US Remington 03A3 - Time Capsule Find

[mkk41]

Ya got the makin's for a nice sporterizing project there , yea?

Of course I'm kidding!

And that's the way they should be. Greenish parkerizing on receiver/barrel and blue/black (DuLite) on the small parts.

I remember them being so cheap back in the 70's.

The two-groove barrels can shoot. I just rebarreled my Remington with a NOS-USGI barrel 2 months from the original.

 

[TACC1]

I only got to shoot one of these a few times, back
when I had no appreciation for the finer things in life.
Yours sure looks good! Glad you got it, and shared it here.
TACC1

 

[s&wchad]

Awesome find!

And I would like to ask as well, will it stay unfired?

Not sure I could resist the temptation.

It will remain as is while I'm the caretaker.

That's a nice one Chad...
A true time capsule.

Did it come with the small tin of "Poison" ???


Chuck

No, the poison comes with the moderator job. We've been instructed not be taken alive!

 

[Nframecollector]

Nice! I have an 03' Springfield in similar condition with a star gauge barrel. Excellent shooter!

 

[Muley Gil]

Elmer Keith may have touched that rifle. He was an inspector at OG during WW II.

 

[klondike]

I have one similar to yours. It has a mysterious SS stamped on the stock.
I have yet to learn what it signifies.

 

[billwill]

When somebody hollers....Lucky Dog...you better raise your paw! Beautiful rifle!

 

[TAROMAN]

The only thing that could make that one better is if it had the "OGEK" cartouche.
At one time Elmer Keith was an inspector at Ogden.

 

[jag312]

I'm very happy for you. I'm glad the rifle is in the hands of someone who truly appreciates it, instead of being sold for a hundred bucks at a gun buy-back to be destroyed.

 

[wetdog]

Thanks for the post. I have a similar condition smith-corona and didn't know what the OG meant. It was in cosmoline when I got it about 20 years ago.

 

[Jebus35745]

WOW, nice gun. You have to turn over every rock to see whats under it. You never know, Larry

 

[rwsmith]

It's better that you have it

I would just HAVE to shoot it. How different is 03 ammo from 06? Were the changes just to the bullet/load or actually dimensional??

 

[s&wchad]

I would just HAVE to shoot it. How different is 03 ammo from 06? Were the changes just to the bullet/load or actually dimensional??

Military designations can sometimes be a bit confusing.

The original US Model 1903 Rifle was chambered for the .30-03 cartridge and featured a 220 grain round nose bullet. The cartridge was redesigned in 1906 with a shorter neck, different powder and a 150 grain spitzer bullet and became the .30-06 Springfield cartridge we all know and love.
.30-06 cartridges can be fired in a rifle chambered for .30-03, but not vice versa.

The US Model 03A3 Rifle (1903A3) was a WWII adaptation of the US Model 1903 rifle, intended to speed up production and make it more battle worthy. The stock and sights were redesigned and a number of forged parts were replaced with stampings. Late 03A3 rifles like mine have a two groove barrel.

To sum it up, the 03A3 rifle is chambered for the .30-06 cartridge and ammunition is readily available... but I'm still not going to shoot this one!

 

[mkk41]

I have one similar to yours. It has a mysterious SS stamped on the stock.
I have yet to learn what it signifies.

This is a wild guess , but Springfield Sporters popped into my mind for some reason. They were a big surplus arms importer and dealer and though I know the importers weren't required to mark the guns they sold back then , and certainly not on the stocks. Could also be the initials of a previous owner?

 

[pawncop]

That is waaaaaay cool. I do think it needs to roar. That is why it was made.

 

[model70hunter]

Nice, no great find. Good thing you followed up.

It only seems like yesterday but in the early 70's I bought one of these, same condition for 20 or25 bucks. It traded hands several times, no actually I traded a lawn mower for it. No one would shoot it because the Bore was pure corrosion.

I knew what it was, a bore brush and bore cleaner took out the cosmoline. I'm now too ashamed to say what I did to that rifle. But they were everywhere for nothing money.....

 

[smithman 10]

Shoot that bad boy!

You didn't mention how much you gave for that rifle. If I owned it I could not resist taking it to the range with the 1903A3 that I bought from CMP a few years back for about $400.

There are no more to be had from CMP, so they say.

Mine wasn't unfired like your find but in really nice condition with an almost new bore, according to the gunsmith that I had check the headspace.

I shoot it 3 or 4 times a year and I'm sure it's worth a lot more now than when I bought it.

Funny how an emergency stop-gap second line military rifle, put into production to supplement the supply of M-1 Garands, with stamped parts to make it cheaper and quicker to build has turned into a classic that folks are hesitant to shoot!