03A3 Rear Sight Elevation Adjustment

[444]

I picked up a very nice Remington 03A3 yesterday. Very clean.
My question is, how do you adjust the rear sight for elevation. It appears to me like you have to loosen a very small screw and slide the peep sight up and down a ramp ? Is this the case ?
One of the nice things about US military rifles is the fact that they have real adjustable sights. I own quite a few of the various mil-surp rifles that have surfaced over the last few years. Most have a rear sight that grossly adjusts for elevation and most require a punch and hammer to adjust the windage (if the sight isn't staked into place). It seems very unusual for me that the 03A3 would have a sight that requires a jewelers screwdriver to adjust for elevation but I can't seem to see any other way to adjust it.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

This might help.

M1903, M1903A1, M1903A3, M1903A4 Ordnance Maintenance Manual

 

[30Cal]

I just push the aperature up and down the scale w/ my fingernail--I'm pretty sure that's how it's supposed to work. I don't think you need to mess w/ the screw.

Ty

 

[Badger Arms]

Can't picture it, but once you get it sighted in, the screw stays put and you should be able to slide the aperature up and down for different ranges. Can't picture it right now... my mind hurts.

 

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

The 03A3 rear sight isn't really meant to be adjustable for elevation. The aperture can slide up or down the ramp to adjust for bullet drop at different ranges. The knob on the side of the sight obviously allows a soldier to adjust for windage, but a soldier was never expected to need to adjust his elevation beyond mere bullet drop compensation. Zeroing the sights for elevation was largely left up to the armorers.

Lemme guess, your 03A3 shoots a few inches high, right???

 

[444]

Ok, here is where I am at. After reading .30's post and :banghead: I tried to move the rear sight with my fingernail. With a little effort it moved. It has come cosmoline dried under it.
Went out and shot it. Shoots as good as it looks. With the sight all the way at the bottom, it shot about 3" low at 100 yards. Yes, it did shoot slightly to the right, maybe two inches. But, the windage adjustment knob makes that a non issue. Ok, that brings up another point. The windage adjustment knob doesn't "click", it just turns. How do you keep it from turning when you don't want it to ? What about the elevation: Can you "lock it in" with that screw or will it stay Ok with no addional effort ?

My shooting session was cut a little short. I was alternating between my new 03A3 and my new Vang Comp Shotgun (got them both yesterday). The shotgun (with slugs) shot a few inches to the right at 25 yards (I wanted to make sure I was on paper). I adjusted it and it was close enough to the center that I didn't want to mess with it since slugs normally don't shoot into one hole anyway; it was maybe 1/2" right. I moved back to 100 yards. Shot a group with the 03 then started to shoot a group with the shotgun. My first slug blew the right side if the target stand in half. The wind took care of the rest. I was able to shoot a few more groups with the 03 by trying to get the cardboard target backer to stick in the shattered wood, but the wind would soon tear it back out.
Oh, well, there is always next time.

I ended up shooting maybe a 2" -2 1/2" group with six rounds at 100 yards off the rear fender of my pickup. I had fired 8 rounds but had two flyers (my fault). I think this thing will do OK at the next Vintage Bolt Action Rifle match.