Thanks for the responses everyone! The auction house people were helpful but were not gun people so I had difficulty determining over the phone what this rifle really was...They made no mention of the buttplate and gripcap over the phone. Were these items commonly available in the prewar time frame? Any idea as to their cost at that time? I feel like they are quality items which are incongruous with the stock inletting and overall construction.
Michael, not sure if you remember, but I emailed you regarding this serial number, I believe you stated it was not on your list but the very next rifle was, and was listed as a NRA Sporter.
This rifle has a star gauge barrel, headless cocking piece, polished raceways and appears to be a NRA Sporter action. The interesting thing is that this barrel is a bit thinner in profile than another NRA Sporter in my stewardship, yet heavier than a standard barrel and the barrel band fits correctly. This being a later serial number, 141xxxx vs 127xxxx makes me wonder if they changed the barrel contour at some point, Brophy's book makes no mention of this that I can find. Any thoughts?
-Tom
