help with 1935 dated 03A1

[robert]

I got a Springfield in the 1 million 404 thousand serial range today. The barrel date is 1935. What can you tell me about it. The serial number lists say only about 4 thousand were made that year.

What kind of finish should it have? Bolt is marked NS which I think means nickel steel? It has a C type stock with pistol grip. any other details you can give me will help. No star not he barrel so not a national Match?
Thanks in advance.

[oldcorps]

Finish should be dark parkerized and the bolt sounds like it's the correct type, especially if it has both large and small gas relief ports. I've had some NS with only the small relief port in this vintage, so either would probably be correct. Rear sight base should be beveled. Are there any cartouches on the left side of the stock and under the pistol grip? Anyway, Springfield went to nickel steel receivers in the 1,275,000 range and they were the highest development of the design. Sounds like a great find!

[Johnny Peppers]

There were no official serial number lists by year, but William Brophy went back throughh the yearly production records and arrived at a serial number list. According to his list the receiver dates to 1931/32. The rifles were not necessarily assembled in the year the receiver was produced. The nickel steel bolt was introduced in 1928.

As noted in the previous post, the finish should be phosphate, but the lower band and band spring should be finished in blue.

The stock should have a circle/P proof on the inside of the pistol grip, and there should be an acceptance stamp on the left side of the stock just behind the cutoff recess, probably a boxed S.A. over S.P.G.

[dasboot2011]

No pics?

[robert]

this site gives the serial number as being 1935.

https://gun-data.com/springfield_model_1903.html

[robert]

serial ranges

here's a clip of the ranges.

[Johnny Peppers]

this site gives the serial number as being 1935.

https://gun-data.com/springfield_model_1903.html

That is the same Brophy compiled serial number list, and it lists 1404026 as 1932. The number you gave in your original pst was 1404XXX. 1935 starts at 1491532.

[robert]

yes, sorry for the confusion.

[robert]

Thanks for the correction. Does the number produced each year in the Brophy listings refer to the raw receiver then, or the assembly date when the barrel was put on?

[Johnny Peppers]

As noted in my earlier post, the rifles were not necessarily assembled in the year the receiver was produced. Additionally, they were not assembled in serial number order. This was toward the end of production of the Model 1903 Rifle, and production was low. Most were probably replacements for rifles/receivers that were scrapped.