1903 Remington

[Kragrifle]

At what serial number were the grasping grooves eliminated on the 1903 Remington rifles? The lightening cuts in the sight base? Up to what number would expect the inspector cartouche to be the boxed RLB? How much overlap for each feature?

[Sunray]

Rummage around here. http://www.vishooter.net/m1903.html
RLB(one Col. Roy L. Bowlin, Chief of the Rochester Ordnance District.) is mentioned on the Serial Number/Barrel Date Lists page. There's a boxed and unboxed with and without grooves and cuts in 1941 and '42.
There's some good info here too.
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2016/6/8/the-remington-m1903-rifles/

[John Beard]

Grasping grooves on Remington stocks were phased out between S/N 3025000 and S/N 3030000. Grasping grooves, however, continue appearing sporadically with decreasing frequency out past S/N 3100000.

Lightening cuts on the rear sight base were phased out around S/N 3034000.

The boxed RLB can appear out just past S/N 3073000. It has considerable overlap with the widely-spaced R L B.

J.B.

[Kragrifle]

So a rifle in the 13000 range originally was fitted with a grasping groove stock?

[Rick the Librarian]

You mean 3,013,000 range? If so, most likely.

[John Beard]

I concur with Rick the Librarian.

J.B.

[Kragrifle]

Thanks to all!