"All Matching" to me means that all serial numbers applied at the factory are still present and correct. Doesn't matter if it's a Lee, Mauser, or Carcano. If you don't know which serial numbers were applied at the factory, then claiming all matching is, to be frank, lying. I have a No4 Mk II, for that rifle, all matching means that the action, the bolt, all of the wood, the magazine and the bayonet match. Less than that is not "All Matching".
303 info photos up
- Thread starter kamlooky
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- Western Manitoba
Is a good point - some people do not appear to know that some country's rifles had serial numbers on both the stock and on the hand guard(s) - was only "one" original "all matching" set ever made. Is almost to make one cry, today, to get a serial numbered rear sight for P14 that someone cut off the top of rear aperture to make into a "U" rear sight - that was the ONLY rear sight ever made that was "matching" to that particular receiver, although probably thousands of others would "fit" and likely work fine. I have at least one - I have been contacted by others how to go about repairing their's. Was likely from a time when they were cheap to buy and a gazillion of them around. Times have changed.
And likely need to read some history - seems to have been important to Britain and therefore to Canada to have a serial number on a bolt handle. So the 30-06 P17's that ended up in Britain or Canada got serial numbers stamped on, when they were received. USA never did that - either on their 1903 Springfield rifles or on their P17's - I do not know how they matched up a bolt to a particular receiver, or if they even cared about it - but is apparent that was important to Britain, Sweden, Canada and others. So if you have a rifle with an un-marked P-17 bolt - is that an unused spare part that was stuck into a "missing bolt" rifle, or was that the original bolt for that receiver from the factory? So what is "all matching", when there never were any serial numbers applied to various parts?
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Yes. I had a couple of really good visits with George. I took my Indonesian No.1 to show him one time. He took it in his arms like a proud Grandpa would with his first grandchild. I didn't think he was going to give it back! I miss that old guy!
