iamkris
Member
My wife and 3 kids always travel from our home on the north side of Chicago to my wife's hometown of Erie PA each 4th of July weekend. This year, I decided to keep my CMP Garand company by stopping by the North Store on our way (and getting myself my own birthday present) and picking out a Springfield 03A3.
We finally got the kids out of the door 45 minutes late on Friday morning. Chicago traffic (wait, wait, wait) slowed us down but within a few hours we were ripping along I-90 eastbound. Whoops, construction traffic and then several stops to go to the bathroom.
About 3 pm we FINALLY were nearing Ohio. I got out my map, sure that Port Clinton was west of Toledo and saw that...CRAP...it is on the other side of Toledo. By the time we got to the turn off, it was after closing time. We overnighted at a friends house in Akron, so I got up early and drove back to Port Clinton. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I couldn't take pictures of the Mecca of Riflery but let me say that it is worth the trip. Rack after rack of Garands, Springfields and Enfields.
I spent 15 minutes getting oriented, 30 minutes sorting through the 03A3s with muzzle gauge in hand and narrowing the field, and another 30 minutes picking between 2 really nice examples. Another 20 minutes to run my paperwork and I was a proud papa of a bouncing baby Springfield.
It's a 41XXXXX Remington, manufactured in 1942. All marked parts are Remington (the one I turned down had a Smith Corona winter triggerguard). She has a matching serial numbered stock (original??) with really nice figure to the wood and the bolt is a WWII swept-back model. The barrel is dated 9-43 and is ME=0.5 and completely bright and crisp inside (unfired?). Looks like she was reparked at RIA and stored as she appears to be unfired since rearsenal.
After 2 evenings of scrubbing, most of the cosmo is out. Can't wait to shoot her.
OK, I've tried like heck and can't get these things to resize...sorry
We finally got the kids out of the door 45 minutes late on Friday morning. Chicago traffic (wait, wait, wait) slowed us down but within a few hours we were ripping along I-90 eastbound. Whoops, construction traffic and then several stops to go to the bathroom.
About 3 pm we FINALLY were nearing Ohio. I got out my map, sure that Port Clinton was west of Toledo and saw that...CRAP...it is on the other side of Toledo. By the time we got to the turn off, it was after closing time. We overnighted at a friends house in Akron, so I got up early and drove back to Port Clinton. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I couldn't take pictures of the Mecca of Riflery but let me say that it is worth the trip. Rack after rack of Garands, Springfields and Enfields.
I spent 15 minutes getting oriented, 30 minutes sorting through the 03A3s with muzzle gauge in hand and narrowing the field, and another 30 minutes picking between 2 really nice examples. Another 20 minutes to run my paperwork and I was a proud papa of a bouncing baby Springfield.
It's a 41XXXXX Remington, manufactured in 1942. All marked parts are Remington (the one I turned down had a Smith Corona winter triggerguard). She has a matching serial numbered stock (original??) with really nice figure to the wood and the bolt is a WWII swept-back model. The barrel is dated 9-43 and is ME=0.5 and completely bright and crisp inside (unfired?). Looks like she was reparked at RIA and stored as she appears to be unfired since rearsenal.
After 2 evenings of scrubbing, most of the cosmo is out. Can't wait to shoot her.
OK, I've tried like heck and can't get these things to resize...sorry
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