Strange hand-stamped Springfield 1903 Receiver

[rcmkhm]

Gentlemen, this is a strange one. I have a 1903 Receiver that appears correct in every respect. It has a nice, even gray-green park finish on it. It's marked Springfield and has serial number 1327236, which places the date of manufacture in 1929 according to Poyer's book. The bottom of the receiver has "N S/B L" nickel steel markings I presume. The strange part is that the lettering on the receiver ring looks hand stamped. In fact, the "D" in the word SPRINGFIELD is backwards!!! The serial number appears to have been stamped twice and the letters are not even and level. Anyone have any idea what this thing is?

[Doug Douglass]

Not a clue....you need to talk to Bubba, he may have done it !!

[Mickey Christian]

Kind of unique. Should be a keeper. Are you going to build it into a rifle? Would doing so add to or detract from it's appeal/value?

[rcmkhm]

I thought about Bubba, but where would he have gotten a blank 1903 Receiver and, if he had one, why would he have done such a thing? It's not like late 20s 1903 Receivers are super rare and valuable. I'm not sure what to do with it actually. I'm just hoping to find out where/how/why it looks like it does. Very strange if it really came out of the SA factory that way.

[Jeff L]

Trainee at the plant? Might be it was late Friday or early Monday receiver.

[rcmkhm]

Is it worth anything, kind of like a penny with FDR's face on it? Or is it a piece of junk, kind of like a penny with a very recent president's face on it?

[Embalmer]

seen m1 recievers with flawed stamps, why wouldnt it happen with 1903's?

[Trebor1415]

My first thought is it's a Indian/Pakistini fake. They have been building copies of Western rifles in the border region for about 100 years. There are plenty of fake Martini Henry's and Enfields out there. The hand stamping and reversed lettering is a tip off on those commonly.

I've never seen or heard of a Pakistan '03 copy, and it's odd that it's just a receiver, but it is a possibility

[John Beard]

Please post more pictures, including the bottom of the receiver behind the recoil lug, the bottom and top of the receiver rear, and the front face of the receiver.

Thanks!

J.B.

[rcmkhm]

Here are some more photos. It looks like it has a witness line on the left side of the receiver. No gas hole on the left side either.

[rcmkhm]

Here are a couple more.

[Mike D]

Looks like the original letters and numbers were polished thin, and then done again.

Backwards D = Bubba!

Mike


Is the receiver ring rounded?

[rcmkhm]

That's definitely a possibility. I'm just wondering where Bubba would have gotten the exact same size and font letters and numbers. I don't know much about stampings, but I'd think they were kind of a specialty item for hard steel?

[Fred]

Weren't the receivers stamped first and then heat treated?

[Kurt]

Both the lettering and the serial number have been re-stamped. You can clearly see parts of the original stamping and they are feint They did parkerize after stamping as to do the otherwise would have defeated the purpose of the Parkerizing. There is a punch mark to the right of the lettering, in addition to the one below the serial number....?
A little odd, especially with the backward D

Kurt