April 24-25, 2019 Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/25/2019
One of the great rarities in Springfield collecting, this carbine may be the only one held in private hands. This rare carbine is made with a 20" tapered round barrel that has the standard front sight with a large “A” stamped where one would usually expect to find the date. There is also a partial “P” proof on the right side of the barrel about mid-point. Barrel crown is standard Springfield contour & has the star gauge mark at the 6:00 position. Barrel, under the upper hand guard, has a series of numbers which are presumed to be drawing numbers. They consist of “21A / 8142A / D28177 / D35498”. These numbers are all hand stamped parallel with the bore. Root of the barrel is fitted with a hand-machined ring that serves as a keeper for the rear end of the short upper hand guard. Front sight is an altered standard Springfield blade; the sheet metal sight cover has been altered with a lower profile & smaller aperture. It is mounted in a walnut stock, 32-1/16" overall length with, straight wrist & grasping groove forestock cut for a barrel band similar to the standard '03 band with a groove but has a side mounted swivel with the screw head downward. Left side of the buttstock is inletted for the standard buttstock swivel. Removal of the swivel base discloses matching oil finish in the cut out. It has a standard parkerized finish over all the metal with milled '03 trigger guard & floorplate. Front end of the trigger guard is stamped with a “5” which corresponds with the last digit of the serial number. Receiver is mounted with a Lyman 48S receiver sight, graduated to 1500 yards, on the long slide. Close examination of the stock leads this cataloger to believe that it was manufactured as it is found, not cut down from a full length '03 stock. There is no evidence of a recess for the stock sling base ever having been cut on the bottom. Accompanied by a copy of the “Report On Experimental Cavalry Carbine Manufactured For The Cavalry Board” dated Dec. 24, 1920 over the signature of Maj. J.S. Hatcher. Rifle is described as having a 20" barrel with short stock and special sling swivels on the left hand side. It further states that the rifle was fitted with a Lyman #48 receiver sight modified to show graduation in yards instead of meters. Another letter on Springfield Armory letterhead dated Nov. 7, 1922 deals with the cost of building 75 of these carbines. Paragraph three states that they have a number of special stocks made up for the 1903 air service rifle whose length is 28-3/16" and it goes on to state that the Cavalry carbine stock was “About 32-1/8” and signed by “T.L. Ames”. Page 83 of The Springfield 1903 Rifles by Brophy has the illustration and description of a 1903 carbine which, in all respects, resembles our carbine. It is noted however, that the illustrated carbine stock was made from a cut down full size stock as the rear sling swivel base cut can be seen in the photographs. Illustrations on p. 84 detail the position & design of the left side swivels along with the modified front sight & front sight cover for the experimental carbine. It also shows the star gauge mark on the muzzle of that carbine. Narrative indicates there were two of them assembled for testing by the cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas and, although they received favorable reports, they were not produced. CONDITION: Extremely fine, as new. Retains virtually all of its gray/green parkerizing on the metal parts & virtually all of its fine oil finish on the stock with one or two small scratches. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore.