Where's my post?

[JustMrMe]

Help! I put together a rather long post a week ago, and was notified that it was waiting for moderator approval. Okay, first post, reasonable delay to be expected. Read the buried fine print about Contributing Members, sent $ before posting, got the reply email acknowledging receipt. And nothing. Sent a couple of help messages using the system here on the site. Still nothing. Hoping that someone reviewing this post will notice and allow my participation, please? I was able to post photos in my gallery, but that's it.

[JustMrMe]

These photos are what drew me to the M1903. This is a relative at Parris Island in 1917.
I'm going to try and repost my original posting!

[JustMrMe]

I'm going to break this down into several smaller posts to make it a little more bite-size.

This M1903 new to me, what follows are my findings and a couple of questions for the hive mind here.

My goal was to get something that was faithful to the M1903 handled by a relative, who was with the 6th Marines in France and wounded at - or right before, Belleau Wood.

I think the rifle I have was one built for display at some point in time, as the serial number places it in the range of the weak receivers, and the barrel is junk.

Based on the serial number, this M1903 was originally built in 1917. Build stamp on the stock looks like it could be "D.A.L" but it was mostly obliterated by the rack stamp. The DAL stamp (assuming that is correct) places the stock between 1917 and 1918 according to Brophy (Pg 558). So, most of this firearm was, it appears, of the correct age and type to be WWI used in some fashion. Which is what I wanted for my collection. I wasn’t looking for a shooter. It appears that the rack stamp was put on after the original build but before the arsenal rebuild. Perhaps an original Navy issue?

It was possibly sent back to Springfield armory for a rebuild sometime between1936-40. This is shown by the later "SA over SPG" stamp. But with a 1918 barrel(?!). Sometime after that it seemed to make its way into private hands.

Upon disassembly, when I pulled off the handguard, the barrel still had a coating of cosmoline, leaving the exterior in perfect condition. And in pulling the butt stock, out fell a pristine nickel plated oiler, with the cleaning brush and a full oil reservoir.

So, I have gone through this firearm piece by piece, and been trying to do the research to understand its history, at least as well as I can. I offer these findings to the brains here for feedback and correction.

One more thing. This gun had the dusty crud coating that you would expect from something that has been in a dry storage for many years. It was well oiled when it was put up, but it didn’t seem like it was touched in a long time. Decades would be my guess.

[JustMrMe]

It is marked with the typical S A flaming bomb and a 9-18 date.
There is an additional mark below the date that looks like a letter "A" faintly stamped.

There are a bunch of indentations on the side of the barrel that look like they are from a barrel change. With a pipe wrench! "D4" is stamped on the right side of the barrel just above the install marks. No center punch mark on the flaming bomb. Has a heavy sight cover which appears to be a USMC type, based on Brophy p 447.

The bore has me a bit confused. It looks rough. The rifling appears to be okay in spots, but where there is no rifling it seems to be corroded rather badly. But there is no active rust, just pitted. Pictures from a boroscope are attached. Cleaning only got me a light dusting of orange corrosion dust, absolutely no gunpowder residue. This barrel has me puzzled. It isn’t original to the receiver, but it appears to be, well, junk. Which is okay for me, as this is going to be a non-shooter.

[JustMrMe]

Looks like there are a ton of different parts in this bolt, and it appears to be Remington. It looks like a match to a 1903-A3 bolt pictured in Brophy p45. Large hole and no dimples on the lug. No "N.S." marking, but several stampings where the bolt handle meets the bolt. Includes the numbers 44, 49, and not visible with the safety installed, a stamped number 10. There is an "R" stamp, and a letter "O" along what looks like a tiny snowman also. See photos.

Standard ejector

Standard black extractor, very little wear

Safety lock thumbpiece, black parkerized third variation per Brophy p 49. Stamped with an "R" on the safety lever, also on the side. Number "7" with a box also on the side.
Firing pin (striker) Carries a "R" stamp on the shoulder. Per Brophy P 54 this should be a

Remington 1903A3 striker. Assembly shows a 1917 knob serrations.

Cut-off is early style

[JustMrMe]

Part 4 - Stock
The stock is an early straight stock, likely contemporary with the receiver. It carries what looks like an initial "D.A.L" stamp, a rack number, and finally a "SA-SPG" stamp from 1936 to 1940.

There is a small mark on the tip that cannot be made out. Two screw stock. Consistent with 1917-1918 production.

The handgrip feels very new. While it matches the main stock color well, it has not been worn smooth over time like the rest of the stock. It is a replacement from the original higher hump handguard at least near as I can tell.

[JustMrMe]

Clearly below the 800,000 cutoff. Again, not a shooter. A few markings on the bottom, a "W", a double stamped "C" that looked like a number 8 on first glance, and an unidentifiable glyph of some kind. Also possibly a dash and a dot. Need more expert opinions here.



Conclusions:
The firearm looks like an arsenal rebuild sometime in the late 1930s. It looks like after it went through the rebuild, it was put into a cabinet somewhere and forgotten. However, an arsenal rebuild would have been done contrary to the policy of scrapping the below 800000 serial numbers. This would have started, according to Brophy p605, in April 1929. Well before the rebuild date. There is cosmoline on the barrel, a new nickel plated oiler, and a new upper stock of a later design. New bolt parts that are dark parkerized.
One should expect a bit of a blender of parts with an arsenal rebuild. But there are some things about this one that are puzzling me. Any help appreciated.


Note that the cites from Brophy are from the 1985 edition. Interlibrary loan is a wonderful thing!

[Salt Flat]

The serial number indicates 1917 manufacture. Someone here will check to see if it is on the SRS list. This looks to me like it may have been a VFW type rifle. It has a lot of finish wear and bore corrosion (possible blank firing). Others will be along shortly.

[Salt Flat]

Should have mentioned how nice that stock is. I have a thing about those early stocks with crisp finger grooves and a dark aged finish.

[JustMrMe]

Checked head space, just for fun. I only have no-go and "go" for 30-06. The no-go gauge easily allowed the bolt to close, no problem. So yeah, maybe a blank shooter for someone. It goes with the barrel condtion.