Questions on two stamps on R.I. M1903

[p246]

Second 5 star stamp on bottom heal of stockIMG_1410.jpg

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CPLNORTON this does look machined

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[cplnorton]

They are always a little hard to see, I saw them for years on stocks and just wrote them off as what looked like dents in the wood from bolts. Till one day I really took a good look and saw tooling marks, then I really started to watch for them. But yours looks pretty uniform in appearance, and looks like many I've seen.

The 2nd star on your stock is the more common place I see them. That is interesting though as your's has two.

I forget did you say what date the barrel is?

[cplnorton]

Ok it was a 9/18 barrel. Yeah it probably wouldn't have vise marks on it. You could pull the handguard and look, but it probably wouldn't unless the barrel had been pulled off a unserviceable receiver at some point and installed later.

The Marines pretty much started numbered bolts at almost the same time as they started to do hatcher holes. So if that was drilled by the Marines it most likely would have had a numbered bolt at one time, but that stuff was swapped a lot even back then, let alone 70 years plus later.

I wish I could tell you more on it, and maybe others like John could. I would probably guess it was more likely a Marine rifle at one time, than not. But it would be nice to know 100% for sure what that star does mean.

[p246]

Thanks for what you got me. I'll pull the stock and see what we got. I also have 10 more R,I. To slowly figure out for future sale for my friend. 1 for sure was a NRA sales rifle and two more possible could be.