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LOT 283
Very Scarce Documented World War I U.S. Springfield Model 1903 Bolt Action Sniper Rifle with Matching Numbered Warner & Swasey Scope Mount, Bayonet and Scope Case - Serial no. 690554, 30-06 Springfield cal., 24 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. This U.S. Springfield Model 1903 rifle was manufactured in 1917, right in the beginning of U.S. entry into World War I, and fitted with a Model 1913 Warner & Swasey Musket Sight (telescopic sight) marked inside the mount with the matching serial number of the rifle. Springfield Armory records indicate that some 3,014 Model 1903 rifles had been fitted with Model 1913 musket sights between FY 1913 and 1918. Recorded serial numbers ranged from 577,890 to 936,527” according to author Bruce N. Canfield in his book, “U.S. Military Bolt Action Rifles” page 221. This rifle serial number 690554, with its original matching serial numbered mount falls within the accepted serial number range of WWI M1903 rifles fitted with Model 1913 W&S telescopic sights. Any Model 1903 Springfield rifles with their original Warner & Swasey sights matching serial numbered to the rifle are exceptionally rare, as almost all were disassembled after World War I and converted back into standard Model 1903 rifles with their scope mount holes plugged. This exact rifle is pictured and described on pages 23-28 of “U.S. Martial Arms Collector and Springfield Research Newsletter” issue number 161 dated December 2019 (this issue is included). This rifle features a blade front sight and ladder rear sight with a 2,750 yard center volley notch and windage and elevation knobs with dished faces. The “ON” side of the cut-off and the face of the rear sight are polished bright. The trigger is grooved with a cross-hatched tip. The buttplate has fine checkering. The left side of the receiver is fitted with the original Warner & Swasey mounting bracket secured by three screws. The bracket screws are flush with the inside of the receiver and are staked in place. The oil-finished, black walnut, “S” type, stock has grasping grooves and a single reinforcing bolt. The left side of the stock is arsenal inletted to clear the feet on the scope bracket (base). The “high hump” handguard has a sight clearance cut and two spring clips. The receiver is roll-stamped: “U.S./ SPRINGFIELD/ARMORY/MODEL 1903.” in four lines above the serial number “690554”. The barrel is roll-stamped behind the front sight with “SA/ordnance shell and flame/8-17”. An “H” is stamped on the underside of the bayonet lug. “D” is stamped on the underside of the bolt safety lug. The left side of the stock is stamped with a boxed “J.F.C.” cartouche which was the final ordnance inspection mark, and the underside grip area of the stock behind the trigger guard is stamped with an encircled, script “P” proof mark . An “F” sub-inspection mark is stamped in the cut-off recess of the stock. The early production Warner & Swasey telescopic sight is in the proper serial number range for this rifle and has a black enamel finish and the windage and elevation knobs have a black, oil-quenched, casehardened finish. The sight is complete with the original rubber eyepiece. A black painted, wind-correction/range- correction scale is attached to the top of the telescopic sight by four screws. The left side of the telescopic sight body is roll-stamped: “TELESCOPIC MUSKET SIGHT/MODEL OF 1913 No.3959/THE WARNER & SWASEY CO.” above the two-line address and patent dates. The inside of the telescopic sight mount dovetail is stamped: “FOR RIFLE NO. 690554”. The marking has been stamped with a fixture and the letters and numbers are neatly aligned and have uniform depth. Includes a correct “DIAMOND” leather scope case with diamond logo and “A.B.D.” inspection initials, scope tool, 1909 dated arsenal parkerized Springfield Armory M1905 bayonet, 1918 dated tan canvas scabbard, and 1918 dated M1905 leather sling. Model 1903 rifles equipped with Model 1913 Warner & Swasey Musket Sights were used by the U.S. Army on the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916 and in France by the American Expeditionary Force in 1917-1918. The Model 1903 rifle equipped with a Model 1913 Warner & Swasey Musket Sight was the first issue U.S. sniper rifle with a telescopic sight. All original Model 1903 rifles with Warner & Swasey Muskets sight are rare; examples with matching serial numbers are almost never encountered. This rifle was formerly of the famed Peter Wainwright collection and included is the 2018 auction catalog for the Peter Wainwright collection. CONDITION: Fine, retains 80% period arsenal refurbished blue finish with some scattered patches of light pitting, and crisp markings in the metal. Stock is very fine as re-oiled with crisp grasping grooves, some scattered dents and scratches, and a clear cartouche. Mechanically excellent. The scope is very fine, retains 85% plus original black painted finish with some light flaking at the edges, clear optics (very hard to find on one of these scopes), sharp markings on the scope and inside the scope rail, and minimal wear on the rubber eyepiece. Included bayonet and scabbard are fine, sling is very good. A highly desirable example of a World War I U.S. Springfield Model 1903 rifle with its correct matching Warner & Swasey sniper scope mount, next to impossible to find today, and a must have for any U.S. Military collection! Provenance: The Peter Wainwright Collection; Property of a Gentleman. Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500
FEATURED IN "U.S. MARTIAL ARMS COLLECTOR" FROM DECEMBER 2019
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