Cal,

I will get some pictures of the 03A3 uploaded and post them for you. It is really a beautiful rifle, with the correct and pleasing mix of blued parts with parkerized receiver and barrel that original 03A3s came with. I'm sure they looked like hell to the oldtimers used to the finely machined pre-war 1903s, but its gorgeous to me.

My friend said he took it to the range and put some rounds in it, but just couldn't bring himself to fire it since it had probably survived over sixty years without being fired since leaving the Remington plant. I can certainly understand that and I will probably not shoot it myself. I have a good "shooter" 03A3 for that.

You're right about it being a unique opportunity to have a friend who served in WWII. They are getting fewer every day. When I visited Hawaii two years ago with my wife, I visited the Punchbowl cemetery for my friend. His friend and squad leader is buried there, KIA on Okinawa May 10, 1945 while serving with the 1st Marine Division. We took some pictures of the grave for him. It was very surreal, and very humbling, standing at the grave of a man dead for so long, a stranger to me, but a good friend to a good friend of mine and someone who is still remembered by an old man in Texas. Now he is remembered by me, too.

My friend gave me something else, too, when he gave me the rifle. My Dad had served in the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam- my friend's old outfit in WWII- and my friend gave me a 1st Division patch with the number one with "Guadalcanal" on it. That was just as meaningful to me as the rifle.

Best Regards,
Clyde