Sporterized 1903A3

[NMC_EXP]

I've kicked around owning one for probably 50 years . . .

Finally have decided I'm not going to do it . . . and some will laugh . . . but the first thing I would have to do is change out the barrel for a .308 . . . and every where I took it . . . I would be the butt end of curse words and snide remarks.

Besides . . . I couldn't talk myself into desecrating one that way . . . unless I found one where the barrel was so pitted and messed up that it wouldn't shoot any group less than 12 inches at 100 yds.

THEN . . . I might . . . but I haven't found one of those yet.

May God bless,
Dwight

Dwight I am not trying to sell this to you because technicall it is my wife's rifle. Central MO gun show purchase from 20 years ago. A "high number RIA receiver" with IIRC a 1918 barrel.

Anyway, I bet if we had a contest of who had the worst muzzle erosion, I'd win. You see a lot of photos of folks inserting M2 Ball cartridges into a M1903 muzzle. This muzzle will swallow not just the bullet but a USGI M2 Ball cartridge case all the way up to the to where the shoulder angle starts. This plus the bore looks like a sewer pipe.

As I recall this rifle does not have any foreign import marks. Who knows where it came from?

Back in her survivalist phase she was going to make a hunting rifle out of it. Then I told her if she killed a deer or elk she had to pack the critter out of the woods/mountains. So much for that idea then a switch to buy more Spam for the pantry.

[wrwindsor]

mmm, I like RIA 1903 receivers, high-nickel alloy!

[Mud Pie]

Just has a look at my Dad's 1903. Remington, serial 3,253,7xx Pulled the serial up online, Remington only made the 1903 in 1942 ? Serial range from 3,000,001 - 3,348,085. That same year they started on the 1903A3, starting serial 3,348,086 stopping production in 1943.

https://www.nps.gov/spar/learn/histo...production.htm

Does this make his any rifle more or less desirable ? Not that I would ever sell it, it'll just annoy me more that he had it re-blued way back when...and I helped. lol

Interesting though, I always believed it was a WWI rifle...nope.

[wrwindsor]

Remington 1903s (not A3s) have some value in the '03/'03A3 collectors that need to have a sampling of each. Their rarity adds a little to that.

IIRC it was Remington that pushed for cheaper production methods, leading to more parts being stamped instead of forged (e.g. trigger guards didn't need to be forged).

WW1 M1903s made were only made by Springfield and Rock Island.

Remington (with it's sub Eddystone) and Winchester were making P1914 Enfield rifles under contract to the Brits. When the US joined into the fray, they were put under contract to make M1917s for the US effort. Apparently it was easier/faster to re-tool P1914s to M1917s than to spin up M1903 production.

[NMC_EXP]

Just has a look at my Dad's 1903. Remington, serial 3,253,7xx Pulled the serial up online, Remington only made the 1903 in 1942 ? Serial range from 3,000,001 - 3,348,085. That same year they started on the 1903A3, starting serial 3,348,086 stopping production in 1943.

https://www.nps.gov/spar/learn/histo...production.htm

Does this make his any rifle more or less desirable ? Not that I would ever sell it, it'll just annoy me more that he had it re-blued way back when...and I helped. lol

Interesting though, I always believed it was a WWI rifle...nope.

As to date of manufacture I use OldGuns.net. Use the link then on the left side scroll down until you find "US Military". Click on that and follow the instructions.

https://oldguns.net/index.php

The fedgov sold off truckloads of M1903 and 03A3 post WW2. Seem to recall less than $20 for an unissued rifle. Many of them were converted to hunting or target rifles.

Unaltered examples are few and far between.

I have two that were altered to target rifles. One is a M1903A4 sniper receiver with a heavy replacement barrel in an aftermarket "Marksman" style stock. It is chambered in .308 Win.

The other is an 03A3 receiver with a SS Krieger heavy barrel chambered in .308 Win. It wears an aftermarket laminated stock.

After I sold off my collection of M1903 and A3 service rifles, bayonets & etc. I started buying M1903 based target rifles. Go figure.

Oh yeah, both receivers are polished and blued.

Post WW2 little value was placed on the Springfields. Alteration was common

[NMC_EXP]

mrwindsor

You are correct.

According to my reference books it was Remington that recommended all the cost reduction mods that resulted in the change from the M1903 to the 03A3.

[wrwindsor]

Post WW2 little value was placed on the Springfields. Alteration was common

Same was true for the previous rifle, the Krags.

[Autoguns]

With my recent bolt action rifle revival, I remembered this old gem, my sporterized 1903A3. I bought this rifle 10-15 years ago. The modification to Sporter Rifle, looks like something right out of the 1950's. I bought it with possibly returning it to military configuration as a sort of 1903A4, still have plans to do it, at some point. The rifle has been drilled and tapped with a Buelher scope mount and rings mounted. Part of the attachment point in the rear, uses the dove tail for the original aperture sight assembly, pretty solid. The barreled action and trigger is all original, I did have the bolt handle modified to clear the scope. I mounted a Leupold VXII on it, then hit the range for zero this morning. I always start at 35 yards to get on paper, then back to 100 for final zero.

I shot Remington 150 grain Cor-Lokts, maybe not the best for accuracy, but great for deer hunting. For a hunting rifle, three round groups are fine. Group fired is 13/16, not bad for a rifle from WWII. I adjusted left windage after that group.
https://i.imgur.com/Ctenl2Q.jpg

I sold one to someone on the forum many years ago , it looked very much like yours ...did you get that from me?

[4570govt]

I sold one to someone on the forum many years ago , it looked very much like yours ...did you get that from me?

I think I bought it on Gunbroker, but I might be mistaken. I've bought a lot of firearms since then!