Seeing this week's thread on that nice .250 RT got me thinking about this interesting sub-variety again. Rory's comments do a good job of outlining the various theories that have come up over the years:
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Uncatalogued model that shows up at the end of 1945 and beginning of 1946, iirc. Very small serial number range that they show up in. Has a 99T forearm, but 99EG or later 99R checkering. Some think they are "parts" guns, which seems unlikely given the number that we see. Some of us believe them to be 99R's, since 99R and 99EG were the only things showing up in the catalogs. Others say they are 99T's, since they look just like them.


Somebody was keeping track of these a couple years ago (serial #s, calibers, etc). I'd like to see us discuss this variety based on what we know--rather than on speculation and debate over whether or not they are "parts guns" or "lunchbox specials" (a dead issue in my mind, for the reasons Rory mentions).

So what can we say for sure? How many RTs have turned up? What is the Serial # range? What calibers are they? Barrel length? Receiver markings? Barrel address? Are the dimensions of an RT forearm really the same as a T forearm, with different checkering?

Here's mine: the rifle on the bottom, a 30-30 with a 22" barrel, serial # 432XXX. The front of the receiver is unmarked.
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Here's another shot from Savage Fest a couple years ago. My 30-30 RT at the top, Steve's .300 RT on the bottom.

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Closeup of the RT forend:

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Rod

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