Straight pull Ross?

[sdh1911]

At a store over in PA there is a very strange looking straight pull, i.e. rotary bolt rifle that had a stock job done by Bubba. I'll do my best to describe it but its Christmas and I have three screaming boy's in my only working ear right now so focus is at a minimum. The passenger side of the rifle was marked with Ross of Canada and said patented. It is a large, military style rifle with two bands, the top band has been customized by Bubba, the cocking knob/lever is fairly small with a hole through it, I could not find and military markings on the receiver or a C with a chicken foot. The rear sight is a fairly complicated riding high ramp style with graduation locks, the front sight is a military style ramp, typical of turn of the century. The stock has heavy butt plate and is very large full lengh with finger grooves, Bubba put a schnuble on it. It appeared to be .303 and said so on the tag. Oh yea the tag also said $450.00. On the passenger side of the gun there was a metal tab that came out between the stock and top wood, it is square w/rounded edges. I looked through my liberary and found nothing that refers to this gun. I know you guys are far ahead of me on commonwealth weapons, I'd really like to get an idea of what this is and if there is any chances of ever finding the right wood and top stock band. The rest of the gun looks quite nice and I am of the opinion the metal is as issued, except the foreward band. Any help would be most appreciated-SDH

Information

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[tiriaq]

Assuming it is a military rifle, if the magazine is flush, the rifle is the 1905 model (Mk. II). If it has a non detachable projecting magazine, its a 1910 (Mk. III). Sight on the barrel, 1905, receiver sight, 1910. The projecting tab is likely the control paddle for a "Harris" magazine, found on the 1905 rifles. Hold the paddle down, dump in a handful of cartridges, manipulate the paddle to settle the rounds, you're good to go. Ross' answer to charger loading. If the rear sight on the barrel is a leaf style which is stood erect for precision use, the rifle is a Mk. II**, II*** or II*****. If it is a tangent sight, its a Mk. II, II*, or II****. Remote chance it is a Mk. I rifle. Statistically, in the US, the rifle is most likely one of the 20 000 Mk. II*** rifles supplied as training rifles in 1917. Many of these were sold by the NRA in the early '20s. Finger grooves are likely Bubba's work. It is possible to restore Ross service rifles that have been Bubba'd. Replacement stocks are just about impossible to obtain. US$450 is way too much for a sported Ross. This sort of rifle sells in Canada for $75 - $250, depending.
There are also factory sporting Ross rifles, although I don't think you saw one of these.

[Oatmeal Savage]

A picture is worth...

1905
1910

[sdh1911]

Thanks very much, I wasn't aware they made a straight pull. You just may have saved me some cold cash!-SDH

[sdh1911]

Its a 1905, dead nuts except the Bubba factor, is there parts about????-SDH

[sdh1911]

Please excuse my last post, I re-read Tiriag's post and he pretty much answered my last question's. I'm most impressed by the collective knowledge from you folks in the north. Do you guys have gunshows?-SDH

[tiriaq]

Yes, there are gunshows, some better than others.
In Oatmeal's post, the upper rifle is a Mk. II*****. If the handguard were notched down into forend, it would be a II***. The lower is a Mk. III.

[sdh1911]

Is there heavy restrictions on North of the border transactions?-SDH

[tiriaq]

There are all sorts of laws and regulations. All owners must have a personal licence. The transfer of all firearms must go through the federal Canadian Firearms Centre, and sometimes the Chief Firearms Officer of the province. For something like a Ross, its pretty much a rubber stamp process. For a US resident to purchase a firearm from Canada, most of the paperwork is on the US side of the border; import into the US is more complicated than export from Canada. A US citizen can obtain a Canadian Possession and Acquisition Licence. This gives status in Canada, and it is common for US citizens who bring firearms into Canada on a regular basis to obtain the licence.
Go to www.cfc.gc.ca for more information, or if you want to speak to a person, 1-800-731-4000.