RIA M1903 SRS check please?

[Crashyoung]

I have serial number 236331, which I believe is a Rock Island Arsenal,
1913 production rifle.

Some of the online information is contradictory, but I am fairly certain the receiver, bolt and barrel are all 1913, but the stock was replaced with a sporterized stock sometime in its past.The trigger guard also has the NRA
and flaming bomb stamped on the tang.

With this early S/N, I am under the belief that the receiver and barrel should
be blued, and not parkerized, but, I hear many different 'facts', especially if
this is such an early rifle.

The receiver is very sharp, the lettering on all the parts are also very sharp,
Which I would suspect that they would be polished and rounded if they had been refinished from parkerizing, to being blued.

Another area of my interest is the receiver. There are no holes drilled in it
for a peep sight or scope. I was under the assumption that a peep sight was added before being sold to the public? Or would this have been a CMP sale rifle and kept original till someone else modified them?

The more I read, the cloudier it all gets. I am looking at getting some
books to learn more!

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Promo]

Sorry, no hit. Closest I found was 236242RI 110819LESLIE MANSFIELD ("NRA")

NRA sales rifles didn't come with a Lyman rear sight, this was found on all NRA Sporter rifles and was possible with M1903A1NM rifles. NRA sales rifles were basically M1903 rifles which were sold to the public.

What is the barrel date of your rifle, and is the barrel aswell of RIA production? Are there any markings on the stock, like an inspector cartouche?

[Rick the Librarian]

It is almost certainly a NRA Sales rifle - nearly all the last RIAs were. It would have been blued when produced. Actually, I have seen a number of NRA Sales rifles of that period with Lyman 48 sights, but I don't believe they came that way. I know that later (1920s and 1930s) Springfield Armory would do the drilling and tapping for the Lyman sight.

[Crashyoung]

Hi Promo, the barrel has C93 P on it and the bolt has C13 on the front of the safety lug.

If this was to have a military stock, someone replaced it with an inexpensive sport stock.

I would love to find a straight stock with grooves to dress it up, but no luck at my budget level, so far!

---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:16 PM ----------

Thanks Rick, I thought the rifle was blued. However, the bolt is black,
and I suspect it is parkerized? Or possibly a different bluing?

The amount of variations seem endless from what I have read about
how these rifles were treated when they were overhauled. I am too
used to keeping parts together to a job, rather than mixing them all
together.

[Promo]

The barrel should have a RIA (or SA or RA or SC or HS or USMC, probably) marking over a flaming bomb over a digit code (like 3 - 13, or whatever) right behind the front sight, on top. This was what I was referring to with barrel date.

[Crashyoung]

Hi Promo, the barrel I have only has C93 with the P under it,
at the muzzle. There is room for the front sight band and the
smaller part of the barrel is still on the muzzle end.

The entire length of the barrel is 24 inches, including the part
screwed into the receiver. So I have a belief the barrel is one
of the originals, and not a replacement, as C93/P was the date
code and steel type for 1913.

But, when it comes to finding oddball stuff, I seem to be able to!
My first 03 Mark I had SA at the muzzle end, but no date. Try and
figure that one out... I just wish I had never sold it...

My luck is, I will find a Pederson, but not have a mark I!