Just a brief update on the Springfield...

I subscribed to the U.S. Martial Arms Collector in order to gain access to the Springfield Research Service (SRS). Unfortunately this rifle is not in their database (as noted in the thread posted earlier by Jim), which means there is no record of where it was delivered. My Seymour Griffin 'attribution' will therefore remain just that unless an old letter or magazine piece turns up or SRS eventually finds something on the serial number. I looked through issues of Arms and the Man for the period 1919-21 and found much mention of Seymour Griffin but nothing at all about any work on Springfield match rifles.

As to cleaning up the rifle, I've learned that carefully removing the old damaged finish is not going to give a good result. So - I'll probably clean with turpentine and fine grit sandpaper and try to do a proper refinish along the lines of James V Howe's Modern Gunsmithing (1934). Of course then the rifle will be 'non-professionally refinished' rather than 'cleaned' but I don't think this is important given the rifle. If anyone has strong view to the contrary, please speak up.