Remington M1903-A3 Rifle

[Mossy Man]

I've talked about this before, but I've actually acquired the rifle now and am in the process of evaluating the weapon.

These are the distinguished marks on the rifle:

Stamped on the receiver is:

U.S. Remington
Model 03-A3
4130373

It appears to be pretty old, I don't know when it's from as my father got it a long time ago and doesn't remember.

Front of barrel near the blade front sight shows "RA 9-43" I'm thinking this means it was made September 1943?

Looks like it has an old GI sling and it might be missing the proper barrel band up front.

Here are some photos of the rifle:














Does this look like one of the improperly heat-treated models?

Think it's safe to fire?

How do you take this thing down and clean it?

Thoughts?

Thanks

[Mossy Man]

also, the stock is super sticky feeling...not sure why that is (some sort of cosmoline or something?)

[jtv3062]

The model with the heat treat issues are the Springfield armory 1903s with low numbers.

[jtv3062]

To take apart you need to remove the barrel bands and the 2 action screws. One behind the trigger and the other in front of the magazine. To remove the bolt you need to move the magazine cut off ( its marked "on" on one side and "off",on the other) to the middle position and pull the bolt to the rear to remove.

[Mossy Man]

think its worth trying to make fireable?

don't know when it was last shot

the barrel seems dirty as hell, but i dont know if theres any rifling left.

i'm going to run some hoppes through it to see how it cleans up

[jtv3062]

I suggest you take it to a gunsmith to give it a safety check. You could also ask over at the curio and relics sub forum. Those guys know a lot about the surplus firearms.

[blackfalcon]

As long as it passes headspace, it should be safe to fire. You seem to be missing a sling swivel in the front as the sling is in the stacking swivel. Great piece!

[Bhobbs]

The heat treating issue was resolved way back in WWI. The 03a3 was built in WWII so you are well into the safety zone. If you are still worried, I can take it off your hands.

Nice rifle. If you are still worried, have it checked out and if it's clear, shoot it and enjoy it.

[Mossy Man]

The heat treating issue was resolved way back in WWI. The 03a3 was built in WWII so you are well into the safety zone. If you are still worried, I can take it off your hands.

Nice rifle. If you are still worried, have it checked out and if it's clear, shoot it and enjoy it.

did a semi-thorough cleaning.

the barrel is clean and smooth (dont see any pits or rust), the action works smoothly, and the only thing was there was some green gunk in the chamber, but i cleaned it out with some clp/hoppes.

seems to function fine, safety works, the firing mechanism works, etc.

i think i need to find that last piece that's missing, though.

any suggestions where i can find it?

[Noonanda]

here is the front sling swivel

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Detail.aspx?pid=525080&catid=11905

[PhantomII]

here is the front sling swivel

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/...80&catid=11905

Numrich is out of stock on that swivel but Sarco has it.

http://e-sarcoinc.com/1903spfslingswivelforbandmilled.aspx

They have lots of other parts as well, including a complete band & hardware set.

http://e-sarcoinc.com/03a3bandandhardwaresetcomplete.aspx

[fdesalvo]

+1! Sweet thunder stick.

The heat treating issue was resolved way back in WWI. The 03a3 was built in WWII so you are well into the safety zone. If you are still worried, I can take it off your hands.

Nice rifle. If you are still worried, have it checked out and if it's clear, shoot it and enjoy it.

[eaglemike]

Many people consider this one of the best rifles ever made. It was definitely one of the best at the time it was designed. It should be pretty accurate with the right loads. Even the 2 groove barrels used in some of the WWII guns shoot well.

[dfletcher]

It should be stripped and cleaned thoroughly, Hoppes on the metal and some sort of "non-stripping" strength cleaner to remove the goo from the stock. Then after clean it like a regular rifle, shoot it like a regular rifle - only treat it nice, no dents & dings or back of the truck rides. The Springfield is a great military rifle and (free advice politely offered) should stay in its current configuration with no changes.