Opinion on 1903 Springfield

[Catpop]

A friend of mine gave me a 1903 Springfield. Of course, the barrel was shot out and the stock had been cut down, but otherwise appears as issued. The stock issue I can probably work out for around $ 100, but question- -

Question: Is the value of the finished product (original) going to be worth the expenditure of a good used original barrel, if I can even find one? ( I can fit it myself.)

Question: What would your do? Thanks in advance!

 

[BBBBill]

If it is not drill/tapped or otherwise modified metal, I would fit a new/used barrel and a good take off/repro stock to restore it. The final result will only be limited by your effort and attention to detail. New barrels are still out there. Every once in a while they pop up. Might be about as easy to find as a good take off. We used to fit them to Mauser actions by cutting off the breach end and rethreading/rechambering to 308. Fulton Armory has some parts and might be able to point you to a source for a repro barrel if you wanted to go that way.

Edit - Criterion has new 03/03A3 barrels.
New 1944 replacement barrel: http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=362715900
http://shop.ernstarmory.com/categor...EAC1A84DAD1FF498.m1plqscsfapp04?categoryId=42

 

[Jim Watson]

You can put a surplus or repro barrel on it. Likewise a stock. I think the fittings will be more trouble to find; sights and barrel bands.
That will give it a GI appearance but no authenticity.
It ought to be a good shooter, though, especially if you splurge on a C stock.

It's not one of those scary low number actions, is it?

 

[AABEN]

Have you swagged the barrel? I have a 1903 Eddy stone and the barrel is good.

 

[morcey2]

I have 2 1903's and the rifling on both looks really shallow as compared to my mausers and mosins. I don't know if that's really the case, but the both shoot really well. I'd say slug the bore and/or shoot it before replacing the barrel. If the barrel is truly shot out, the criterion barrels are supposed to be really good.

One of my 1903's was a pawn shop rescue that needed a new bolt because of a damaged locking lug. I replaced the bolt, put it in a C-Stock (as in Jim Watson's suggestion), added the proper hardware/handguard, and it shoots great. I went with the c-stock because it's much easier to shoot, especially since my right wrist has limited rotation.

In terms of value, the gun will never have the same value as an original on the open market, but it will still be more valuable than it is now. I think I put about $250 into my rescue, along with the $100 for the rifle from the pawn shop. I know I can get more out of it, especially from people who've actually shot it.

Matt

 

[Jim K]

I don't know if you could tell by calibrated eyeball but, yes, the grooves on an 8mm Mauser are deeper than those on a U.S. .30 rifle, .006" for the Mauser, vs. .004" for the American rifles (diameters .323" - .311" vs. .308" - .300").

Replacing a barrel with a takeoff barrel can be tricky if the headspace comes up too long, so it might not be a matter of just screwing the old barrel off and screwing the new one on. (If headspace is too short, the chamber can be reamed.) Likewise original replacement and Criterion barrels will be short chambered, also requiring a reamer and gauges.

Jim

 

[kwg020]

Bringing it back to stock will be worth the money. Since it was given to you the cost to bring it back should be less than it's value. kwg

 

[Slamfire]

You did not mention the serial number. If it is a double heat treat or nickle steel the action is generally considered as safe. The 800,000 or less SA actions are called the single heat treat receivers. Many of these rifles had receivers overheated in the forging shop, well before heat treatment, and the receivers are structurally weak. So many burst that an Army Board, in 1927, recommended scrapping all single heat treat rifles. For monetary reasons, the Army kept them in service till sent back to depot. I consider this an immoral decision, but times were different, rifles were expensive and people were cheap.

If you have a single heat treat receiver I would recommend doing nothing with the action. You will find that the reputation of these actions is such that the value is very low, even in a restored rifle, and it is a reputation that was earned.

A fully restored double heat treat or nickle steel will only increase in value.