"The Owner of the Vessel Could Not Give a Satisfactory Answer...."

[Kirk]

By 1935, how many 1903s had been sold off or otherwise legally disposed of? Or, was this just bureaucratic heavyhandedness to put the entire burden of proof on the owner.

Gov't says "we can't prove or disprove it is stolen so just assume it's stolen."

[Calif-Steve]

My buddy's Colt .25 auto was stolen 3 years ago. It had been his father's gun and bought during WWII. My buddy could not prove it was his, as all paperwork for the gun has been missing since 1945. It was stolen from a gun safe. The thief even told the cops where he had stolen it from. The gun was crushed by the Walnut Creek, CA police dept.

[John Beard]

By 1935, how many 1903s had been sold off or otherwise legally disposed of? Or, was this just bureaucratic heavyhandedness to put the entire burden of proof on the owner.

Gov't says "we can't prove or disprove it is stolen so just assume it's stolen."

By 1935, literally tens of thousands of Model 1903 rifles had been legally sold by the government. Apparently many of the sales records from before WWI had been destroyed, including NRA sales rifle records.

The rifle in question falls in a large block of pre-WWI NRA sales rifles and is doubtless one of them. But, absence of paperwork and a failure to get the trigger guard stamped doomed the owner to lose it.

I have another episode coming up where a batch of rifles was seized from a defunct gun shop, with FBI involvement and the whole works. When the rifles' actual owner found out, he came back later with evidence of ownership and demanded their return!

Stay tuned for details!

J.B.

[Jim Tarleton]

I love those stories, John. Thanks for posting them.

Jim

[limpetmine]

That "owner" better'd be careful about shooting a low digit poor heat treated receiver! Dang thing will blow up in his face! Probably why they didn't want it back!