The original barrel date code is AK, A = March K = 1941. Then there is the repair code PL3, P = June L = 1942. Perhaps that was when a MOD and FULL gun like my December 1940 gun --
241968 01a 26-inch, 16-gauge, XJ X = December, J = 1940.jpg
was pulled from inventory, had the chokes changed and was remarked to fill an order. Equally, or even more, likely it was something else. At any rate unless repair ledgers from Remington miraculously appear, all we can do is speculate.