As Crocidile Dundee would say ... "No Worries Mate" ... :wink:duckbuck said:
Six
What to look for in buying an 03/a3.
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Drop Dead Gorgeous pics - TLynn. You've got me salivating furiously. 
The rifle I looked at had the ladder rear sight on it just like those photos.
Anyway, thanks again for posting the great pics.
duckbuck
The rifle I looked at had the ladder rear sight on it just like those photos.
Anyway, thanks again for posting the great pics.
duckbuck
Hi there folks -
Boy, am I bummed - The Springfield is gone!!!
But - there were two 1903-A3s that caught my eye. I really wanted a Springfield 03 but I must admit, I slobbered all over the stocks of these two. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Would appreciate some advice though.
1. Remington 03-A3, serial #407XXXX. This rifle has all Remington parts, including the stock (Checked both Poyers and Brophy to match things up. Had the "R" marks on all the bands, barrel (mfg 9-43), Bolt had the proper markings on the bolt, extractor, etc. (R, R42, and [9] where the books indicated they should be. The barrel is a 2-groove barrel and has a clean, bright bore with lots of land area left. Didn't have guages so I couldn't check the erosion but did notice some wear (not damage) on the crown.
Parkerizing on the barrel showed some wear but was unmarked except at the muzzle and there was discoloration of the parkerizing on the receiver, but no pitting. The bolt face was clean - you could tell it had been fired quite a bit, but there was no evidence of pitting or rust anywhere on the rifle. Had the right type and size of "checkering" (is that the right word?) on the butt plate. Didn't have the cleaning kit with it.
Nice, uncracked stock with a some dings and marks. We inspected 10-12 stocks he had in the back room and it appeared that the stock on the rifle, while not the original, appeared to still have the factory finish on it and had not been sanded and refinished. We put it side-by-side with other stocks that had been "re-coated" and 2 that had been sanded and refinished - the difference was obvious.
Was really disappointed in the lack of inspectors cartouches and exterior stamps. Stock was marked with a 3 on the grip behind the trigger guard and the "flaming bomb" ordinance mark on the very front of the forend of the stock. The was a partial stamp in the stock channel ( "V") and another stamp (?-partially obscured and and " I") in the area between the receiver and mag box. We found references in the books to all of these marks but the number 3 on the grip, as being Remington markings.
We took the stock off and examined the reciever, bolt, barrel and stock thoroughly - "R" marks everywhere on the bolt components, including the extractor (underneath side) along with hardness punch marks receiver and bolt.
The shop owner is a friend of mine and we had the whole crew of regulars pouring over the books and rifle checking things out. We (collectively) decided that the stock was probably a Remington field replacement and not an armory refit.
The bolt and safety were completely functional and the bolt action was very smooth.
Is this rifle worth owning as a collector/shooter for less than $600?
#2. This is another one of his "Safe Queens" and is a completely original Smith-Corona 03-A3, Serial #473XXXX with a 4 groove barrel and almost unblemished green parkerizing on all the metal except the bands.
Just like the Remington, we examined all the stock and metal markings and cartouches we could see without taking the rifle down and compared them with the books. Lacking any evidence to the contrary, I am convinced that this rifle is also the genuine article. I couldn't find a single part or component on it that didn't have the appropriate S-C markings or stamps. I forgot to write down the mfg. date of the rifle -
The metal finish, bore and stock on the S-C were much nicer than the Remington, but even at that, the Remington was in really good condition.
He wants $700 for the S-C. Is that a good price?
Should I wait and try for an original Springfield 1903?
Should I grab up the Remington or the S-C (can't afford both right now)?
What do you think? :?: :?: :?:
Sorry for the length of this post - but TLynn, you told me to get "the goods" and I aims to please.
duckbuck
ps - even if they don't turn out to be good investments, we all had a great time "researching" and I learned a bunch. I love this stuff!!!:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Boy, am I bummed - The Springfield is gone!!!
But - there were two 1903-A3s that caught my eye. I really wanted a Springfield 03 but I must admit, I slobbered all over the stocks of these two. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Would appreciate some advice though.
1. Remington 03-A3, serial #407XXXX. This rifle has all Remington parts, including the stock (Checked both Poyers and Brophy to match things up. Had the "R" marks on all the bands, barrel (mfg 9-43), Bolt had the proper markings on the bolt, extractor, etc. (R, R42, and [9] where the books indicated they should be. The barrel is a 2-groove barrel and has a clean, bright bore with lots of land area left. Didn't have guages so I couldn't check the erosion but did notice some wear (not damage) on the crown.
Parkerizing on the barrel showed some wear but was unmarked except at the muzzle and there was discoloration of the parkerizing on the receiver, but no pitting. The bolt face was clean - you could tell it had been fired quite a bit, but there was no evidence of pitting or rust anywhere on the rifle. Had the right type and size of "checkering" (is that the right word?) on the butt plate. Didn't have the cleaning kit with it.
Nice, uncracked stock with a some dings and marks. We inspected 10-12 stocks he had in the back room and it appeared that the stock on the rifle, while not the original, appeared to still have the factory finish on it and had not been sanded and refinished. We put it side-by-side with other stocks that had been "re-coated" and 2 that had been sanded and refinished - the difference was obvious.
Was really disappointed in the lack of inspectors cartouches and exterior stamps. Stock was marked with a 3 on the grip behind the trigger guard and the "flaming bomb" ordinance mark on the very front of the forend of the stock. The was a partial stamp in the stock channel ( "V") and another stamp (?-partially obscured and and " I") in the area between the receiver and mag box. We found references in the books to all of these marks but the number 3 on the grip, as being Remington markings.
We took the stock off and examined the reciever, bolt, barrel and stock thoroughly - "R" marks everywhere on the bolt components, including the extractor (underneath side) along with hardness punch marks receiver and bolt.
The shop owner is a friend of mine and we had the whole crew of regulars pouring over the books and rifle checking things out. We (collectively) decided that the stock was probably a Remington field replacement and not an armory refit.
The bolt and safety were completely functional and the bolt action was very smooth.
Is this rifle worth owning as a collector/shooter for less than $600?
#2. This is another one of his "Safe Queens" and is a completely original Smith-Corona 03-A3, Serial #473XXXX with a 4 groove barrel and almost unblemished green parkerizing on all the metal except the bands.
Just like the Remington, we examined all the stock and metal markings and cartouches we could see without taking the rifle down and compared them with the books. Lacking any evidence to the contrary, I am convinced that this rifle is also the genuine article. I couldn't find a single part or component on it that didn't have the appropriate S-C markings or stamps. I forgot to write down the mfg. date of the rifle -
The metal finish, bore and stock on the S-C were much nicer than the Remington, but even at that, the Remington was in really good condition.
He wants $700 for the S-C. Is that a good price?
Should I wait and try for an original Springfield 1903?
Should I grab up the Remington or the S-C (can't afford both right now)?
What do you think? :?: :?: :?:
Sorry for the length of this post - but TLynn, you told me to get "the goods" and I aims to please.
duckbuck
ps - even if they don't turn out to be good investments, we all had a great time "researching" and I learned a bunch. I love this stuff!!!:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
