Pre WW1 - unmarked SA bolts (attn J.B.)

[shooterm1]

somewhere in your notes John, I've read that its not uncommon to find unmarked SA straight handled bolts ...

>>>> am I paraphrasing you correctly here?

was there a period when these unmarked bolts were more prevalent than others?

Information

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[John Beard]

At least one original early SA rifle has been reported which has no marks on the bolt. All other known early SA rifles have a steel lot code marked underneath the safety lug, the most common being "s".

Unmarked RIA bolts, on the other hand, are very common. RIA did not begin marking a steel lot code on their bolts until 1909. Early RIA bolts can usually be identified by a very tiny serifed subinspector letter underneath the handle, the most common being "A".

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[shooterm1]

and a straight handled bolt with just a slight (very tiny) punch mark underneath?

[John Beard]

and a straight handled bolt with just a slight (very tiny) punch mark underneath?

I would assume that a straight-handle bolt with just a punch mark under the handle was an RIA bolt. On the other hand, it could be a very poorly-stamped SA bolt. I've seen lots of SA bolts that considerable imagination and elimination of possibilities were required to read the steel lot code. At SA, the steel lot code was stamped before making the final finishing cut on the safety lug. So, the steel lot code sometimes got milled thin or completely off.

Did you think to look on the FRONT of the safety lug. Some codes were stamped in that location. Even SA stamped subinspector marks in that location!

J.B.

[shooterm1]

nothing,,, its completely unmarked.

[Don W]

One other thing, be sure to examine the REAR of the bolt handle root.

Here is one with a "S" marked there. This bolt is believed to be original to RIA 1767.

DW

[John Beard]

nothing,,, its completely unmarked.

If identifying the bolt is important, you can send it to me and I'll be happy to try and identify it and send it back to you. There are other ways to identify bolts besides steel lot codes.

J.B.