doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Can you stand one more "Unknown"?

I got this at auction and bid on it for several reasons. I have never seen the, for lack of a better word, Platform for the bottom metal, the shape and size of the forend checkering and the ivory (or light colored) pin through the forend.

The rifle looked very professionally made, and it is. The rifle started life as a "NRA" sales rifle and so marked on the bottom metal. Springfield Armory No. 617266 with a 11-15 barrel, the G&H side mount has the number "914" stamped on the outside.

Nice inletting but not marked, the pad has a leather cover so I won't be destroying that. The pictures made it look like there was a break by the magazine cut-off but just a bad gouge.

I can see why you couldn't pass up something as unique as that.
I hope that this "unknown" turns into a "known" before too long.

I like it.
I recall seeing the 'platform' styling used around the bottom metal on a few recent custom offerings. No names come to mind.

That only proves nothing is new I guess.


The checkering pattern is the pre WW2 style Mannlicher Schoenaur pattern used on the standard 1903,05,08,10 rifles and carbines w/pistol grip cap.
The butt stock pattern is a pretty standard point pattern anyway. But the upper & lower points extending well forward are a match. The top one going right up to the tang and extending to the back edge of the receiver as on the M/S rifles & carbines.
The bottom point matches in length on the M/S & that puts the point midway along the TG bow. Seems to be the same here.

The forend pattern with it's small coverage, unique curved sides and bottom front and rear points is a straight out copy.
Maybe that will help lead somewhere in the ID process or perhaps help confirm some other speculation later on.

Kutter,

Thanks for the information on MS's I'll look online at some of the early 1903's MS.

I'll be back on this subject later in the day, the pictures seem a little of out focus, I'll try to re-shoot them.

The shelf, or ledge shaping around the bottom metal allows for a transition from the width of the metal to a slim forend. I use a similar style with single shot for ends.
It is quite tricky to achieve the smooth transition on the sides of the stock as this one shows.
(That may be completely obvious to everyone??)
An interesting style with a very steep and sharp comb nose. Any idea what the peg in the for end tip is about?

" Any idea what the peg in the for end tip is about?"

I think that it was a latter addition to tighten up the tip. It did not work the tip is still loose. There are two pegs at different angles driven into blind holes.

I'm going to live with it for a while, then possibly fix it. I have the rifle in pieces now and managed to clean up the head of one of the action screws and have several little things to tend to. On the plus side the bore and chamber seem perfect, not always the case of rifles of this vintage.

I do have a few leads I'm working on. I hope that G&H may have a record of this rifle plus it was owned by the Grandson of J.P. Morgan. Not much but more than a lot I've tried to trace.