Pre-War Rebuild, or something much more?

[SPEEDGUNNER]

I looked at an interesting Springfield Armory 1903 rifle today. The rifle has a serial number that puts it at 1923 production, but has a 9-40 barrel. The entire rifle is parkerized except bolt and rear sight, and it has a walnut "C" stock with a backwards "K" behind the cutoff. Bolt has the serial number of the rifle etched into it. If this rifle has been fired I would be surprised. The metal is as brand new, the stock is a fantastic piece of fiddleback walnut with nary a mark and dry as a bone, and the rifle is so sharp you could cut your finger on it. What is it?




I used Canfield, Brophy and all 4 volumes of SRS to try to find out. ALL the rifles around this one were NM or IM, with the exception of 1 USMC rifle.

Here are the details of my research:

Springfield Armory
1903 rifle
serial 1257673.
Receiver date 1923
Barrel date 9-40
1257640 was a National Match
1257675 was an International Match
1257678 was USMC Rifle
1257679 was International Match

The only numbered bolts beside match rifles were done by USMC

International Match rifles exhibited the sporter style stock

Original finish would have been a blue/black parkerizing (like bolt), this one is gray/green.

My conclusion is that this was originally a match rifle, returned to arsenal for
rebarrel, refinish and restocking (hence the K Keystone stock) and then
re-issued, possibly to USMC, for training purposes before war started.

What say you?

[Johnny P]

Didn't the Keystone C stocks come along about mid WWII. Appears stock was added after barrel was changed.

[Rick the Librarian]

Yes, Keystone stocks came well into WWII. Looks like a USMC rifle to me.

[CptEnglehorn]

ill add another vote for marine rifle.

[TDP0311]

I'm looking at those drill holes... do they by any chance correspond to where the Unertl blocks would mount up?

[Kragrifle]

Too widely spaced

[SPEEDGUNNER]

Oh lookee here...with the owners permission I was able to take the rifle apart for a little looksee, what have we here?



What is the spacing for Unertl blocks, holes on this one are:
Receiver - 1 1/16"
Barrel - 5/8"

What is this rifle now???

[chuckindenver]

built up by someone other then the military,
notice the dingers on the rear sight base from being removed, and installed by less then a skilled person, holes dont look to be in the right spacing, barrel was not installed by the USMC, finish is a restored current repark and not G.I.
stock looks new, like it was installed a few months ago, finish isnt G.I. on the stock
if this was a USMC mounted scope base set, you wouldnt be able to remove them, the originals were high temp soldered on as well as drilled and tapped,
i say, collectors restore parts gun...

[oakfarm]

9-40 Barrel.....? HMMMM.SA ?

[John Beard]

The rifle is a USMC rifle. The rifle appears to be a made-up vintage service replacement for a WWI sniper rifle, perhaps lost or damaged in combat.

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[John Beard]

9-40 Barrel.....? HMMMM.SA ?

Yes.

J.B.

[SPEEDGUNNER]

Barrel is SA 9-40. What does HMMMM mean? Hard to get enough light for a clear picture.

[chuckindenver]

from the pictures posted.
in my opinion, the rifle was not assembled as it is by any branch of the military as it sits..
barrel may have been installed by the USMC...but the rest of the work, was not the quality of any armorer.
unless they built it on a hangover.

[JimF]

. . . . . Hard to get enough light for a clear picture.

I think your problem is that the background is too "white/light".

It's shutting down the aperature, making the subject matter a black silhouette!

Try using an "earth" tone as a backdrop (brown, gray, etc.). --Jim

[TDP0311]

So this rifle was must likely drilled after its time in USMC custody?