Just acquired a 1915 M1903 - a few questions please

[scosgt]

I w

[louis]

Please post more photos

[scosgt]

Please post more photos

I do not pick it up until Monday. Any opinions based on the above?

[Smokeeaterpilot]

I'm going to go out on the limb and assume NRA sales rifle. But John Beard would know for sure.

[scosgt]

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[John Beard]

Smokeeaterpilot is not out on a limb. I can confirm that your rifle is a sales rifle with high probability. Not all sales rifles were marked "N.R.A." because not all sales rifles were sold to NRA members. Some were sold to military officers, politicians, etc., and those were not marked. Almost all rifles in your rifle's serial range were marked "N.R.A." So your rifle is a bit unusual in that regard.

Thanks for taking the time to make and post pictures. Please oblige us with more pictures after you take delivery on Monday. Thanks!

J.B.

[scosgt]

Thank you J.B.

[scosgt]

John

[John Beard]

John I just read something you wrote on another forum about the NRA sales guns.
Now this gun does not have a star gaged barrel, at least not on the muzzle as I have seen on between the wars guns.
Are they supposed to all be star gaged, or were they marked under the handguards on the guns in these years?

All sales rifles were star-gauged and targeted. And I have reason to believe that a star gauge marking of some description appears somewhere on the rifle. But I have yet to find it.

Sales rifles were not star marked on the muzzle and do not have a star gauge record number under the handguard.

J.B.

[scosgt]

Thanks! You just saved me from taking it apart for no good reason.

[Rick the Librarian]

I have no proof of this, but it seems, that when I re-entered the M1903 collecting world about 2000, that NRA Sales rifles were relatively rare. In the last few years, they seem to have grown relatively common. Maybe because of the passing of older collectors?

[Promo]

Probably they were also mostly not noticed back then? I bought one two years ago which can also be considered factory new, and I'm now the second owner (stayed within the family since 1915).

[Rick the Librarian]

I have a few, as well and they are my favorite M1903s. Beautiful workmanship!!

[scosgt]

The internet shakes a lot of things loose

[John Beard]

I have no proof of this, but it seems, that when I re-entered the M1903 collecting world about 2000, that NRA Sales rifles were relatively rare. In the last few years, they seem to have grown relatively common. Maybe because of the passing of older collectors?

Over the years, I have accumulated serial numbers of over 350 sales rifles.

J.B.

[scosgt]

Probably they were also mostly not noticed back then? I bought one two years ago which can also be considered factory new, and I'm now the second owner (stayed within the family since 1915).

Promo your mail box is full.

[scosgt]

aqaa

[dokcop]

Smokeeaterpilot is not out on a limb. I can confirm that your rifle is a sales rifle with high probability. Not all sales rifles were marked "N.R.A." because not all sales rifles were sold to NRA members. Some were sold to military officers, politicians, etc., and those were not marked. Almost all rifles in your rifle's serial range were marked "N.R.A." So your rifle is a bit unusual in that regard.

Thanks for taking the time to make and post pictures. Please oblige us with more pictures after you take delivery on Monday. Thanks!

J.B.

Mr Beard: I read in one of the several '03 references that prewar sales rifles were offered in both "S" (standard) and "SS" (star gauged) versions. Not so, apparently...

[John Beard]

Mr Beard: I read in one of the several '03 references that prewar sales rifles were offered in both "S" (standard) and "SS" (star gauged) versions. Not so, apparently...

I read that also. But I am skeptical that the information is accurate. I have seen no such references in the sketchy archives documentation I have. As best I can tell, only one category of rifle was offered for sale, and it was star-gauged and targeted.

J.B.