Intriguing Rifle

[John Beard]

Can someone identify this rifle?

Intriguing Rifle

It doesn't appear to have a Model Number on it.

Any help would be appreciated.

J.B.

[Bob S]

John,

Yes, odd. I have a rifle with serial number very close to that ... and the numbers on mine (especially the "1" s) have no serif. Also the "Springfield Armory" letters on my rifle have no serifs. The centering of the "Springfield Armory" also does not match my rifle. I suspect a low number that was scrubbed and restamped, or one of those unmarked M1902 trials rifles that "escaped" from the Armory back in the day. Either that, or someone's just having Phun with Photoshop at our expense!

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Weasel]

The number 1's on that rifle doesn't match the style of any of those on the 1903's I have. I would say that someone has taken a low number and took a stamp to it. They went through a lot of trouble.

[jonnyo55]

The numbers, especially the "1" characters, have a distinctly EDM/laser cut look to them. Look at the serifs; usually with a stamped character the serif on the "1" will have uniform width along its length (the lower left to upper right dimension of the serif itself), much as a pen stroke would. On the rifle in question, the serifs are almost triangular in character. Nothing about the receiver stamping resembles what SA was doing at the 1.1 million mark...

It's a cryin' shame what some bubba with an EDM machine did to increase the saleability of his low number '03. The rifle strikes me as being a possible USMC rebuild; as we know the leathernecks had no interest in scrapping their "low number" '03's. If the rifle, with its original number, DID check out as a USMC issued piece, the value would far exceed that of an average rebuilt shooter, which is what he now has. Oh, yes...and one with an altered serial number, a federal offense!

[chuckindenver]

not EDM.
however.. lazer engraved..
has been ground, and remarked for some reason... looks good at a glance until you look real close...notice the lettering isnt type set or indexed correctly..
as well as missing the model 1903.
the edeges of the lettering are sharp. EDM leaves a rounded edge...wonder if this is a SHT thats been made up to look like a DHT..??
new Lazer tech, has come a long way..
the company that iv been using to restore lettering has done some wonderful work..
however, lack of a 4 access table to work around rounded edges limits the quality.. likely the reason for the off set U.S.

[PeteDavis]

SCARY

[1mark]

Someone did a bad job of installing the rear sight base. It is crushed on the left side.

[chuckindenver]

good eyes,, i missed that...looks like they used a BBH

[Darreld Walton]

Sure enough, John, I don't see a model designator on the receiver, either! Lots of odd things about the entire rifle. Does it look to anyone else in the photos that the rear action screw hole has been drilled clear through, like a Remington 03? And does the "Hatcher Hole" look like it should be on a much, much later rifle? Besides the obvious damage to the RSFB, it looks to me like the rear sight assembly is an Oneida piece. I've been way off before, and I just took a handful of meds, but it's an odd one for certain!

[chuckindenver]

nice eye.. please share what ever drugs your taking..
so..this is a Remington 1903 action, thats been played with.
doubt anyone could drill that hole all the way through without destroying the threads, let alone have a tap to clean the threads... that tap to have made is well over 200.00 ask me how i know...

[John Beard]

Sure enough, John, I don't see a model designator on the receiver, either! Lots of odd things about the entire rifle. Does it look to anyone else in the photos that the rear action screw hole has been drilled clear through, like a Remington 03? And does the "Hatcher Hole" look like it should be on a much, much later rifle? Besides the obvious damage to the RSFB, it looks to me like the rear sight assembly is an Oneida piece. I've been way off before, and I just took a handful of meds, but it's an odd one for certain!

Hey Daddy o' Seven!

I agree with chuckindenver. Those are some good meds you're taking! The rear receiver screw hole does indeed appear drilled thru and the receiver appears to exhibit other characteristics of a Remington receiver. The rear sight is a pre-WWI Springfield Armory rear sight. But you are correct that the drift slide assembly was made by Oneida Limited. I also note that something appears amiss around the ejector pin, but I can't tell what.

I was pleased to read that yo' state joined Utah in passing a college campus right-to-carry law. Please convey my regards to your family!

J.B.

[Darreld Walton]

Thanks for the thought, John! My only hope now is that the Attorneys General for Utah and Idaho will grow backbones when they have to inevitably defend those laws in court!
Sadly, Idaho has been too long on the Federal Government Teat. I believe I heard or read one time that Idaho is in the top five states for amount of money received per capita. By the time all 'benefits' are thrown in, medical support, federal land holdings, Indian reservations, research facilities, roads, bridges and highways, national forests, parks, recreation areas, monuments, ad nauseum, then I could believe the numbers to be true.
It's one thing for the legislature and the governor to make a minor splash in the news about such things, quite another when the Emperor threatens to close the vault doors!

OH!!! BTW, the whole area around the cutoff looks almost 'too well done', if you understand what I'm thinking. An 'over-restored' drill rifle, or a machinist with a heckuva shop gone wild?

Lyrica, Hydrocodone, 800 mg Motrin, a water pill, and a new one that I haven't picked up yet for the recent migraines. Gettin' old ain't for sissies, but it helps to have a good pharmacist!

[chuckindenver]

the more i look at that rifle, the bigger the train wreck it is....not that good a job of grinding, once you look...waves all over, out of index lettering,
i was gonna say felonious sale....but i doubt the seller knows its a humped up POS..

[joem]

I wonder if the seller would answer the question on why the first digit (#1) is out of alignment?

[Weasel]

Sold 930 bucks.