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Can someone help me out? I have a straight stock stamped with FJA in a box so I assume it's a Remington. It has two steel cross pins, not bolts. This is for an 03A3, correct? The thing is, it has grasping grooves. Could it be original or did someone add the grooves later? Thanks in advance.
ECO181
Now I think I see my answer on an earlier post on 6/19. Who would bother to add grasping grooves to an otherwise nice stock? The good news is I got it for free.
ECO181
You never know what motivates someone. The past owner may have seen a Remington stock with finger grooves and just liked their looks, or thought his slipped through without them. Anyway, can't remove them now.
Oh well, at least he did a good job. Thanks Johnny P.
FJA is Lt. Col. Frank J. Atwood. Remington inspector.
"...Who would bother to add grasping grooves..." Remington did it. Original '03A3 stocks had the grooves, pins and the inspector's stamp. A bubba job is usually fairly easy to ID by the finish, depth and location of the grooves. Bubba does it to make people think he has something he does not.
You should look for any other rebuild marks, that may or may not be there, as well.
No 03-A3 Remington stock had finger grooves. The finger grooves were only in the early 1903 Remington stocks, and all would have the initials of Lt.Col. Roy L. Bowlin, R.L.B., who was commanding officer of the Rochester Ordnance District until June of 1942. Col. Frank J. Atwood assumed command in mid June after Lt. Col. Bowlin was reassigned.
The finger grooves were discontinued about February of 1942 on the 1903 Remington rifles.
Col. Frank J. Atwood's initials will be found on a variety of military goods made in the Rochester Ordnance District. The 1903-A3 rifle made by both Remington Arms and Smith-Corona, 1911A1 pistols made by Remington Rand and Ithaca, Remington Arms Model 11 shotguns, National Postal Meter M1 Carbines, and a variety of other goods made in his district including M6 knife scabbards made by L&C for the M3 knife, and binoculars made by Square D.
+1 to Johnny P
The 1903 and 03A3 stock differ in that the 03A3 stock is cut just ahead of the receiver for the hand guard retaining ring. After production of the 03-A3 started the stocks were all cut for the retaining ring. Slightly out of focus, but the top of the ring has an R for Remington manufacture. Remington marked virtually all of it's parts while Smith-Corona did not.
https://i.postimg.cc/9fcST66D/HGRR.jpg
Attachment 48187
Thanks to both Sunray and Johnny P. I didn't mean to open a can of worms. Attachment 48188 The more I look at this stock the more I think maybe someone was trying to pass it off as a 1903 stock. They hid the 03A3 retaining ring cut with some brown goop and apparently added the finger grooves. I tried to attach pictures but not sure if it will work.
Thanks again for all of your input.
Image below compares authentic (top) and "fake" 1903 grooves. The subtle differences are most notable at the ends - where authentic grooves show a gradual slope producing a parabolic form (due to the more complex shape of the original cutter "wheel") contrasting with the more abrupt semicircular end of the "fake" groove produced by a simple ball-end cutter.
Attachment 48189
Drawing from a 1917 description shows the tooling used at Springfield -
Attachment 48190