KillerBee;
Good afternoon once more Darren, I still hope your day on that side of the big hills is behaving.
We're well here thus far thanks. I ran up the mountain behind the house for a load of firewood this morning and saw what could be the 11th black bear we've seen since the last week of August. I say "could be" because we've seen a rather rotund fellow a few times in one spot and while this morning's was a tad lower down on the mountain, it surely wouldn't be impossible for it to be the same one. They can really move out when they want to - even fat fellows like this one was.
Someday I'll break down and shoot another one. I do carry a tag every fall and we've got a really generous season spring and fall with a 2 bear limit.
Anyways to your question, I happen to have 3 examples in the safe to look at so before answering I dug them out.
The lone .30-06 is marked on the front receiver ring "US" then under that "Model of 1917" then "Eddystone" and under that a serial number. There appear to be only US proof marks on it as far as I can ascertain. Being a martial arm there's no cartridge designation on it. Other than the stock being altered, the metal work appears to be original.
The one .303 is marked with an RE in a circle on the receiver which means it's made at the Remington factory, then a serial number. Everyone who touched that thing put a proof mark on it Darren and a lot of people touched it!!!
It has enough arsenal markings on it that it'd dull the sun shining on that part of it - lets say that. There are British proofs on it for sure that I recognize. There is no cartridge designation again and on this one as well the metal work appears to be original but the stock has been really and truly altered.
The final one has had the rear sight removed, has been drilled and tapped - by me back when - and if memory serves it was an Eddystone or a Remington, not a Winchester. I had it stamped .303 Br since it's a hunting rifle loaner. Last year I picked up an altered bottom metal and magazine for it and have a stock hanging on the wall that has enough meat that I can make that big action fit into it, so that's on the "to do" list.
Oh - even though it's a .303 Br as mentioned, as close as I could measure the bore was close to .309" so I've been shooting plain vanilla 165gr Hornady .308" Spires in it and so help me it shoots them not all that bad, but admittedly I've only fooled with one surplus powder for loads and didn't step on it's tail whatsoever as far as velocity went. I want to say without looking that the 165's shot best at 2200fps so no barn burning there.
As to where your rifle was made, it's hard to say whether BSA scrubbed off the maker's mark or even if its just a RE in a circle like the one I spoke of had, it'd hide under the front scope base easily, so that's tough to say.
Sorry I can't be more help on this one. Like many military firearms out there, some of them really "got around" so to speak.
All the best.
Dwayne
