Remington 1903A3 Question

[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

I have inherited a 1903A3 that is sporterized. Would it be worthwhile to buy a USGI stock to put on it? If so where can I find one?

 

[rcmodel]

To what extent is it sporterized?
Scoped, bolt handle bent, reblued, etc?

If the metal work and finish are not modified, it might be worth it.

Otherwise, if anything at all has been changed that can't be reversed, it is not.

rc

 

[Steve in PA]

If it hasn't been bubba'ed up too bad, you might be able to get it back to its original condition, or very close.

As for the stock, check out the CMP.

 

[desidog]

To what extent is it sporterized?
Scoped, bolt handle bent, reblued, etc?

RC, did you mean "straightened"? ...that would be an interesting mod.

 

[Slamfire]

You are going to have to show a picture.

If it has been drilled and tapped, blued, in any way, you will loose money on it attempting to restore the thing. Military collectors want all original all correct military rifles. Just drilling and tapping the things will drop the value in half.

 

[22lr]

It would be worth it only if you want a GI style rifle. But once its been sporterized it as already lost any collectors value. Its still a fantastic rifle with one of the smoothest actions ever produced. Get a stock if you want to, but it wont raise the value by much (it will help, just understand it will never command any kind of premium).

Personally I love the 1903 action.

Here is mine.

 

[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

Thanks for the info guys. I don't think it ever had a scope mounted. It looks like the only thing modified was changing the wood stock.
Why would it not be collectible if I put a military stock back on? I don't know why anyone would get rid of the military stock in the first place.
I was amazed at the accuracy of this thing.

 

[rcmodel]

RC, did you mean "straightened"? ...that would be an interesting mod.

No, I meant bent.

Sporterized military rifle bolt handles are normally bent or forged down, or cut off and re-welded to clear a scope.

So was it bent for a scope is what I meant.

rc

 

[cyclopsshooter]

Show us some pics of your rifle.. Most sports have shortened barrels

 

[desidog]

Sporterized military rifle bolt handles are normally bent or forged down, or cut off and re-welded to clear a scope.

Yah, but the 1903's handle started life that way, not sticking straight out the side like a Mosin or an FR-8.... I've never heard that this modification is needed to put a scope on an '03.

22lr, did you have to modify that bolt-handle for it to clear the scope?

 

[ball3006]

As long as none of the metal has been bubbaed, you can restore the rifle to military configuration. I did that to a rifle I picked up years ago. chris3

 

[Murphy4570]

If all it needs is a military stock, I don't see why that wouldn't raise the value of it. Trouble will be to find the correct stock for it, and an old original one too.

 

[22lr]

22lr, did you have to modify that bolt-handle for it to clear the scope?

Edit: I am blind, ya its a new bolt with a different profile. But she is getting replaced as soon as I get a few extra bucks. I want a butter knife bolt!



As for value. Value in old military guns is very fickle. It needs to be correct USGI form, and numbers matching to command any kind of premium. Don't get me wrong, adding a correct GI stock will increase the value over a sporter, but not anything like a numbers matching.

 

[rondog]

IMO, the rifle's main value to YOU is that fact it's inherited. Now, if you want to keep it as your relative had and used it, there's nothing wrong with that. If it's in good enough shape to restore to original configuration and that's what you want to do, there's nothing wrong with that either. There's used original stock out there in decent shape, and there's also new reproductions made for them.

I wish I had one. I'd like to have an '03, but I'd LOVE to have an '03A3. Much better sights, IMO.

 

[rcmodel]

I've never heard that this modification is needed to put a scope on an '03.

Well, you must not have looked at very many sporterized 03 Springfield's with scopes on them.

A low forged bolt handle and a low scope safety are the two things absolutely necessary to properly mount a scope on any sporterized 03 or 98 Mauser military rifle.

An example:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=257471782

rc.

 

[ball3006]

The only part of an 03 that has a serial number is the receiver. The bolts were never stamped with the serial number. Other countries may have added the serial number to the bolt later in life. My Rem 03 has the serial number on the bolt. That rifle came from Greece. All 03s of any model, have gone through an arsenal multiple times during it's life so not having all the "correct" parts is usually the norm. A sporter 03 will probably bring 300 bucks or so and a military configured 03 600-800 bucks, depending on condition. If you can restore your 03, go for it....it will be worth much more in the long run. Plus, no one will give your sporterized 03 a second glance but a military 03 always gets the attention.....chris3

 

[Lone_Sheep_Dog]

Pics

Here are a couple of pics. Does it look like the metal has been altered?
The reason I'm interested in this is because I want to have a WW2 collection.

 

[rondog]

I'm no expert, but is that even a modified original stock? I didn't think they had a grip like that, but I don't know. I thought they were more of a straight grip. Any chance your relative may have swapped the stocks out, and may still have the original?

 

[morcey2]

I'm no expert, but is that even a modified original stock? I didn't think they had a grip like that, but I don't know. I thought they were more of a straight grip. Any chance your relative may have swapped the stocks out, and may still have the original?

That's something to look into, but I wouldn't hold my breath. There were some in a C-Stock that had that style of pistol grip, but a little fuller grip. And they had cross-bolts in the stock. The sparse stocks had a sparse pistol grip, thus the name.

I picked up an SA 1903 from a pawn shop that had been chopped, but no damage to the metal and I put it in a C-Stock from Sarco. It would have been more correct to put it in a straight stock, but this is meant to be a shooter more than a restoration and I don't do straight stocks very well. (Why do I own more mosins than anything else then?) It will do 3" groups @ 100 yards when I shoot it. When my son in law shoots, it'll do just over 1".

Before and after pics are attached.

Matt

 

[au_prospector]

Cant tell from the pictures, is the barrel/receiver blued or does it have a gray/green color to it?

Also maybe there was never a stock to begin with? Could a person get a hold of a surplus receiver/barrel that was never finished into a military rifle and use that to build a custom rifle, or are all sport 1903s converted from original military rifles?

I dont know the answer so sorry if its a dumb question.

 

[1KPerDay]

Looks to me like the metal's original. Hard to see the safety but snap a pic of it. Does it rotate to 3 detent positions? (left/center/right)? If so, put a good GI or repro stock on it and have fun.

 

[22lr]

Ya all the metal looks good, you will just be missing all the metal pieces on the stock.

 

[Kendal Black]

From this vantage it looks to me, also, like all that was changed was to put the A3 into a rather typical sporter stock, to produce a lighter and trimmer rifle than the military configuration, with a more satisfactory (longer) length of pull.

Of course I can't see everything from here, but if there are no screw holes or signs of welding where they shouldn't be, and it's still parkerized, it's quite likely just been dropped into a stock that suited the user better. If so, restoring it to similar to issued condition requires the military stock and associated metal bits.

Since it's a good shooter I would be inclined to leave it as is, but if you want something for a collection, fixing this up looks like a good bet.

I don't know why anyone would get rid of the military stock in the first place.

As above: Weight, trimness and achieving a better stock fit to the user. As purely a sporting rifle it is no doubt better now than when wearing the milspec wood.

 

[rondog]

I don't know why anyone would get rid of the military stock in the first place.

It was 1945, the war was over, and vast numbers of servicemen came home, bringing souveniers. Far, far, far more of the US population lived in rural areas in those days, and hunting was a huge part of life and food on the table. Those Springfields, Mausers, Enfields, and Arisaka's made dandy deer-getters, even better after sawing off a few pounds of extra wood. They weren't necessarily all brought home as souveniers or trophies, I'm sure a lot were brought home intended to be used as hunting rifles, and damn fine ones too in the eyes of most country boys.

JMHO, anyway.

 

[bigedp51]

And the American Rifleman helped us all be a bubba. :banghead:

Below a reprint booklet from the American Rifleman magazine Aug/Sept 1957.