Remington 1903 (Springfield)

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au_prospector

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Just need a little clarification on my 1903. My father ALWAYS referred to it as a Model 1903-A1

It is a Remington stamped US Remington Model 1903 with 7-42 and the correct Remington seal near the front sight. The serial number is 3203XXX. The receiver trigger, trigger guard and barrel are a faint green grey color. Is this parkerized? The bolt, safety, front/rear sights and single shot selector switch are all blued. The barrel has 4 rifling grooves.

The stock is straight and the rear sight is a leaf type sight (ladder?) that is adjustable to over 2800 yards and is really 4 sights in one. Anyway, it is NOT the aperture type sight that carried over to the M-1.

The rifle silhouette looks like this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rifle_Springfield_M1903.jpg

I saw a barrel today that was clearly marked Model 1903-A3 whereas mine is has no dash. Wikipedia states 1903-A1 production ran through 1939, yet mine is stamped 7-1942.

What do I have? Was my father correct, 1903-A1? Do I have a straight 1903? Doesnt the sight which has "R" stamps on it and the 4 groove barrel rule out the 1903-A3?

Thanks for any responses.
 
I believe if it was 1942 it would be an A3, I'm not very versed in 1903s but I think that the A1s were not chambered in 30-06. I think the chambering was the main difference between the A3 and prior models.

I have stopped going to wikipedia for gun questions, even though a lot of their information is reliable but it's basically a blog, anyone with an account can change the information so all it takes is one guy posting drivel to give someone doing research a very misleading understanding about a gun.
 
^ Nope.

The 1903-A1 and -A3 were both 30-06, but the leaf sight of the A1 was moved back to a peep on the rear of the receiver to make for more accuracy, due to the longer sight-axis.

Wikipedia could have told you that, tahunua001. You're proliferating the myths...one guy with a THR account!

OP, There's a good chance that your rifle was re-barreled at some point.
 
My Remington 03 is just an 03. The slow conversion to the A3, which resulted in the A1, started a few months later. They started to change the rear receiver bridge to accept the apature sight. The rifles with the new receiver bridge and a barrel mounted rear sighrt were the A1s.....chris3
 
^ Nope.

The 1903-A1 and -A3 were both 30-06, but the leaf sight of the A1 was moved back to a peep on the rear of the receiver to make for more accuracy, due to the longer sight-axis.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info, again I did not claim to be an expert
 
Short answer is...

An M1903A1 is an M1903 with the full pistol grip stock.
Mine is a straight stock, no pistol grip

M1903A3 is the one with the rear sight moved to the rear receiver bridge instead of on the barrel collar.
My leaf/ladder type sight is on the barrel collar

So now desidog throws a wrench in and says it may be an early 1903 re-barreled by Remington in July 1942.
Remington website states that 1903-A3 production began in July 1942. If that is the case, my rifle was produced or re-barreled JUST prior to the 1903-A3 retool.
 
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Technically Remington began their manufacturing in 1941 at serial number 3,000,000 or so. The 03-A1 were Springfield makes with manufacturing cut off around '39 IIRC. The 03 you have is probably a "Modified" 03 with no scallops below the sides of the rear sight? Should be round there with no flats. The 03-A3 serial begin somewhere around 3,300,000 (again IIRC) so yours with a serial of 3,203,xxx is an in-betweener... (aka Modified)

But don't hold me to that. Memory ain't what is could be...

Stocks come and stocks go. Barrels as well (or they did) during rebuilds.
 
desidog said:
^ Nope.

The 1903-A1 and -A3 were both 30-06, but the leaf sight of the A1 was moved back to a peep on the rear of the receiver to make for more accuracy, due to the longer sight-axis. Wikipedia could have told you that, tahunua001. You're proliferating the myths...one guy with a THR account!
Click to expand...
Now who's perpetuating misinformation? ;)
 
Look at the pics. The A1 sights are the same as the original 1903 sights, blade/flip-up rear sight mounted forward of the chamber. The A3 sights are peep sights, mounted on the receiver bridge and IMO are vastly superior.
 
Okay I am going to call it a 1903-A1 or 1903 Modified which ever suits me at the time and leave it at that.

My rifle looks like the A1 pictured in the Texas forum, BUT with a straight stock. The rifle in the picture has a pistol grip stock.
I emailed Remington and asked if they could give me a history on that serial number.
 
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Just need a little clarification on my 1903. My father ALWAYS referred to it as a Model 1903-A1

. . .

The stock is straight and the rear sight is a leaf type sight (ladder?) that is adjustable to over 2800 yards and is really 4 sights in one. Anyway, it is NOT the aperture type sight that carried over to the M-1.
Click to expand...
It is an M1903, not an M1903A1. The A1, regardless of when made, is a M1903 with the pistol grip (Type C) stock. The same rifle, with the straight grip stock is an M1903.

You can turn an M1903 into an M1903A1 simply by replacing the Type S (straight grip) stock with a Type C (pistol grop) stock.
 
If the receiver says REMINGTON M1903, that's what it is. It was likely rearsenaled at some point. Check the date code on your bolt too. Use of both the S and C stocks wasn't done as methodologically as one would suspect, either, as wartime pressures forced Remington to turn out as many rifles as they could, regardless.

Yours, along with many many others, is likely a mix-master.

Your rifle was originally made in February 1942.
http://www.vishooter.net/ra_serialization.txt

The date of the barrel is July 1942, however. So either the receiver sat around for a number of months until it was used to assemble a rifle (fat chance in Feb '42), or it was rearsenaled after the war, and a new barrel was installed. From how you describe the patina of the bolt assembly and rear leaf sight assembly, it sounds like both of those were also replaced at that time. There will be an arsenal stamp on the stock indicating where this was done. There may also be an inspector's stamp.


Information on M1903's is available here:

http://www.vishooter.net/m1903.html
http://m1903.com/
 
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Vern Humphrey said:
It is an M1903, not an M1903A1. The A1, regardless of when made, is a M1903 with the pistol grip (Type C) stock. The same rifle, with the straight grip stock is an M1903.

You can turn an M1903 into an M1903A1 simply by replacing the Type S (straight grip) stock with a Type C (pistol grop) stock.
Click to expand...

Basically, yes.

There are purists that feel the only M1903-A1s are the ones made by Springfield starting in the late twenties. M1903s with a stock change are not A1s in their minds.

Others disagree. I put a C stock on my M1903 and I consider it an M1903-A1.

If memory serves me correctly, Remington began production in the WWII era making the M1903 and then transitioned to the A3. But, I have slept since i read that.
 
I received a response from Remington.

I indeed have a straight 1903 produced in July 1942. Remington received wartime orders as Springfield didnt have capacity. There were 1903 parts (stocks, sights, receivers, etc) that were mated to Remington barrels and assembled at Remington arsenals. As 1903 parts were exhausted and the military wanted more rifles with aperture sights, the transition began (possibly days after my rifle was made) to the 1903-A3. The rifle was delivered and after that Remington has no record.

There are no arsenal stamps on the stock that I can see so far. Would that be obvious? The stock is clean save some dings here and there. It has a small '5' stamp right behind the bolt and a small star and '8' near the butt plate where the sling attaches as well as another small star just forward of the magazine box underneath. The sights simply have a 'R' stamp on them. The bolt has several 'R' stamps on it plus a flaming bomb that appears to be double struck (light shadow). The receiver has no markings that I can see other than the Remington stamp and serial number and is of the same gray/green patina as the barrel. Also of this color is the magazine box cover trigger guard and trigger which are not stamped metal.

Well that's a complete description of it. It is a clean rifle and a pretty straight shooter. If it saw any action overseas I would be surprised. Maybe it was some sort of Civil defense rifle, I wish I knew the history. My father bought it around 1980 or so, most likely at a gun show in Indianapolis. That is all I know.
 
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