I don’t understand what is the big deal? My husband bought a .306 Springfield of the same vintage (military surplus) by mail order from the NRA in 1959 for $35. It had never been fired until my husband sporterized it and has used it for deer hunting ever since. Although my husband’s gun is a different calibre, I’m sure that these surplus trainers were probably sold in the same way and there are probably 1000s of them out there.
My husband’s gun was stolen once, about 25 years ago, but the police got it back for us. It is now safely stored in a Browning gun safe with my sterling silver.
These are fairly rare. There’s a big difference in numbers between a Springfield ‘03 from wartime production, and a training rifle for the standing army of the ‘20’s. I’ve seen beat one’s go for $1000+.
There were comparatively few of the .22 trainers made, and most of them did not hold up in service due to the destructive effects of corrosive primers on the barrels.