has a 3 38 SA barrel and is imported by Federal Ordnance.

[Rick the Librarian]

There was an outfit who was selling "certified" Bataan M1903s for the (then) outrageous sum of about $800-1000 back in the late 1980d.