December 14-17, 2021 Collectible Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/15/2021
25-Round Extension Magazine manufactured by Blank Book Co. These magazines were designed and produced with the intention to of replacing the integral 5-round magazine in order to increase the overall firepower of the Springfield Model 1903 bolt action rifles. While there is no evidence directly stating the intended implementation of these magazines, on page 206 of "An Illustrated Guide to the '03 Springfield Service Rifle" by, Bruce N. Canfield, Canfield states that an Ordnance Memo dated March of 1920 2,723 of the Extension Magazines had been delivered to Springfield Armory in 1918. Canfield goes on to state that "The fact that relatively large numbers of the magazines were manufactured strongly suggests that the intention was to issue the items for front line use. Since the Air Service and Cameron-Yaggi rifles were made in quite limited numbers, the large quantity of extension magazines manufactured would not have been needed if utilization was restricted solely to those two quasi-experimental weapons". This example bears an eagle over "X31" inspectors proof on the left sight, with a faint eagle over "X32" inspectors stamp on the right. Magazine is accompanied by its nitre blued sheet metal cover. CONDITION: Magazine body retains the vast majority of its original finish, showing some spots of wear, some marks from storage, as well as areas of oxidation that are mostly present on the right side. Sheet metal cover exhibits areas of wear and thinning that show through to gray and brown patinas. Follower spring is strong. A unique accessory of late World War I U.S. military rifle development. MLW