Just bought one today. Serial # put at 1944 # is 3599705. Came out of auction of WW II vet. Will pick it up Monday. Online auction talked to auction house gun guy that knows war stuff said it was a very good. Said it should go for 1000.00+. Alot of other black gun AR's , pistols. Got it and a Remington model 12 mint for 700.00. Never had one but trying to get a few. Also has a block of wood on top of stock looks to match all other wood on gun. Will be able to text pictures when I get it home.

Anything I would need to know about this type of gun would be helpful.

Thanks, To all

Can't be specifically helpful on such as 03A3 species, but sounds nice & just to congratulate on 'general principals!'
Best & Happy Holidays!
John.

Go to the CMP site...
http://forums.thecmp.org/

I have heard that the A3’s were picked during test firing, if they rifle shot tight, they would set it aside and have them change the bolt handle to a curved handle so it could where a scope and become a sniper version.

If you want to hunt with it, Boyds makes a decent laminated stock for those but you have to cut in a bolt race, and there are after market scope mounts that will perform well.

These left the armory with somewhat rough stocks. If you are lucky enough to have one feeling a little hairy to the touch do not NOT sand it smooth. You can always add more boiled linseed oil. That was the armory finish. That will keep the wood healthy and satisfy the need to do something. Leaving them alone takes a bit of practice and control. Call it an acquired skill.

Please do not be swapping stocks or mounting a scope. Times have changed and today these guns are appreciated as historic items and not messed with like that. You can shoot it all day long with the wonderful GI sights or dont shoot it. But think long and hard before you decide to bubba the gun. Even for temporary, there is no reason. These are wonderful rifles just as issued.

Spotshooter is thinking of the 1903A4 sniper rifle. And seriously, he wants to bubba one of those!! He must be really old, you got to respect that. I mean we all did this stuff back in the day. Not any more. Seriously NO, do not do that stuff.

If the desire to do something becomes unbearable you can find a bayonet and sling..

I recommend "03 Springfield Service Rifle".by Bruce Canfield. Well worth the price, Not an arm or a leg, very fair. And an excellent reference, pictures and text top notch.

LazyL mentions a block of wood on top of the 03A3. I would need to see a picture to comment on that. I am drawing a total blank at the moment. Or he is combining the Model 12 talk with 03 talk. That would be on me. I still do not know what he means there? Congrats on some good prices. Be a good caretaker.

A word on pricing. An all correct and un messed with (not even official armory repaired) 03a3 is $1000. BUT! That is perfect collector gun. An 03a3 that simply looks right in a photo can be more like 600-700. Anything. You got to see it or good detail photos. I have taken two a3's of these out of sporter stocks and dropped them back into GI stocks and scrounged up the needed bits of hardware. Those are $600 shooters. Someone with Canfields book can spot these looking up close. Another restorer could be very careful to get every part put back right and get the full dinaro. I did mine as shooters and not trying to fool anyone. Just saying, on the internet, there is a tendency to quote the top price, when a careful evaluation is always needed.

I dont assume perfection and begin subtracting. I assume the worse and then add for right barrel, right stock, right bolt, bolt parts all parts with proper finish and wear, correct little metal pieces. Stock marking correct. I dont want to pass myslef off as expert. I got a book is all. Well three actually,

The likelihood of a 1944 03A3 having been issued to a US combat unit is slim to none. If it saw hostilities at all it would've been in the hands of a poor ally or rear echelon commandos, but given it's really nice condition probably not that either. Their chief claim to fame was their ridiculous low price in the postwar surplus market, and their chief purpose in life was as the basis for cheap sporterizations. They put a lot of venison on the table in the 50's-60's.

The 03A4's weren't singled out for sterling accuracy. They were a stopgap measure because the Army hadn't thought ahead for a sniper rifle. Their chief claim to fame was it's ease of sporterization. A buddy of my Dad's got one by dumb luck from the DCM for $20 and was cockahoop because it was already set up for scope use.

Someone truthfully said more A4's exist today than there were in 1945.

On an A4 the receiver markings are rolled off of the top. They were not selected, just manufactured

The OP never mentioned A4 or a bent for scope bolt handle. That all started with comments made by Spotshooter which has somewhat derailed the conversation. I think the OP maybe asking for good bullet weights or care and cleaning or details to look for to evaluate his gun. Such as Smith Corona parts on a Remington.

And yes indeed, the 03A3 was very under appreciated until recently. But today is different.

Will not change a thing on it looks been issue. I will get it today hopefully auction house know the seller and get the story behind it. There is a cheek rest on stock matches rest of wood all wood matches. Will have pictures later today and can send to text or e-mail. Like I said before serial put it at 1942. Still hunting with iron sights, just has to get a little closer.

Looks nice but the "block of wood" is not original to the rifle. Hard to tell if the stock was altered for it but you won't know till you take it off....might be just a screw hole you can fill. Looks like the correct stock for it but can't see arsenal inspection stamps to indicate issue or replacement

Thanks, tmitch for posting and info. Will be taking block off. Who knows why it is on there. I know I'm ready to go get it but wife and grandson have home school but a field trip coming soon.

OK Finally got home opened where cleaning kit should be found paper work. NRA of America. 6-11-62 The guy paid 14.50 for it.
RAI on left of stock, RA flaming bomb 8-44 top of barrel, R on bolt, R on bent bolt handle. The stringing stuff on was cob webs.

letterkenny ord. depot
chambersburg, penna. form DD1149-4

I still have my DD 214 ARMY

Sounds like you got a winner. It is always a treat to get a new 03 Springfield in any flavor. I have owned four over the years, all 1903s and all Springfield manufactured. I am down to two right now. Someday I hope to get an 03A3.

A lot of the 03-A4’s are actually marked as A3’s….

So does this one have a curved or straight bolt handle.

To the best of my knowledge they were all stamped 03-A3. Some did have the 3 struck out and a 4 stuck next to the 3. All genuine A4’s info was offset so it could be seen when the scope base was installed.

Curved bolt handle. With R on bottom

Your A3 is not in any way related to an A4. There has been a fair amount of erroneous speculation and falsehoods posted. I feel sorry for the OP who has to sort this out. I suggested a book, No go. I will now suggest the GunBoards forum and CMP forum.

All 03 bolt handles are curved down. The question is has this bolt been modified for a scope? If yes, then a new "R" bolt body can be found for short money. Very easy. Why guess?

The "block" on the butt stock is a cheek piece for use with a scope. Agreed that has to go! The OP needs to remove the handguard and see if the current barrel is drilled and tapped for scope blocks.

If I am reading all the above talk and pics right, 3,599,xxx is around April 1943 (did I see a 1944 post?)

https://www.remingtonsociety.org/1903-and-1903a3-production-and-serial-no-table/

Thanks, fourbore will go to other forums to check it out also. I did remove cheek wood and filling hole will remove hand guard and see if drill & tapped. Looks to me the guy bought it in 1962 from NRA. It been setting in safe like I said it had spider webs still on it when I picked it up. Been cleaning on it very careful. Also the marking on stock RAI only one I have found.

Yes, knowledge is a dangerous thing but lack of knowledge is far worse. There are several good books out there, chief among them, IMO, are Canfield's and Brophy's. (I'm partial to Brophy.) If reading isn't your thing, then by all means check out the CMP forums - there are guys there who live and breathe this stuff.

Letterkenny Depot was, and is, a major rehab place for arms and equipment. It's right up the road from where I grew up, and I knew a few guys who worked there. One of those WWII era guys, Harry Walker was his name, brought an M2 Springfield out piece by piece in 1946. He sold it to me 30 years later, my first M2. (Harry's dead now so I guess the statute of limitations is over for him, and I sold the rifle 35 years ago and have no idea where it's at now.)

Another long gone acquaintance was an old guy in the late 1960's-early 70's whose job was to roam around Army and National Guard facilities up and down the East Coast, doing inventories of small arms and declaring obsolete those which deserved it. Periodically he would show up in the parking lot of the small LGS I hung out at as a kid, with his trunk full of delectable objects whose paperwork had been fudged (he being the chief "fudgee" in charge) and was now for sale, cash and carry, no questions asked. I remember 03's, 03A3's, Garands, 1911's and .38's, and even a few Krags he found in some podunk armory. Cases of small arms ammo would be stacked in the back seat. I bought a M1903 Mark I for $40 as I recall, money that was earmarked for school books but ya gotta have priorities dontcha know! One item I'm still kicking myself over, 50 years later, was an absolutely complete Armorer's Chest for 1903 Springfields- all the gauges, tools, and spare parts were in their compartments wrapped in waxed paper and the chest itself was mint. $100 would've bought it out of that car trunk, but I simply didn't have the money. Sigh.... (But bear in mind I was a college kid making $30-40 a week part-time, supporting myself.)

Ok removed the hand guard. NOT drilled & taped. Who knows why the guy put that wood on the stock. But the lug in front has a R on it. So I'm thinking this is all Remington 03a3. About every piece so far has a R stamped on it or RA.

Really thank all that have given info. even when we got off track always willing to learn more about guns. Keep passing on this info before it is gone.

I would've been thoroughly surprised had you found the barrel to be D/T'ed. There would've been no reason to do that unless a previous misguided owner had tried to make a USMC-style sniper out of it. (USMC utilized M1903A1's in their sniper program, altered to accept Unertl 8x's- and some very few other target scopes- never 03A3's. The Marines wanted nothing to do with the 03A3. Unertl mounting required two holes on the receiver ring and two holes 7.2" forward on the barrel in front of the rear sight base, no holes in the receiver bridge.)

Congrats on a cool rifle- really it’s the only thing that matters is how much you enjoy it!

The A3 bolt handle verision I accurized for a customer was a hand me down from his grandfather, it was already half sporterized.

He had me fix the stock (cut a race in it for the curved bolt handle), and bed it.
I hooked him up with a nicer scope mount, and helped the rifles lock time a bit, then cleaned up (lapped) the bore to clean it up.
She really started running tight groups, he was super happy.

Then he shot his first deer with it at around 17 paces !! LOL.. You just have to love life !

Again - be as happy as you can with all and any rifles you have!

Cool rifle!

Spot

If this forum had a 'like' button, I would give a click to gnoahhh. I agree with every word.

The Brophy book is the bible. It is more money and requires some serious time to study. I am sorry to admit, I tend to forget all the details and have to go back to that. I like Canfield because it is an easier read. That is on me.

I have a fake/clone marine snipe with scope D&T as he mentioned. Also the proud owner of an A4 fake/clone sniper. I should not say "proud owner", but; I understand how these things happened. In fact, I think many an 03 has been bubba modified to the point where this is an act of kindness to bring it back to something a person could afford today. The real snipers are expensive and many of those dont stand up to an expert examination. An easy newbie burn.

Good news from the OP. I think he has a good rifle. Plug the stock screw holes and enjoy!

Yep one hole plugged in stock.

Ta da!! Now fire the old girl up!

Two groove or four groove barrel? You said earlier it's a 1944 rifle- is that going by the serial number or the barrel date? Barrel dates didn't always jibe with receiver build dates.

Out of curiosity what's the manufacturer of the barrel- it'll be an abbreviation right above the date behind the front sight. For example "RA 6-44" with the Ordnance flaming bomb in between.

Like the gnnoah have more than a few springfields 03 and 03A3's none are in pristine original condition. That's why I could afford them back when I bought them. I have a great collection of what most would call bubba sporterized. Most are 30-06 with one 03A3 a 308 Norma mag and an 03 in 300 win mag. The heart of the matter is that they are on high number springfield, remington and SC actions all original barrels. I can at anytime pick one up and a box of ammo and kill deer without fail. Long live springfields and those shooters smart enough to own them....mb

On barrel has RA ,flaming bomb, 8-44. Serial # 3599705 a few guys said it was April 1943. Cleaned bore deep groves. Looks like four groove. And cleaned up very bright. It is four groove.

Wife has foot surgery this morning been taking care of her.

Pictures on auction was not very good just wanted a shooter and I think got a gem. The more I get into it cleaning and seeing everything stamped RA or R and sell paper with it. I call it discharge papers. LOL DD 1149 - 4

You did well! The papers are an added bonus and provide a bit of history.

Yep the guy only lived 1 hour away from me. I worked in Indianapolis for 25 years I know where he lived. Small world. Bought it 1/2 hr. from me. This will not be Bubbafied by me.

Well, you got a good one. Take care of it and it'll outlast all of us.

Thanks, and that's the plan will do a bunch of reading on it and learn what it needs and pass on to my son and on to his.