Springfield M1903 - Your opinions about

[Bizio]

The barrel date is "5 - 13".
I wonder if someone in the past has removed intentionally all the blued finish from the rifle, it's odd but finish is missing also in some parts which can't have any friction, close to the wood for example ...

The prober bolt would be probably a F1 or H1 or H2 instead.
http://www.vishooter.net/slc4_2008.html

[Rick the Librarian]

Definitely a correct barrel. Mine is a 7-13 (on #554,131), which coincidentally, was the same month and year my mother was born!

[Bizio]

That' s what we use to call "coincidences of life"

[Rick the Librarian]

Been looking for an M1 Garand with a 7-49 replacement barrel (no M1s were made between 1945 and 1952) but, as far as I can figure, the whole Springfield Armory was on vacation during the month of July, 1949! (Which just happens to be my first date!) Come across a few 8-49 and 6-49 barrels.

[Bizio]

No luck this time.

Thank you again for your help and good suggestions, Rick the Librarian, and of course thanks to all the partecipants to this thread.

[Rick the Librarian]

In all our "banter" I didn't find out if you bought the rifle or not. Despite the fact that nearly all the finish is missing, it looks like a mostly correct pre-WWI M1903, which is a good thing!

[Bizio]

I bought it, Rick the Librarian.
I thought it was clear when in my previous post with all the pictures I said as first thing :

Finally I'm back with my SA M1903.

Yes, you' re right, it's a real shame that a M1903 WWI has been scratched that way by one of its previous owners who removed the original finish.

Which was the exact colour of the original finish used in 1913 ?

I was discussing about this problem with a friend today and we have few theories since the rifle is showing a almost brand new black finish under the barrel which is contact with the woods and in the lower side of the receiver inside the wood :
1) or it was refinished along years and one of the owners prererred to remove all the visible finish by removing in all rifle visible and external parts, maybe because he did not like it or it got rust.

2) or the original finish was completely covered of rust in the visible part only and one of the owners used a sort of thinner to clean it and removed the finish as well.

For sure with the original finish the price would be much different here, in the region of about $4,000 while I payed it $1,375 with a M1917 belt which is marked 1917 and seems to be original of those years.

[Bizio]

Sorry, I wanted to say M1907 sling and not M1917.

[Bizio]

Some more pictures ...

[Rick the Librarian]

When you said no finish, you meant "NO finish"!!