Assistance Confirming Suspected 1905M Factory Sporter Requested

[Bluenoser]

I have rifles with both higher and lower serial numbers than his rifle.

Would I be correct in understanding you are referring to the serial number on the butt of my 1905R rather than the number on the bbl?

[Ax.303]

Yes, I was referring to the butt number 422X, but they encompass both.

Closest below is 337X. Closest above is 502X.

I also have 1905-E # 428X, (different animal but marked in the same manner) which is very close to yours.

[flying pig]

Old necro thread bump here gents. But I’ve some insight to add.

There is a 1905-E here, with the 3TPI barrel thread with proper ranged serial stamped on the barrel reinforce in an untidy manor. This rifle has an uncharacteristically short barrel ( I’m away at camp right now but can confirm when I’m home) of around 20”. The barrel will not index properly in any other receiver but its own. It winds up listing about 30* to the left in any other MkII receiver. This rifle has the light wire trigger, matching serial on the inside of the butt plate and butt. It has the E style folding express sight, and a blood red E stock (which must be VERY hard wood as the rifle has no bluing left and the stick has very few handling marks and has never been sanded so far as I can tell).

Theres also an E or R-10 here with no serial numbers anywhere. It has an E stock, buttplate, and grip cap, but has a short 20” barrel and a Winchester buckhorn sight. The set up of the two rifles is so similar they’re kissing cousins.

There was an article published about the manufacture of Ross rifles and bayonets in 1913 in which it stated that Ross barrels were numbered rather than rifles numbered. This was done after the barrels were trued. When I’m home I will try to see if I can find that info in the reprint I have of it and share it. Makes sense to serialize the barrel, that’s why we could be seeing so many unserialed rebarrelled rifles: they’re the ones replaced after the factory closure. Factory replaced barrels should have the 2 or 3 stamped near the serial number.