some ross 1917 markings need help with
- Thread starter JTF#
- Start date
It does look like a poorly-struck E-for-Enlarged marking on the Chamber.
As to the NUMBER, the 1(struck)111, this is not normal for a bog-stock-original Canadian rifle. Has this rifle been through the Royal Navy/RMLI structure? If so, that will be your source; they did serial quite a few rifles, ignoring the vulnerable Canadian markings on the woodwork.
Hope this helps.
As to the NUMBER, the 1(struck)111, this is not normal for a bog-stock-original Canadian rifle. Has this rifle been through the Royal Navy/RMLI structure? If so, that will be your source; they did serial quite a few rifles, ignoring the vulnerable Canadian markings on the woodwork.
Hope this helps.
Original Canadian serial number is on the wood.
The "III" means that it is a Mark III stock.
1917 is the date of manufacture, the rifle is number 286 of group LI.
It has the original DCP marking (Dominion of Canada Proof) but it also has the crowned BM for Birmingham Proof House. I think this pretty much identifies it as a former Canadian Expeditionary Force/then Royal Navy rifle.
Rosses were very popular with the shooters on the Minesweepers. With the Ross you got that extra 150 ft/sec with Service ammo and the rifle had truly excellent sights and was accurate enough that they could stay at more-or-less of a safe distance when detonating swept Mines. One round smack into one of the "horns" generally would set the thing off and they held a WHACK of TNT.
Hope this helps.
The "III" means that it is a Mark III stock.
1917 is the date of manufacture, the rifle is number 286 of group LI.
It has the original DCP marking (Dominion of Canada Proof) but it also has the crowned BM for Birmingham Proof House. I think this pretty much identifies it as a former Canadian Expeditionary Force/then Royal Navy rifle.
Rosses were very popular with the shooters on the Minesweepers. With the Ross you got that extra 150 ft/sec with Service ammo and the rifle had truly excellent sights and was accurate enough that they could stay at more-or-less of a safe distance when detonating swept Mines. One round smack into one of the "horns" generally would set the thing off and they held a WHACK of TNT.
Hope this helps.
Could also be a rifle sent over to the UK in WWII, stock has been sanded, so hard to say now, without black light. Looks absolutely filthy, so I would give the metal the Easy Off treatment, as I've posted about elsewhere. It will look completely different after that. 1917 rifles were sent over to France for sniper use according to one account I read. You can see this one has the Birch stock introduced when walnut supplies dried up. The Birch was just as a good if not better and 40% of the walnut blanks Ross was supplied from the US were too low in quality for stocks anyway, according to The Ross Rifle Story.
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Ross' were naval mine shooters? Damnit smellie I learn something new every day. Reminds me of that scene in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen where Quatermain's target shooting in the ocean
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/967424-Hey-I-saw-a-ross-in-a-video!
follow the link and you'll see a couple rosses in action on a minesweeper
follow the link and you'll see a couple rosses in action on a minesweeper
