Rock Island M1903 Finish Question

[Promo]

Yup, it's a 2-bolt reinforced stock. I know what the cartouches mean, was just interesting to have all of them among the stock. Looks like the DAL is prefixed with the SA, but see yourself in the attachement. At with the Proof-markings - there are at least 4 P's behind the trigger guard .

[Rick the Librarian]

That explains it - the partticular DAL you are describing is (when it was new) a SADAL and dates from the early 1930s. It was the inspection stamp for Daniel A. Leary, the same man who used the "boxed" SAL stamp seen on WWI-era rifles and 1920s-early 30s NM rifles. The CN stock was originally off a 1909-vintage RIA, the SADAL from the early 30s and the AAR (Augusta Arsenal) from the WWII era.

A very "well traveled" rifle!

[Promo]

Rick, so you'd rather say it has been rebarreld before WWII with a new SA barrel?

[Rick the Librarian]

Again, this is assuming the stock has been with the rifle since the 1930s or so (which may be assuming a lot!!): The rifle underwent an inspection or overhaul in the early to mid-1930s; it went through another overhaul during about mid-WWII, where it probably picked up the 1942 SA barrel. In the days of corrosive primers and hard use, being overhauled several times was not unusual.

[Promo]

Just because I'm curious - why did they take such an old stock (and even fit it with another reinforcment bolt) to assemble the rifle in the 1930s instead of taking a new one?

[Rick the Librarian]

They weren't making very many new ones. Keep in mind that during the interwar years, Springfield Armory (and, indeed all the U.S. armed forces) were on an extremely tight budget. As long as the parts were still good, they got "recycled". The 1909 RIA stock was probably taken off of a low-numbered rifle whose receiver was scrapped.

I have seen several M1903s with mid- to late 1930s receivers with early parts, like 1905-1912 barrels.