Question on USMC 1903

[ElWoodman]

cplnorton, please do remember "A.H.A." on some USMC rebuilds.(on those there's just the A.H.A. and nothing else)

[cplnorton]

cplnorton, please do remember "A.H.A." on some USMC rebuilds.(on those there's just the A.H.A. and nothing else)

I actually just re-read what I wrote, it was sort of interesting as I had no memory of writing it. But it was 3 years ago. lol But actually I wasn't far off, which suprises me, as some of the stuff I used to say back then, I can now prove I was totally wrong. lol But the past couple of years we have been pulling all the Marine documents from the archives, so we just have a lot better idea what was going on.

But the Marines leading into WWII, were desperate for stocks. SA had switched over to the Garand and didn't really want to make anymore parts for the 1903. It's sort of a long story and it's probably been a year since I read this whole series of documents on the used stocks, so I know I'm rusty. I would have to go back and figure out where I filed it, to get a referesher. But I think it was the late 30's. But from what I remember they were basically begging anyone for any used stocks that they could spare, even broken ones. I believe they wrote both the Army and the Navy. I think I remember seeing letters to both.

I know I remember reading one document that they detail they will take about anything. Even ones that needed repaired in two spots. And I remember them saying at three repairs, they deemed it unserviceable, but two repairs they could could still make them serviceable. That is how much they needed stocks for the 1903. So I'm sure they were getting a lot of stuff with random cartouches and crap everyone wanted to get rid of. But the Marines did finally get some new stocks ordered after this happened, but that is another story.

On the AHA. I know online and in some books they say that is a Marine rebuild mark, but I really honestly don't think it was. I think I have docuemnts that confirm about every Marine rebuild trait on these 1903 rifles, and I've never seen any mention of that AHA stamp. Also a gorup of us have been cataloging 1903 Marine rifles for several years now and I really don't see evidence of it on Marine rifles. Or at least ones that I don't think were messed with. I personally think the AHA stamp probably wasn't Marine, but I honeslty can't prove it either way. I could be wrong and I never say never with the Marines, but I think I would have found a document by now confirming if it was Marine. So that is my thought process behind why I think it's probably not a Marine trait.