Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Remington 03A3

Two I've work on. The first was a high school project, Herters French Walnut stock, McGowen barrel.

Second has the original 1942 Springfield barrel in a Fajen stock. That barrel is pristine thru the Hawkeye, obviously not shot much.

Both have Timeny triggers, both are high number '03's.

DF

Them are beautiful!

Thanks, Angus.

I gifted the bottom one to my hunting bud on whose property I hunt. He loves it, named it Dusty Springfield after the singer. I replaced the pictured scope with his VXIII 3.5-10x50. It has a really clean 3# trigger.

I had some 130 gr. Hornady SP's loaded with 59 gr. Big Game for my light weight '06 HVA. That load was a hammer in the HVA and I gave him a few rounds for Dusty.

That combo so far has killed 4 'yotes, 3 deer, all DRT, well one buck made a 20 yd. death run. Those bullets are real WT and hog killers, don't tear up as much meat as one would think, exit with impressive internal damage. And they're moving at 3,100 fps. Hornady does make a 130 gr. Varmint bullet, these are the std. S.P.'s, not Varmint.

DF

Great looking rifles, DF. Always been a soft spot in me for 1903s and M98s.

Never replaced the two stage trigger in the US Rem. sporter I got many years ago. It's smooth enough, that I didn't feel the need for messing with it, although my M98 projects all got Timneys.

Loaded 150s in the US Rem. for years, mostly Speer Hot Cors. I did shoot one large buck with the 165 Nosler BTs many years ago, after someone had given me most of a box of them. Slightly more accurate than the Speers. I have a box of Sierra Pro Hunter 125s that I intended to try in an H&R branded Mark X Zastava ought six, but never got around to, before I sold it.

That rifle had a very slim barrel and light weight stock that beat hell out of my shoulder, even with my 150gr loads.

Shot 150gr Sierras and Speers for years in my short barreled M98. Loaded some 125gr Hornady spire points back around 1999, that not only shoot better than the 150s in that rifle, but also proved to be very effective on whitetails. I don't think Hornady still offers that bullet, because all I could find recently in an .323 bullet, was a 125 round nose?

125 Accubond is an option, just haven't tried them, although I have a couple of boxes from SPS.

The reason, like you mentioned, of going light was recoil. I built a very light weight '06 HVA and didn't want any more recoil than necessary, had the 130 SP's, and thus that load. I was amazed how well they killed stuff.

Here's a link with info on that gun and the load.
www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/10676204

DF

Roy Weatherby never had anything on Herter's for la de da stocks. I have a M95 7x57 in a Herter custom and the first sporterized 03 I ever bought for $75 had a Herter stock on it. It was left really oversized and proud wood to metal fit, I removed the black forend cap and spacer as well as the grip cap and replaced them with ebony. The barrel was a goner and replaced it with a 2 groove that was in nice condition. It's got a Williams bolt handle and DTraister LS safety as well as a Timney trigger. Had the whole thing reblued nicely. All ways wanted a nice custom Springfield 03 30-06. Don't have that much in it and it will be one of the very last last rifles I ever part with. The Fajen stock rings a bell too. They sold semi in letted like that back in the 60's for about $30-40 bucks. I could hardly wait back then to get my EC Bishop and Reinhart Fajen catalogs. If a guy wants a military rifle customized for hunting this the way to do it, find one that is all ready started that can't be reversed and just change it to what you want. You will never get your money back out of it. Military rifle values today are in for all original dress not some bubba'ed sporterizing. MB

Yeah, for sure.

Even back then when it was "cool", I didn't like all that flair, cut a bucket load of wood off that comb, including the roll over. It don't "roll over" no more......

At least Herter had pretty good wood, including this French Walnut. And IIRC, it was std. grade, not select.

DF

Yup that little M95 7x57 has one of those Herter rollover cheek pieces and light colored rosewood forend tip and grip cap. Like it or not it surely was well executed. I have several EC Bishop stocks and Reinhart Fajen ones too. Last spring a guy hauled in a Rem 03 to a gun shop I frequent that had been "sporterized" past taking back to original dress. The previous owner who sporterized it had the barrel shortened to 22.5" added a Williams Slimline ramp and frt sight with a Williams Foolproof rec rear sight. Got it cheap as it was smooth and slick with a good barrel. The full sell point to me was that it was stocked with a full up custom Reinhart Fajen with every option you can imagine. 5 diamond shaped ivory inlets, checkering, rosewood slanted forend tip. Some of the dudes around here would gag looking at it, but hell I thought it was a classic 60's sporter job and why sure it looked pretty than an all decked whore standing on a street corner in front of a church on sunday morning. The worksmanship was simply outstanding whether anyone likes the style or not. MB

MB, you gotta appreciate period stuff. Like the skip-a-line checkering I did as a lad. I thought it was cool, no way would I do that today. White lines were cool back then. Rosewood inlays were cool.

I think we need to respect a vintage gun for what it is, a vintage gun...

This is what the second '03 looked like when I got it. I gave the vintage Lyman 57 to my son to sell on Ebay, got David Christman to do the bolt handle, install a safety, drill and tap for Weaver bases. I had picked up that safety on Ebay for $12.

The 22/5" barrel is the result of cutting it off just behind the sight. I removed the sight band, smoothed up the rough area under the band and cold blued. Not that pretty, but still has the original 24" barrel which shoots great. I could have cut it, have a Brownell .30 cal. 11 degree chamfer tool, just chose to do it this way. The original crown was perfect as was the bore. If the crown had been rough, I would have cut and recrowned.

DF

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That barrel marking appears to be SA for Springfield Armory? The date is what I noticed. Can't make out the month, but it is 42 (1942), which is the same year on the barrel of my original US Remington's barrel (6/42). Also has the dreaded flaming bomb ordinance stamp. My rifle has RA where yours has the SA.

Interesting to see a Springfield with a similar barrel date as my US Rem. Serial # is in the 3,122,000 range. The original one is a mere 22,000 rifles newer. I think the same serial #s carried through from the SA rifles, when Rem. took over 1903 production?

As for stocks, my sporterized US Rem. has a plain, but nicely grained walnut stock. Nice job, nothing fancy though. It appears to have been finished in tung oil, because it shows no discoloring when wet, like most that were done in boiled linseed oil? I make it to have been done in the 50s or 60s. Had an old but mint K4 that I put on it years ago. Looks like it belongs on that old gem.

When I was converting my 1939 K98, lucked into an old, but unused Fajen stock already inletted for the M98. Cut the black plastic fore end cap off, removed quite a bit of external wood to make it lighter. If you guys recall what those unfinished stocks often looked like, the outside of it was pretty rough. That one I did in multiple coats of tung oil.

Yeah it's 1942 Springfield Armory.

Thru the Hawkeye it's an amazingly well preserved barrel with no pitting, actually beautifully machined rifling without tool marks. Near mint.

And it shoots very well for such an old gun. They evidently took pains with their workmanship back then.

Can you post a picture of that K98?

DF



Edited to add, it's 10/42.

David Christman is a Guild member, a top smith. He was out in WA, retired and moved home to Delhi, LA, a couple hours up the road. He's fitted barrels, done other work for me. He did a great job with the bolt handle. Turnaround was really quick, price reasonable.

DF

SA= Springfield Armory. They made runs of barrels through 1942, not many if any after that when 03 and 03A3 barrel production was contracted out. Barrel date is a very unreliable indicator of gun manufacture date. 03's and 03A3's went through rebuilds (often to include re-barreling) at arsenals, depots, and in the field by ordnance artificers long after the last barrel was made, and they certainly didn't take care to match barrel dates with receivers. Likewise, those barrels were sold as surplus after the war for, literally, just a couple dollars. Many a hobbyist and basement gunsmith re-barreled many a Springfield with them during the 50's and 60's. Heck, I barreled a shot out '03 with a fresh SA '42 barrel a few years ago myself.

Remington didn't continue the Armory's serial numbering when they took up manufacturing the '03. They started fresh with numbers far higher than the last receiver Springfield made in 1939. (The machinery Remington used was the old tooling from Rock Island Arsenal that was mothballed after WWI. The stuff by all accounts was rusty, full of cobwebs, and pretty much worn out, but Britain and us needed rifles so they did their best. As the old Rock Island tooling crapped out they jerry-rigged and whined to the powers that be for permission to re-vamp/cheapen the rifle to facilitate production, and the 03A3 was born and took off running.)

Couldn't recall how the serial numbers worked out, so looked it up. They appear to have started at 3.000,000 with the Rems, or thereabouts.

Checked and the 6/42 dates on my rifles' barrels correspond fairly well with the dates of manufacture per the serial numbers on my receivers: Knew most of the lore relative to the manufacture of US Rems. Read about them so long ago, forgot some of it. Over the years with most internet discussions, as soon as I mentioned having a US Rem. 1903, most jumped on me about them being 03A3s, when actually they are not.

Somewhere around here I have a stock and handguard for a 1903 that a customer gave me years ago.. Since the one I have that's all original metal-wise, long ago had the stock cut back, I'd love to put it back to somewhat original condition. But would need the bands and other parts to do it. Did talk to a dealer at a big gun show once, that said he probably still has some of those parts, but lost his card.

Pretty much a given that when people started sporterizing miilitary rifles, all that stuff got tossed. I also have a minty WWII bring back VZ 24 that's unmolested, but for the stock. Wouldn't mind putting that one back to close to original, either. I've killed deer with both of those old rifles and would sooner have them as semi-restored keepsakes, as I will never take them hunting again. Both belonged to relatives.

dube , I know a guy who probably has all the parts you need send me a pm MB

When I bought my first Springfield, a high numbered 03 Remington, I used that as my favorite "deer rifle" for at least twenty years - it was one of the most accurate rifles I've ever owned it wore a 4x Weaver. Dad modified a military stock. added a cheek rest and a recoil pad and some other minor mod's for that rifle.My cousin has it now and uses it in cast bullet matches. I got a lot of guff from fellow shooters who thought their rifles were much superior. I still have a 03A3 that has been used for military matches and 500 meter paper. It now wears a Olympic steel rear sight and a custom front sight. I probably have had at least a half dozen Springfields in my lifetime, I've lost count.
Heldts in Sioux Falls had a wooden barrel of new in cosmoline Springfield barrels for $.98/each in the 50's. Gunsmiths used to use those cheap barrels for 308's through magnum chamberings.
Dad bought a half dozen or so 03A3's through the NRA/Marksmenship program back in the late forties and early 50's. I don't think he paid much more than $5 each if that.
Of all the Springfields I've been around only one had an issue with accuracy - one of the rifles dad bought would 'walk' the bullets after the barrel warmed up. But for the first three rounds or so, it to was accurate.

My favorite load for years - 180 grain Remington core-lokt and H4895, military brass.


Lots of gun shows coming up... Maybe another Springfield will find its way home.

Need to find one is good shape that's already had some "bubba" work. That keeps the price in check.

Original ones need to stay that way, besides they're too expensive to alter. You wouldn't want to, anyway.

DF

Yeah, I just got done looking over a 03 Springfield real hard in this shape. They knocked off the original frt sight and put on a Williams ramp frt and knocked off the original 03 rear and replaced it with a Williams ramp rear, to bad they didn't get that one on straight it would have followed me home. Most of the original metal finish with chopped down military stock , good bore $300. If a guy has the parts, it would go back original with only 1 plug screw. MB

remington was making 03's at the very beginning of WWII before they switched to the 03a3. They have a real wierd finish on the metal in a class all by itself.

Yup, late spring/early summer of '42, going by my serial numbers?. Mine in original guise, has faint machining marks on the barrel and receiver, so they apparently didn't waste a lot of time on final polishing, but I've seen worse?

Barrel and receiver are both sort of a low luster dark grey. I would say it isn't parkerized, as the finish is on the thin side, but intact. The rear sight is slightly darker. Only metal parts up top that are slightly polished to any degree, are the bolt and bolt handle. Floor plate/trigger guard, also.

Looking around recently to see if there were any online sources for the 1903 missing barrel bands, etc, came across a site that offers all kinds of WWII milsurps in some manner of original condition. Mostly European stuff.

As my old WWII vet gunsmith buddy predicted years ago, I blew it on my K98 years ago, when I turned it into a deer rifle. There are some K98s on there in as-issued condition w/matching numbers, going for well into four digits.