Recently on an internet auction site I saw a sporterized model 1898 which the seller says has a star gauge barrel. Could that be original on a model 1898?  Could it be a genuine star gauge mark made when the rifle was sporterized or some other time? The seller says it was sporterized over 70 years ago and has been in his family most of the time since then. The photos on the auction site are not sufficient to see the star. The serial number is 1859xx, the last two digits are hidden under a peep sight mounted on the side of the receiver.