Pics of my Smith Corona 1903a3

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nwilliams

nwilliams

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As a followup to my earlier thread....
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=603663

I decided to buy this Smith Corona 1903a3 today (well yesterday actually) after I spent a number of hours online doing research on this gun. I decided that $500 is a good price and I didn't want to let the opportunity to buy this gun pass me by.

It doesn't appear that the gun has been messed with much if at all, although I'm not sure if it's an arsenal refinish or all original. The bore is in excellent shape and the cartouches seem to all be there although somewhat faint. The barrel is marked 10-43 and the serial number indicates a production date of Oct 1943 as well, according to the info from vishooter.net. It has the correct butt plate pattern for a SC. The only thing this gun is missing is the stacking swivel but I found one online and it should be here in a few days.

Anyway here are a bunch of pics, hopefully I can get out next weekend and shoot it.
SC1903-1.gif

SC1903-2.gif

SC1903-4.gif

SC1903-6.gif
 
She looks good! Great fun shooting them. I have a Springfield built in 1918-not in as good shape as yours though.
 
Holy Moses in a rowboat! $500 for that rifle is a great deal. By inspection of the photos it looks well taken care of.

I'm sure you have thought all this through, but one of your first steps is a good copper solvent scrub and wash through the barrel. There's a list of superior products for this. Find a good FM service manual, and then make CLP your friend.

Have you plans to sling this rifle? Turner slings are my favorite for 30 cals. I also have some favorite reload recipes that I'd be happy to share.

Show us some 200 yard targets soon,
 
Very, very nice..... I have a Smith Corona from the month before. Very close serial numbers. I think your bolt safety shroud is a Remington. (marked with an R) They are very commonly found on S.C. rifles. They do not hump up on the back like the SC style did. Plus they (Remington parts) are better machined and often give a smoother bolt and trigger operation.

*Is yours a two groove or four groove barrel?
*What markings do you have under your bolt handle where it meets the bolt tube body?

One thing I did with mine was invest in the over-sized USMC style front sight protector. It has kept my sight blade from being all whacked out of shape. Plus I did install a wider USMC style front sight blade. But I am not so sure that was really a good idea.
 
Congratulations on your purchase you fog one fine rifle for a great price. I have a Remington 03A3 and it is one of my favorite rifles to shoot. Welcome to the 1903A3 club!
 
funny, ive seen 2 of those in the last month.

one was quite ragged, and the other very nice like yours.
 
NICE. One of my fellow Appleseed instructors has a Smith-Corona. I didn't know what all the fuss was about that old broomstick until I saw his wife put a whole clip into the 800 yard silhouette... from seated. Then they let me shoot it, and I REALLY understood. They just feel so right! ;)

Enjoy.
 
Other than the stacking swivel. I'd not mess with it.

During WWII rifles would get sent in big batches to to Regiment and Brigade level armorers where they'd be stripped entire, then the muzzle and through gauged. The ones that passed that were reassembled from the pile of "passed servicable" parts. So, barrel bands, buttplates, magazine cut-offs often were a willy-nilly array.

The fact that yours is as complete as it is adds a special something to it. Something digging through parts bins for SC stamped bits would not really improve (and would likely have you looking for a Remmy to go with your 'excess' parts <G>).

I'd get a front sight hood, especially since it looks right, and is only a buck or so.

If you Appleseed, get a quality repro 1905 leather sling. Otherwise, with the date on yours get an OD M36 fabric sling. The repro lined "Garand" cases are a nice addition, too.

There are two kinds of strippers out there that will be labeled "1903 clips." The correct ones have a stop nub in the middle of the clip, which will sit right down on the loading guide. The other kind have two nubs per side, and actually fit the magazine adapter for loading either BAR or M14 magazines.
 
During WWII rifles would get sent in big batches to to Regiment and Brigade level armorers where they'd be stripped entire, then the muzzle and through gauged. The ones that passed that were reassembled from the pile of "passed servicable" parts. So, barrel bands, buttplates, magazine cut-offs often were a willy-nilly array.

The fact that yours is as complete as it is adds a special something to it. Something digging through parts bins for SC stamped bits would not really improve (and would likely have you looking for a Remmy to go with your 'excess' parts <G>).
Click to expand...

From more extensive research and a complete diassembly of the rifle down to taking the bolt apart the gun does appear to be mostly correct. None of the parts other than the stock, bolt and the barrel have any proof marks on them. The bolt, bolt sleeve and safety are all stamped with the Remington "R". The SC 1903 also has a distinctive shape to the bolt sleeve which this one doesn't have.

Little disappointed that it's not all original but I'm still confident that I got it at a fair price even if it was an arsenal refinish and it should be a fun shooter.
 
The Smith Corona bolts are usually more black in color and have a small and not very well done, x, under the bolt handle where it meets the bolt body. My Smith Corona 1903A3 was arsenal refinished at the Ogden Utah armory and sold via the NRA around 1960. I bought it from that owner. Anyway it had a Remington bolt that color matched the greenish parkerizing on the receiver and it is perfectly head-spaced.
I also have a few new Smith Corona bolts and eventually got one all correct with the correct safety and bolt shroud. But it is not nearly as smooth nor as perfectly head-spaced as with Arsenal fitted Remington bolt set-up.

There is also a difference in the magazine floorplate/trigger guard between the Smith Corona and the Remington. I have a nice Smith Corona for show and tell, a beat up Remington 03A3 floorplate that I filled with accu-glass to use for match shooting if a A3 trigger guard is required and an old milled 1903 magazine and floor plate for real accuracy.
Here are the two 03A3 magbox / trigger guard types. the Remington has a squared area just before the front screw hole.

I am sure you found in your research that all sorts of companies made 1903A3 bolt parts. Like BP- Bay Products, BF-Bonney Forge & tool, BS- Brown & Sharpe tools, U- Union Hardware, X- Smith Corona, R- Remington.
 

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Thanks for the info Float Pilot!

Based on your floorplate comparison pics the floorplate on mine is correct for a Smith Corona.
 
It sure is. And oddly enough they are kinda hard to find.

Plus you already know about the different butt plates. But I will toss in a photo here for other folks. The Smith Corona butt plates had slightly larger grids.
Plus one of my rifle's action. Note the greenish parkerizing. But it only looks that way in certain lighting conditions.
 

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