Model 14 date

[gabrielguitars]

Hi All! I have just purchased a Model 14 in .30 Rem, which is in great shape. The serial # is C 781*. From my reading, it seems to be very early. There is a J on the left side of the barrel, but no numbers with it. The line of patent dates on the top of the barrel ends with 1910, and the ammo indicator is marked "UMC." I believe the rear sight to be a replacement, it is raised and lowered by a grooved dial which seems to have letters stamped on it to indicate the different positions. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[gabrielguitars]

Well, the buttplate is actually black plastic or Bakelite (almost like horn, but doesn't have the layers) or something like that. It fits far too well to be a later replacement, I think. Also, the rear sight actually has a very small notch, the size of the front bead. Who knows? Anyway, thanks for the info, it confirms what I figured.

[shot1too]

What you call "bakelite" is what Remington called "hard rubber". If yours has the UMC in a circle symbol in the middle, it would be correct. There were four variations of the wheel elevator sight: wide and narrow buckhorn, straight bar and a combination peep and straight bar. Yours sounds like a straight bar (looks like the horns of the buckhorn sight were ground off) and was an option on the early Model 14. It later became the standard sight untill the early 20ies.