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M1903 Failures

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Information About Inspectors Stamps

The inspector's stamp is usually found on the left side of the stock, just to the rear of the cut-off recess, it was placed on the stock upon final inspection of the assembled arm after manufacture or rebuild and overhaul.

Variations in inspectors stamps -

New manufacture:

1. Inspector's initials in script
2. Inspector's initials in script with year
3. Inspector's initials in block letters
4. Inspector's initials in block letters with year
5. Inspector's initials in block letters with initials of place of manufacture (1927 and after).

Note: All new manufacture rifles had inspector's stamps which were enclosed in a square or rectangle having beveled or rounded corners.

Rebuilt or overhauled rifles.

1. Second stamp placed near original stamp enclosed in a rectangle. (Directives indicated the second stamp was to be placed on the butt side of the original. However, that practice was not always followed.)
2. Initials of place of overhaul or rebuild and inspector's initials enclosed in a rectangle.
3. Same as (2), except having an open bottom to enclosure.
4. Initials without enclosure, and in some cases without initials of the place the work was done.

Remington and Smith-Corona manufactured rifles.

1. Remington Model 1903 rifles stamped RLB or END enclosed in a rectangle.
2. Remington M1903A3 and Remington M1903A4 rifles stamped RA (Ord. escutcheon) FJA in a box.
3. Smith-Corona M1903A3 rifles stamped with the Ordnance escutcheon and FJA in a box.
4.