Fred
03-08-2015, 11:23
I've never applied any linseed oil to the stock of this rifle. The finish on the stock and hand guard seems to be the original linseed oil applied to the stock at Springfield Armory back in 1918. When I first got the rifle. I found that the rear guard screw was frozen and so after using liquid wrench and a tight fitting tempered blade of a Model 1879 take down tool for a Trapdoor Springfield and a pair of vice grips, I was able to back it out without doing any damage to the screw head or slot.
Upon removing the barrel/action from the stock, some still fresh looking wood shavings fell out of the stock that had apparently been held in between the receiver and the stock ever since the rifle was assembled at Springfield Armory in mid to late 1918. The wood shavings were evidence that whoever initially assembled the rifle hadn't noticed the shavings still in the stock before they put the barreled receiver in.
For 95 years, the rifle seems to have been stuck away somewhere where time and circumstance hasn't adversely affected it. Maybe it was assembled too late in the war to make it to Europe for the fighting and field use. Maybe the rifle was retained at the Armory and used by guards. Maybe the rifle had been just forgotten with some others that were overlooked for whatever reason for many decades. Beats me.
The rifle had been brought into a small gun shop by a woman in some town back east. I forget where.
Anyway, I believe that I was the first person to disassemble the rifle, 95 years after it was first assembled at Springfield Armory.
The bore is Mint. No, I've never fired it. I've not fired any of my rifles. Since my eyesight got outta wack, I haven't really shot anything. I just mess around with the rifles and wipe the dust off of them now and then.
I'll try to take some better photo's of the rifle today and post them here. Enjoy!...
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0100_zpsxzqlyxeb.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0100_zpsxzqlyxeb.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0101_zpsnflh5kuy.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0101_zpsnflh5kuy.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0102_zpswbflfzts.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0102_zpswbflfzts.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0103_zpshrl4ufw0.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0103_zpshrl4ufw0.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0104_zpszfwysill.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0104_zpszfwysill.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0106_zpst671mwa5.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0106_zpst671mwa5.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0107_zpsjbq7vwtl.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0107_zpsjbq7vwtl.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0108_zpsrycvrxlr.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0108_zpsrycvrxlr.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0109_zpsthbrhop9.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0109_zpsthbrhop9.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0114_zpsrhomsa19.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0114_zpsrhomsa19.jpg.html)
Upon removing the barrel/action from the stock, some still fresh looking wood shavings fell out of the stock that had apparently been held in between the receiver and the stock ever since the rifle was assembled at Springfield Armory in mid to late 1918. The wood shavings were evidence that whoever initially assembled the rifle hadn't noticed the shavings still in the stock before they put the barreled receiver in.
For 95 years, the rifle seems to have been stuck away somewhere where time and circumstance hasn't adversely affected it. Maybe it was assembled too late in the war to make it to Europe for the fighting and field use. Maybe the rifle was retained at the Armory and used by guards. Maybe the rifle had been just forgotten with some others that were overlooked for whatever reason for many decades. Beats me.
The rifle had been brought into a small gun shop by a woman in some town back east. I forget where.
Anyway, I believe that I was the first person to disassemble the rifle, 95 years after it was first assembled at Springfield Armory.
The bore is Mint. No, I've never fired it. I've not fired any of my rifles. Since my eyesight got outta wack, I haven't really shot anything. I just mess around with the rifles and wipe the dust off of them now and then.
I'll try to take some better photo's of the rifle today and post them here. Enjoy!...
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0100_zpsxzqlyxeb.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0100_zpsxzqlyxeb.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0101_zpsnflh5kuy.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0101_zpsnflh5kuy.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0102_zpswbflfzts.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0102_zpswbflfzts.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0103_zpshrl4ufw0.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0103_zpshrl4ufw0.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0104_zpszfwysill.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0104_zpszfwysill.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0106_zpst671mwa5.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0106_zpst671mwa5.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0107_zpsjbq7vwtl.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0107_zpsjbq7vwtl.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0108_zpsrycvrxlr.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0108_zpsrycvrxlr.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0109_zpsthbrhop9.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0109_zpsthbrhop9.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/Whitedog333/IMG_0114_zpsrhomsa19.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/Whitedog333/media/IMG_0114_zpsrhomsa19.jpg.html)