My dad had a nice '03 sporterized once upon a time. Feeling nostalgic, I started hunting around for a a '03 to do a similar project. Holy smokes! When did Springfields become trendy? I guess I'm old enough to remember them as a dime a dozen so to speak.

It happened around the time all us old farts realized we've rather a lot in our 401ks and not that much time to spend it. Fortunately for me one has lived at my house since they were $250 or so all day. Its a kitchen table custom that's almost finished.

Raise a chiller of fine bourbon to the late Michael Petrov! He generated a lot of interest. Then many of us have good taste!

I had an 03-A3 action with a custom trigger, 03 Milled bottom metal, and Wisner two-position safety installed watched on Gun Broker but decided I didn’t need another money pit custom and it sold for <$300. Kicking myself now!

This is one I built a few years ago with parts from all over. A member here (6mm Remington IIRC) sold me the action for an excellent price. I wanted something period-correct (a different kind of classic) and I really like how it turned out even tho it’s pretty dated and rather garish to some... 6.5-06:

Sharp!!

My first project while in high school. Herter's French walnut, later had a SS McGowen barrel fitted in that unmentionalbe caliber. Added a Jaeger safety and Timney trigger. Had a friend weld the new bolt handle.

Glassed and free floated, did the skip-a-line checkering (cool back then) and rosewood inlays. Not the slickest workmanship, but it shoots great. Just a tad heavy, but I was young...

I took a LOT of wood off the roll over cheek piece. Even back then, I thought it was a bit gauche.

The French walnut wasn't bad, some sap wood, but otherwise OK.

Millions of Springfields were made. Young dudes want black rifles. Where are all the Springfields now?

LIKE ⚫️

😎

Being hoarded by old farts like us who know quality when we see it !?!?

Sweet!

Sweet!

Thanks, Elk

An old fart's, old fart rifle.

Good deer gun. Maybe a tad light for yo jackwabbits...

Probably have to hit'em a few times to stop one.

It's in that unmentionable .277 caliber. But, I was young....

DF

I don't know ,I've only got 2 03's but 5 03A3's.not a stock one in the lot. They don't bring much modified, I think they are one hell of a gun for the money MB

Rock Island 1903 250 Savage

Nice rifle!

My dad got one through the NRA in the early 60s. Believe it was $25. It’s still in the family .

This. I see 8 ARs for every rifle at my range.

There are 3 or 4 custom 03s for sale in my area, but they are priced way to high in my opinion. All still in 30-06 caliber

This one has an original '42 Springfield barrel that looks near mint thru the Hawkeye, has vintage Fajen stock, Timney trigger . Got David Christman, Delhi, LA, to do the bolt handle and install the Dayton Traister Mark II safety I picked up on EBay for $14. Shoots near MOA with 130 gr. Horn SP over 59 gr. Big Game at around 3,100 fps. Lots of one shot DRT kills, WT's, hogs and 'yotes, last season.

DF

I just have one Springfield. It is a 30/06 Sedgley Sporter that somebody added a Whiteline recoil pad to and put a compass in the buttstock.

Now, there's a piece of rifle history...

DF

Lots of 03s and 03-A3s have been bubba'd through the years after WWII,
but that ain't one of 'em. Damn nice rifle.

Another beautful rifle built on an 03 action. Isn't there a reproduction 03 action? I remember one about 10 years back. I was interested to buy one as a donor for a custom build, but I found some Yugo Mausers cheaper and bought 4.

You are about 35 years too late. 1903s are too collectible these days to tear down and sporterize. It would be better for you to find one that is already sporterized because they don't go for much money unless they are really special rifles. I recently saw a really nice one near me go for 325 bucks, and if I didn't already have 4 30-06 rifles, I would have bought it. I see '03s and m1917s go for that or less. You just have to keep your eyes open and have the money ready to pounce.

Here's a pretty nice piece by a known builder.

http://www.champlinarms.com/Default...amp;mid=409&StyleID=2&GunID=3434

Ed, is that English walnut? Mb

Not Ed, but the color is right for French or English Walnut. I can't tell the difference between those two.

Very nice piece. Seems the price on these classic pieces has softened somewhat. That's not a bad ask for such a rifle by a well known master.

Would take an old fart to even know what we're looking at. Younger crowd, not a clue.

DF

That Goens rifle is gorgeous. Out of my league, but one can dream.

I waited too long to buy a '03 myself. I've always wanted another '03 non-sporter miiltary type, but when I finally had the money, they were sky high! My first one was a "parts gun" 03-A3 but really didn't have much collector's value. A local Sheriff's deputy needed a honor guard rifle and traded me even for his International Harvester M1 Garand, I couldn't pass that one up.

One of my favorite all time rifles is an 03-A3 I bought here SUPER cheap... I think $325 shipped maybe?

It was built by Tennessee bench rest ‘Smith Harry Creighton with a Sako barrel chambered to 6mm-250. It had been neglected rather badly with pitting on the exterior of the bottom metal & barrel and the finish on the full-length bedded Fajen stock was so thin that when I pulled the scotch-taped invoice from the cheekpiece it left a rectangular naked spot.

I got some dies and 1x 22-250 brass and 75 GR Horn HPs here on the ‘fire and put some loads together before I even had the rifle. I was unsure what to expect from it so I pulled spare parts and a cheap bushnell scope from my bin and took it to the local public range while the kids looked on from their car seats.

The first three-shot group I got on paper at 100 yds was covered by a penny; I had the pic but it got locked up in photobucket prison.

I had the barreled action bead blasted & parkerized and refinished the stock. My oldest son was shooting 12 gauge hulls at 100 yds from the hood of my car when he was 8! It shoots extraordinarily well with 90 GR NBTs and friends have used it on deer and my youngest son, when he was only 10, shot 2 HUGE boar in Texas with one shot kills.

This past Saturday I brought it to the Michigan Area Get Together and got the Leupold Rifleman 3-12x 40mm on the dot at 200 yds with a three shot group in a clover leaf. Pinged steel at 400 yards no problem.

She is super accurate, easy to shoot due to weight with a stock that fits me really well, and a nice long barrel that keeps the blast far from my head.

What a fun rifle! Someday I’ll get a milled BM unit & have it parkerized to match the rest of the rifle and have a short-action block added so it’ll feed worth a poo.

Here’s best pic I have:

It’d be tough to go wrong here:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...rts-800-plus-shipping-conus#Post15150402

Efw you hang out in all the wrong places. I haven't had to pay $300 yet for one that's been bubba sporterized. I check for high serial numbers and look thru the barrel to see what condition that's in. Take stock of the add on stuff and go or decline. I BUY THEM FOR LESS THAN THE ECONO GUNS OUT THERE TODAY. Mb

I’m extremely happy with the purchase I’ve made.

Clover leaves at 200 yards and steel pinging at 400 make me very, very happy even for more than $325.

Bought one awhile back that appearance wise is a dead ringer for the one DF allways posts pics of. 03A3 that has Fajen sporter stock, 03 bottom metal.modified gi trigger that had the 2 stage removed and pull lowered, with a William's bolt handle added. D and T for simple weaver bases. Put a 4x Weaver on it to find out if it s a shooter and it is. Pulled the weaver off and put on a 10x SS , now we will sort out it's possibilities.. a guy has to look long and hard to find anything built as well as a 03/03A3 these days. MB

TROOF!!!

That one brings back memories for me - my Dad had a sporterized '03-A3 with an identical stock to that one, but with sights and no recoil pad. That was my first hunting rifle as a kid and shot my first two deer with it.

Probably several out there just like that. Lots of those old guns were available and Fajen was a popular aftermarket stock.

Here's a picture of the 10-42 marked Springfield barrel with ordinance flaming bomb. I filed, polished and cold blued the rough area under the original barrel band. I taped the barrel above and below that area.

DF

DF - Pretty fair job of checkering for your first try. Congrats!

Got 1 just about like that DF put my 10x SS Swfta on to see what she'll do. Got $250 in that 1 and 200 in the scope I don't figure I can lose on any of it. Couple of local guys deal surplus 03 & 03a3 parts in 50 years I've only ever needed 1 firing pin. You know some will cuss my thoughts on it but my 1st one I had polished and blued. Now days I don't bother, thing is practically how in the hell can you ever improve on the durability of parkerizing? A rifle put thru as many tests and trials for a combat arm, pretty no but totally dead reliable and practical. I never had a 30-06 fail to kill anything with a placed shot. MB