Remington 1903 Serial Number Database?

[Ned Butts]

Absolutely, and any information and details. You can add them yourself here
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...m?vc=0&c=0&w=1
or send me the information and I can add it for you.
Thanks

[lyman]

excellent, I'll dig them out and add then as soon as I can

[cmcwilliams]

How did the "RedStar" guns gun into and out of Britain without ever being export marked by the Brits?

[jmm03]

not to derail, but has anyone ever found any info on the serial numbers of the 03A3 national match rifles that were finally dispersed from the Raritan Arsenal?

[Kragrifle]

Go back and try to search any replies by John Beard. If you can find them it will give you a good thumbnail on when what happened in the changes made. Also, a guy named William Hansen has done a number of articles in the otherwise lack luster Springfield Research. This is also a good source of information. Excellent articles.
Too bad Mr. Beard has not put a book or pamphlet together as he is the last living expert on the 1903 Remington rifle.

[Johnny P]

The rifles for conversion to NM specs were randomly chosen from those with suitable four groove barrels, and with only a handful ever issued as a match rifle almost all the remaining rifles were sold to some lucky recipient as a standard 03-A3 rifle. I have not heard of anyone compiling a serial number list.

In the Springfield Research books I have not come across any rifle in the assumed serial number range listed as a NM.

[lyman]

How did the "RedStar" guns gun into and out of Britain without ever being export marked by the Brits?

the Brits did not export mark them,

the marks are proof's,
each gun that entered the country or was sold out of service, was supposed to be proofed,

Century, Interarms etc would contract the proof houses in London, or mostly Birmingham, to proof, and sometimes import mark (pre 68 would be marked England)

or the importer here would put the import marks on them,


who and how they were sold would determine any markings

[Johnny P]

Since the beginning of time any firearm sold commercially in England that was manufactured in a country that did not have a reciprocal gun proof agreement with England had to be proofed before being sold commercially, and the U.S. had no gun proof law. Since the rifles in question were going to the British military they did not have to be proofed when entering the country; only prior to being sold commercially.

It is thought that there were some shenaigans by a USAAF officer in getting the rifles out of England without the required proofing.

[Kragrifle]

There are several excellent articles on the AF LTC associated with the ?Red Star Remington 1903s. From what I have read the Brits were anxious to get all firearms out of the country following the war?s end. A number of individuals were allowed to send rifles back to the US which is why there are more non Red Star rifles than those sold through the Red Star gun shop (which is the origin of the moniker).
What I found most revealing from a historical standpoint was how afraid the British government was to be faced with an armed citizenry. Let that be a warning to all Americans!

[Johnny P]

The British didn't start selling off the Lend-Lease Model 1911A1 pistols until 1952, and this went on for several years. Most bear the post 1955 British proofs.

An unknown number of the 1515 Model 1911A1 pistols that were Lend-Leased to Canada were brought to England, where they were commercially proofed and some brought back to the United States. This one with the Canadian Broad Arrow C property marks appears to have been British proofed proofed in 1960.