Smith-Corona 1903A3

[Rocketmedic40]

I couldn’t resist: saw a very nice Smith-Corona 1903A3 for a thousand dollars from Cabela’s of all places; looks to have all of the original military furniture, and to be in excellent condition. As a left-handed shooter, I really regret selling my last 1903; for some reason the bolt guns just speak to my soul and unlike the original 03 the A3 has sights I can use well easily. It’s on the way to my local Cabelas now. Sure, I’ll end up working more overtime or something…but you only live once, right? My great-great uncle was an anti-tank infantryman in the 442nd, apparently he’d have either carried a carbine or a 1903 for reasons of weight?

I still need a sling, it’ll mount my Garand bayonet.

From a firearms perspective, I think the bolt-action rifle is nearly perfection for the kind of shooting I enjoy…methodical, accuracy-focused, paced. I’m 100% sure I’m going to sell my AR to help fund this adventure; I’ve got a Mini and a 10/22 for semiautomatic kicks in small calibers.

 

[jdlii]

Great rifles! Thanks to you and your uncle for the respective service. I find it amazing the rifles produced in wartime manufacturing are capable of such accuracy, dependability and versatility. A good G.I. leather or web sling, along with a bayonet are a "must" for a collector and shooter.

 

[Faulkner]

My understanding is that Smith-Corona rifles were produced later in the war when M1903's were starting to be withdrawn because there were enough M1 rifles to be issued to soldiers and marines and the M1 carbine was in full production. Since not a lot of them made it to the combat zones it's quite common to find Smith-Corona made rifles in excellent condition.

 

[Greyman50]

Check the front band spring lock to see if the end toward the muzzle is square or rounded, square is a SC.

 

[Muley Gil]

I have had a Remington and a S-C 1903A3. Both were fine shooters.

 

[Skyhunter]

I found my Smith-Corona 03-A3 a couple years ago and she's a "shooter" for sure & certain. About 750,000 03-A3's were made during WW ll - SC made approximately 250,000 of those; Remington made the rest. My rifle shoots 150 & 168 gr. bullets equally well. There's always lots of interest at the range when I take her out for a bit of exercise!

WYT-P
Skyhunter

 

[Rudi]

That is a fine rifle!

 

[Muddyboot]

Nothing in the world like walnut and steel.

 

[Puller]

Seems I read that John C. Garand developed the rear sight for the 1903A3.

 

[Puller]

Seems I read that John C. Garand developed the rear sight for the 1903A3.

I believe he designed the adjustable rear sight for the M1 carbine too.

 

[jdlii]

The 03' was purchased by my Dad in 64' or 65' from Montgomery Ward in Jackson, TN. MW had placed an add in the local newspaper advertising the rifles as being "arsenal new." They were in wooden boxes and covered in cosmoline. The price was $39.95, a princely sum at that time. The one he picked out has an interesting cartouche on the stock showing it was rebuilt at the Ogden Utah Arsenal and at the time the inspector was some guy whose initials are "EK." The barrel date is 1932.

 

[Dave Haynes]

To talk about 03A3 accuracy: Mine had a 2 groove barrel. almost new or new. At the time I was working on a bench rest Garand and had worked the load down to perfection. 168Sierra International 48 gr 4064. Was at the club 100 yd range with both the M1 and the 03A3. Shooting 5 shot groups dead center that you could cover with a US quarter. I decided to see how the 03A3 would do with that 2 groove barrel. It was amazing, the same groups as the Garand. Shot a couple more because I couldn't believe it, all the same. That was with 38 year old eyes and perfect sun at your back range. The Army said that the 2 groove was just as good, believe it.

 

[greenwellg]

OGEK was Elmer Kieth. Very few O3's made in 1932 due to depression, around 10k a year to keep the armory functioning with some income for the few employees. Some of the best ever made.

Note: I just read his history by searching his name. It was astounding what he did to survive being badly burned in a fire.

 

[Greyman50]

This is an ok 03 reference book easy to take to shows but has some errors

 

[Matt_X]

My only suggestion is to find the closest club running CMP "as-issued" service rifle matches.
For that you'll want a sling (although you can do 'ok' without) and 2 or more stripper clips.
You can skate by with any sort of mat to lay on and a block or container to hold 10, 15, or 20 rounds.

The matches are derived from the KD qualification courses of the period, but the target and score rings are smaller.
NRA SR target at 200 yards or the SR-1 at 100 yards.
The rapid targets starts from standing (and then go to prone and sitting/kneeling) and are just fast enough to add to the stress of competition especially with the bolt action.

Having a spotting scope is helpful but it all depends on the club and the range. Some have electronic scoring and others have pits.

CMP Club & Competition Tracker | Match Search

ct.thecmp.org

Search for under vintage as well as Springfield and Garand. The course is the same regardless, either course A or B, and clubs will list the event various ways. I think at bigger matchs they segregate so each competitor has opportunity to shoot 3 different rifles.

 

[jdlii]

The information provided by Max_X is spot on however, there has been a rule change related to the rapid fire stages. Shooters no longer start from the standing position. Shooters start in position and the time for each stage remains the same.

 

[H Richard]

My first qualification in High Power was with an 03-A3. Those prone portions of the match, without a proper shooting jacket are memorable. Mine was s Remington, and it was very accurate. I cheated a little and placed a smaller hole over the rear peep sight. It did seem to help my scores.

 

[Phenix]

I couldn’t resist: saw a very nice Smith-Corona 1903A3 for a thousand dollars from Cabela’s of all places; looks to have all of the original military furniture, and to be in excellent condition. As a left-handed shooter, I really regret selling my last 1903; for some reason the bolt guns just speak to my soul and unlike the original 03 the A3 has sights I can use well easily. It’s on the way to my local Cabelas now. Sure, I’ll end up working more overtime or something…but you only live once, right? My great-great uncle was an anti-tank infantryman in the 442nd, apparently he’d have either carried a carbine or a 1903 for reasons of weight?

I still need a sling, it’ll mount my Garand bayonet.

From a firearms perspective, I think the bolt-action rifle is nearly perfection for the kind of shooting I enjoy…methodical, accuracy-focused, paced. I’m 100% sure I’m going to sell my AR to help fund this adventure; I’ve got a Mini and a 10/22 for semiautomatic kicks in small calibers.

I bought a Remington 1943(?) 03A3 with stamped out peep sight and floor plate and trigger guard for $100 at a country gas station in the late 1970’s. 2 groove rifling. Virtually unfired condition. Shot like a match target rifle with every load I tried in it. 110 grain to 180 grain bullets. Any reasonable powder charge.
Years later, in a weak moment, I let one of my shooting buddy cousins talk me out of it so I could take the money and buy something else that I no longer remember anything about. Over the next 15 years I would occasionally hit my cousin up about selling it back to me. Response was always hysterical laughter.
He died suddenly 3 years ago, and when his boys went through his considerable stash of gun stuff, the Springfield was not there. Nobody knew what became of it, sadly.

 

[Matt_X]

The information provided by Max_X is spot on however, there has been a rule change related to the rapid fire stages. Shooters no longer start from the standing position. Shooters start in position and the time for each stage remains the same.

Thanks for the reminder to download the current rulebook.
No change at the club I shoot at and I don't see such a change listed in CMP's update

Changes in 2025 CMP Games Rifle and Pistol Competition Rules

Changes in the 2025 CMP Games Rifle and Pistol Competition RulesUpdate: 12Nov24 1. Obtaining Rulebook Copies. Complete copies of all CMP rulebooks are posted on the CMP website at http://thecmp.org/competitions/cmp-competitions-rulebooks/. Copies of each rulebook and accompanying Range Of...

docs.google.com

Maybe for High Power?
Rulebook downloads here:

Competition Rulebooks - Civilian Marksmanship Program

CMP Competition Rulebooks that govern CMP sponsored and sanctioned competitions are posted here, with downloadable copies.

thecmp.org

The rapid should be easier than slow fire with single loading but in practice its often where things go wrong.

 

[bph9]

To talk about 03A3 accuracy: Mine had a 2 groove barrel. almost new or new. At the time I was working on a bench rest Garand and had worked the load down to perfection. 168Sierra International 48 gr 4064. Was at the club 100 yd range with both the M1 and the 03A3. Shooting 5 shot groups dead center that you could cover with a US quarter. I decided to see how the 03A3 would do with that 2 groove barrel. It was amazing, the same groups as the Garand. Shot a couple more because I couldn't believe it, all the same. That was with 38 year old eyes and perfect sun at your back range. The Army said that the 2 groove was just as good, believe it.

quote---------------The Army said that the 2 groove was just as good, believe it.--------quote

Actually that is only partially true. U.S. Military tests later proved that although the 2 groove barrels shot "well enough" when new that they lost accuracy faster than 4 groove barrels as the throat started to erode (burn out) as all rifle barrels eventually do. Because of the sub-standard manufacture of the barrels it took about 2,000 rounds of shooting before the barrels hit peak accuracy (according to the Military) because they were not hand lapped as well as they should have been.

The Fanatical Germans when lapping 98 Mauser barrels actually hand lapped the barrels twice, once for uniformity and once for smoothness to iron out any rough spots.

I might add that U.S. Savage produced British No. 4 MkI rifles with two groove barrels showed the same loss of accuracy compared to the British produced 4 groove and 5 groove barrels as the throats eroded but under wartime conditions this was deemed acceptable.

Back when I was buying military rifles in the 60's we had to pay far less for a 2 groove than a 4 groove 03 Springfield as this erosion problem even back then was well known.

Having said all that my Father during WWII used (among other weapons) a 1903 (not a 03A3) Springfield and he said his 03 Springfield shot way more accurately than the M1's he also used. Later in time I found out why as the stock on the M1 had no metal liner and and the pounding of the action within the stock under recoil soon caused the stock to loosen up. This was later corrected with the metal liner used in the production of the M14.