Stock marking?

[GregU]

I've got a type 4 (I think) S stock, finger grooves, cross bolts, smooth buttplate. Boxed RA-P and a boxed WLW. What is the WLW? Can't seem to find it. Thanks. Greg

[RCS]

Type 4 sounds like a Japanese rifle ?

[GregU]

Type 4 "S" stock for a 1903. All I have is Harrisons book and didn't see it there.

[RCS]

Harrison uses his own type designations which are not very familiar, as most 03 collectors do not consider his book to be a useful guide. A few photos of your stock would be helpful in identification of the markings

[GregU]

All I have is Harrisons book, a friend looked at his Brophy book and couldn't find WLW either. Hopefully you can see the it in the pic.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e353/coyotewillie/stockcartouches001_zps6787b22d.jpg (http://s43.photobucket.com/user/coyotewillie/media/stockcartouches001_zps6787b22d.jpg.html)

[RCS]

I can not find your W E W stamp either, I did find WBW and WFW. The RA-P is the WW2 Raritan Arsenal stamp

[GregU]

Actually it's a WLW.

[Kurt]

I believe it is W.E.S. for Walter E. Strong. The second letter is definitely an E if you enlarge the picture, the last letter is unreadable but what at first glance looks like a W probably is not. I would take and wipe over the area with some blo and take a flash picture from a couple angles. Often times it will stand out and reveal the letters where as you can't see it just looking at it. W.E.S began in 1906 and worked in various places. It's thought that he was with Springfield during the Mark 1 production and I'm assuming it's a Springfield stock from 1918.

Just a guess.

Kurt

[GregU]

I've got one of the circular fluorescent lamps with a large magnifier in the middle that I used to take the picture with. Sometimes it looks like there is what would be the center line of an "E" like you're seeing if you enlarge the picture. But other times if you rotate the stock slightly, that center line just looks like grain lines which match those around it. If I take the head of a pin and run over it, I can't feel any stamp depression like I can on the rest of the letters. While I might concede the L/E, I'd have to stick with the last letter being a W. Although of course that doesn't match anything I've been able to find either! Thanks. Greg

[jonnyo55]

It certainly LOOKS like a W.E.W., but if you look closely at what's there of the partial second "W" the dimensions seem to be very slightly different. W.E.S. would make sense, but it's virtually impossible to see a "S" in the impressions left of the third letter. This is a real head-scratcher...

What are the characteristics of the firing proof...7/16" or 1/2" diameter, one present or two, serifed, gothic, or script? That would give at least a clue to the type of rifle it was originally mounted on...

And, yes, let's please get away from the "type" designations invented by some self-appointed "expert" and get back to simple descriptions of characteristics.

[Mike D]

If you click on the photo and then click the magnify icon a couple times, you get a nice magnified shot. You can see what appears to be a middle line of an "E", is actually slanted, and just an odd mark.

Looks like the whole upper right corner was never stamped clean. Likely from the shape of the wrist, and the angle of the stamp at the time the mallet struck.

The font of the "W"s matches exactly that of a "W.J.S." stamp in Brophy's book. I believe that is from the WWI time period.

This one is going down in the notes!

Mike

[TDP0311]

Enlarged and sharpened, and I'm definitely still seeing a "W" for the last letter.