'03 Action, the quintessential

[retnav05]

Here's a pic of my sprg '03 action. I'm looking to put this into a sporterized configuration as a tribute to my dad. He assembled and polished it to perfection. Im no smith, but I can make this work. I'm putting a fajen stock, douglass barrell, maybe a quarter rib, etc. Any ideas? I was raised on 7x57. I tried checkering but my skill falls short, I'll pay for it. Help me out. Thanks. With a little help, this could be "The Coolest Rifle I've Ever Seen".

 

[Smokey Joe]

Beautiful action!

Retnav05--That's a looker ya got there! Y'understand that building a custom rifle is not a cheapo operation, especially when you have a "special" action such as yours. But if you wanted to go the cheap route, just head to Wally World and pick up a 'scoped deer rifle for $3 or 4 hundred and be done with it. OTOH, if you do it right, it'll cost you.

I'd go for a "classic, simple and elegant" kind of look, backed up with very nice accuracy. No reason you can't have both. But that means no extra decorations, swirly checkering, gold inlays, etc.

May i suggest a Timney or Canjar trigger--easy attachment and they improve accuracy amazingly. Timney makes one especially for the Springfield.

Replacement safeties can be had that clear a 'scope nicely.

My preference would be for a Krieger bbl. You can have any bbl contour you want, from very light to heavy target bbl. They'll true the action for you and install the bbl too, as well as headspacing it to yr specs. You might as well go the whole hog and have them cryo-treat and blue it for you, too. While they've got yr action, they'll probably drill and tap it for 'scope mounts. All for a price, of course. Have no experience with Douglas; they of course have a good name.

Unless you're an experienced professional gunsmith and machinist, I'd definitely have the bbl professionally installed were I you--IIRC, Springfields are tetchy abt that for some reason, and then you know the headspacing will be right on. You could buy a bbl wrench and an action insert for yr vise, and do it yrself, but, well, I wouldn't.

Since this is the centennial of the magnificent .30-'06, and since that is what the Springfield was originally, there is only one cartridge for which to bbl yr fine rifle, obviously, .30-'06! (And all the stuff they say abt the '06 being enough for any game in N Am is true, BTW.)

Do you plan to job out all the stock work or only the checkering?

Anyhow, hope you end up with a truly magnificent rifle! Pls keep us posted!

And as always, the journey is part of the destination.

 

[mustanger98]

Well, everybody's got an idea about their ideal custom rifle... here my thoughts...

For the barrel, I'd go with a Douglas of medium contour and either 7x57 or .30-06. If you like either of those, I don't think you can go wrong. Of course, I grew up around .30-06 and from what I understand, it'll be more versatile than 7x57 and many others. I don't see cryo-treating an '03 action, but then I don't know much about it. If it were me, and I do think about building rifles, I'd just get a barrel wrench, action vise, and headspace guages and go for it. The only people I see saying it's hard seem to be gunsmiths saying "don't try this at home" so you'll spend money with them. But sometimes this stuff turns out to be a lot easier than it's made out to be.

Sights... well, I wouldn't drill and tap that action for a scope because for one thing, it'll drill into the designation markings on the ring. Unless you went with a side mount, but most of those don't look quite right IMO. So, in the interest of a better sight picture (compared to the open sight on the barrel on most rifles), I'd mount either a Lyman #57 or Williams Foolproof with target knobs and those mount to the right side of the receiver's bridge. I'd put a dovetailed ramp on the front and go with either a brass bead front or a Lyman 17A.

Triggers... I know a guy at the gun club who shoots a beautifully sportered 03A3 and he retained the military two-stage trigger on his and it's quite good. If the trigger is good on your's, why change it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Stocks... whatever. It has to fit the owner/operator as well as the barreled action, but the fit on the barreled action is probably more important right off. I'd probably go with a Bell&Carlson but I see nothing wrong with a Fajen as long as it all comes together.

This is my opinion. We all have to do according to what we see being in the situation.

 

[Khornet]

Timney trigger

I put one of their less expensive models, Sportsman maybe, on my 03A3. Quite easy to do and an excellent trigger. Buehler safety is also easy to install but make sure you torture-test it a little before trusting it, e.g. safety on, bang butt on carpeted floor,flick off safety and make sure she doesn't fire, etc.

You can learn checkering if I can. Get Mony Kennedy's book from Brownells. You can finish the stock yourself, and glass-bed it yourself too. I agree with the rebarreling/headspacing/drill and tap advice above.

Great action.

 

[mustanger98]

Another thing I didn't mention is that if you go with an aperture rear sight like I was talking about, you won't need to change out the exsisting safety because you won't be worrying about clearing a scope. Between retaining the exsisting safety and the exsisting trigger, you won't have to go through testing to be sure it don't AD, assuming it don't do it now.

 

[Sistema1927]

7x57

Here is another vote for .30-06.

 

[Delmar]

Well, call me the oddball, but if it were up to me, I would build the rifle back to its original configuration. Maybe some fancy grade walnut and polish the barrel bands and steel until I could comb my hair in its reflection at 10 yards. Another vote for the original caliber. 30-06 might be a hundred years old, but its still the standard.

It almost makes me cry to see the Springfields all chopped up and "sporterized", even though there are some really nice examples out there. Maybe too many-its hard to find an 03 in its original configuration anymore.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

There are always pitfalls when using an action for a cartridge other than the one it was designed for. The Mauser family (which includes the .30-06) is usually pretty safe, and the rails for one cartridge will usually work for another -- although shortening or blocking the magazine may be necessary here.

I'd keep it .30-06, though. There's nothing the 7X57 will do the .30-06 won't -- and do it better.

 

[Gewehr98]

Krieger now sells 1903 barrels, fully contoured...

Just like the original military barrels, except with that 1/10,000" precision they have in their cut rifling process. They are also doing M1 Garand barrels, too. I saw them when I was interviewing for my job there.

A military 1903 or 1903A1 restoration, with a high-polish deep blue, and a gorgeous figured C-stock, would be a thing of beauty, even if not arsenal correct. Take this rifle as your basic 1903A1, and envision what a Belgian or Nitre Blue and highly figured piece of wood and handguard would look like:



Likewise, a 1903 National Match recreation, or Unertl-scoped USMC M1941 sniper rifle, with barrel-mounted scope, wouldn't be a bad choice. Either, however, would require at least some drilling and tapping of the receiver to mount the target peep or rear scope mount base.

Then there are the early Sedgely Springfields, which, although they are rebuild military actions, are indeed things of beauty and command quite a price.

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976248376.htm

 

[DeltaGunner]

The tried, true, tested and proven.........

I would not presumpt, what you should do with your 03 action. I have fired that particular action in sporter and original Military configuration. The military rifle is extemely accurate. I purchased two in cosmoline with the factory cardboard tube greased and inserted in the barrel's. One I admire, One I shoot. If you want a job try and get wwII cosmoline out of the wood and off the gun. they smoke for years.
I did however spend the day, finishing stock inleting, and modifications to the trigger guard assembly to accept a "Canjar" set trigger assembly on an 03-A3 that has a new bull barrel at 1" in 8" twist on 24". I chose this barrell for spinning up the lighter rounds that I load. I have been working on a nice "bishop" walnut stock, doing the inletting, and am close to putting the glass bedding in. I went with "Williams Fool Proof" rear apeture sights with external windage and elevation knobs, this choice was not to cover the nominclature markings of the weapon. The front sight is a ramped Williams with a Lyman dovetail brass bead and to top it a hood for the front sight.
Pictures coming soon. Build what you want, but the USMC didn't use the 30-06 for a sniper round cuz it looked cool. It really is a functional round.
If you wanna see the sights go to Brownells.com and type williams in the search bar you'll see what they are.
Nice action, the polish job is great, I see alot of them damaged around the stripper clip area, they get badly rounded and in a timed match, they come in handy.
Enjoy it.

 

[db_tanker]

Almost everyone says 30-06....I say move to your own drummer!


If you want to do it in a 7x57...by God do it!

Might I suggest a 280 Remington, however?

You get a 7mm that is only about 100 fps below a 7mm Mag with a 165gr bullet.

Barrel...I would go with a Hart...second choice would be a Shilen...either way I would go with a #4 Contour (my hart barrel) or a Magnum Sporter (shilen)...

Trigger...I have to agree with others on this thread...if it ain't broke, don't fix it...a two stage can be damn nice...if you haven't shot a K-31, then try that first...

furniture... I can't say really...that is way too much of a personal taste issue...if it were ME...I would go with a nice chunk of American Walnut with a fair amount of checkering and a good shnabel. In other words...look at a good Winchester Featherweight....

I have not seen a 03 done up that way...but I HAVE seen a P17 done up like that...only it was kept as a 30-06...and was a VERY nice piece of work...I am sure that whatever you do and whatever path you take your father would be proud of both it and you.

D

 

[Kor]

Coincidence - I obtained a stripped '03 action just about a year ago through THR, and I'm having mine built up into what I call a "Kit Carson" - i.e. "Army Scout Rifle." Purist mil-surpers will hate me, but I figure I've already given a good home to 3 other Springfields, and I wanted to make this one into something I've been wanting for quite a while.

I'm going with a 20" .30-06 Douglas stainless barrel, which will be fitted with a Ruger quarter-rib w/folding leaf sight(I can't bear to have the receiver drilled/tapped for a ghost-ring rear sight). Once that work is done, the barreled action will be finished in OD green GunKote and bedded into a Bell & Carlson stock(which will itself be DuraCoted to Coyote Brown). Form follows function, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that.

I had hoped to have the rifle ready in time for me to take the Gunsite 270 rifle course before Col. Cooper passed away...

 

[DeltaGunner]

03-A3's gotta love 'em

Here is just a short link to obtain all you ever wanted to know about the rifle...

http://www.surplusrifle.com/reviews/ncp03a3.asp

Remember the only use for a pistol is fighting your way back to the rifle you should have never laid down to begin with..........

SPRINGFIELD ARMORY PRODUCTION OF US RIFLE MODEL 1903 [dated by calendar year: January - December]

1903-1-16000 1904-16001-67000 1905-67001-119000 1906-119001-269450 1907-269451-337861 1908-337862-358084 1909-358085-398275 1910-398276-456375 1911-456376-502045 1912-502046-531520 1913-531521-570560 1914-570561-595600 1915-595601-620120 1916-620121-632825 1917-632826-761757 1918-761758-1055091 1919-1055092-1162500 1920-1162501-1211299 1921-1211300-1239640 1922-1239641-1252386 1923-1252387-1261486 1924-1261487-1267100 1925-1267101-1270300 1926-1270301-1274764 1927-1274765-1285265 1928-1285266-1305900 1929-1305901-1338405 1930-1338406-1369760 1931-1369761-1404025 1932-1404026-1425933 1933-1425934-1441811 1934-1441812-1491531 1935-1491532-1496022 1936-PRODUCTION TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED 1937-1496023-1510387 1938-1939-1510388-1532878 Total: 1340000.

Introduction of improved heat treatment at SN800000 Introduction of nickel steel at SN1275767.



ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL PRODUCTION OF US RIFLE MODEL 1903

1903-1-7500 1904-7501-16000 1905-16001-28000 1906-28001-75000 1907-75001-130000 1908-130001-165000 1909-165001-178000 1910-178001-201000 1911-201001-210634 1912-210635-217801 1913-217802-234830 1914-PRODUCTION TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED 1915-PRODUCTION TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED 1916-PRODUCTION TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED 1917-234831-257061 1918-257062-326935 1919-326936-348414 TOTAL: 346000

Introduction of improved heat treatment at SN285507. Introduction of nickel steel at SN319921.


REMINGTON ARMS PRODUCTION OF M1903, 1903A3, 1903A4

1942-3000001-3348085 (M1903) 1942-3348086-3607999 (M1903A3) 1942-3708000-4707999 (M1903A3) 1942-4992001-5784000 (M1903A3) 1943-3407088-3427087 (M1903A4) 1943-4992001-4997045 (M1903A4) 1943-Z4000000-Z4002920 (M1903A4) TOTAL: 1084079


SMITH CORONA PRODUCTION OF M1903A3

1943-3608000-3707999 1944-4708000-4992000 TOTAL: 234000

On 18 January 1943 Remington directed to divert from production 20,000 M1903A3 rifles for conversion to the U.S. Rifle M1903A4 (Sniper's). Rifles #3407088-3427087 (from the first "block" of numbers) were diverted, and the first "03-A3" converted was delivered in February 1943.

On 20 June 1943 an additional 8,365 M1909A4 rifles were ordered. "Block" for these rifles and possible future orders was 4922001-5784000. After this block had been used to 4997045, receiver marking was changed to "03-A4" and a new series of numbers begun with Z4000000. The second "block" of "03-A3" numbers was used only to about 4168800 before cancellation of contract ended "03-A3" production 28 February 1944. In March 1944, with receiver Z4002290, production of the M1903A4 was ended. Total production was 1,056,276 rifles, which included about 345,000 M1903 and M1903 (modified), about 711,276 M1903A3, and just 26,653 M1903A4 (short of the 28,365 ordered)