Mortie would say yes, but the rest of you guys.... Is an '03 safe to shoot? This is a nice sporterized '03 with detachable Wetzlar scope, RIA 1903 S/N 390XXX, double set trigger, 1 rear leaf folds down. So what do you think?
Posts: 287 | Location: Florida USA | Registered: 23 February 2002
Sure! Why not? The 30-06 is a great plains game round and the 03 is a fine old rifle. If it is one of your favorite rifles go ahead and take it. It would make your hunt just that much more enjoyable.
Posts: 955 | Location: Houston, Texas, USA | Registered: 13 February 2002
Are you an American? Does your family have any stout Germanic connections? Do you just love that absolutely gorgeous rifle? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, it is imperative that you give that stunning example of the gunsmith's art a free trip to Africa. If you choose your shots carefully you could legally kill anything but the Heavy Three (buff, ele, rhino) and the lion. Illegally, you can kill anything if you're careful. I personally have a thing about calibers of .33 and up for eland and giraffe but so many of the brethren think I'm a wimp for it . . . TAKE THE '06 TO AFRICA!!!
Posts: 2690 | Location: Lakewood, CA. USA | Registered: 07 January 2001
Quote: .........it is imperative that you give that stunning example of the gunsmith's art a free trip to Africa.
I'd love to agree with Oldsarge, that work of art should hunt in Africa, it was so beautifully made just for that! Here is an offer to consider and help you along (and get some free marketing for me? ): You come on an African plains game safari with that rifle and I will throw in the first plains game animal that you kill with it as a free addition to your trophy list!
Beautiful piece of work, for which I envy you . Enjoy hunting with it!
Verewaaier.
Posts: 1799 | Location: Soutpan, Free State, South Africa | Registered: 19 January 2004
On my hunt to RSA two of my friends used 30.06 and they bagged 32 pieces of plaines game. including this kudu. The rifle used is a full stocked steyr manchlicher 30.06. Cheers,
Andr�
Posts: 2293 | Location: The Kingdom of Denmark | Registered: 13 January 2004
Since you are right around the corner, I believe you should bring the rifle to the range and let me give it a thorough going over. This may take a few weeks though!
That is one beautiful rifle! And one of the nicest '03 conversions I have ever seen. Most Sedgleys '03's don't compare with your rifle. Very nice. You should be proud to carry that rifle into the veld.
BigBullet
Posts: 1224 | Location: Lorraine, NY New York's little piece of frozen tundra | Registered: 05 July 2003
Well bwana I could not agree more with you. I did not shot a kudu on that safari due to lack of acceptable sized kudus. My minimum standard was 50" and if it turned out to be 49" then But I was going for +50" No luck I am not a size or medal hunter but I have certain standards However my friend got a nice black springbok SCI gold
Cheers,
Andr�
Posts: 2293 | Location: The Kingdom of Denmark | Registered: 13 January 2004
Quote: Excuse my lack of knowledge of the firearms lingo but what does '03 refer to? The year of manufacture 1903?
Thanks
In response to your question the "03" is the slang term given to the M1903 battle rifle of our military. The 1903 does refer to its year of adoption into military service. It is a great classic rifle and some excellent sporters were made from 1903's. The one shown is a premier example. If you would like more information do a search on the web for "Springfield 1903" That should give you a ton of references. I hope that answers your question.
Posts: 3156 | Location: Rigby, ID | Registered: 20 March 2004
Quote: It looks like it was made for Africa and it would be quite at home here in Australia also. Nice Rifle RLI
It is a beautiful rifle, but doesn't look to me like it was made for Africa! It would look more at home in the Tyrolian Alps, than Africa! That in no way says it shouldn't be taken to Africa, because, if it shoots, would be a beautiful plains game rifle.
I collect Mannlicher Shoenauer rifles, and carbines, and love the full length stocks on them. If that rifle were mine, I would either shorten the barrel,and keep the MANNLICHER style stock, or shorten the stock back to 3" in front of the checkering, and install a ebony fore-end tip, and a barrel mounted sling swivel. But that is a personal choice, and doesn't make the rifle any better!
Posts: 14634 | Location: TEXAS | Registered: 08 June 2000
At my age it depresses me to read that someone wants to know what the "03" reference means! I am always forgetting that people keep getting born long after me!
I used the 30-06 in hunting, of course. (I was "in" after the M1 replaced the "03". Thank god! I shot a Springfield service rifle with scope in initial sniper training and I kept getting belted under the cheekbone (I'm a stock hugger) with a 150 gr. load! When we got MIs (worked over by Ordnance)it was a joy! {My father, a WW1 vet agreed with me about the Springfield even though he had been an officer (sorry,Bill)and didn't carry one but had shot it in basic)
One of the guys in the forum said he would use it even on the "Big 3" if he had to. Being only a one time hunter in Africa, I should keep my mouth shut - but the 30-06 in 180 gr. sure hits harder than a lot of cartridges that I have read in this forum have killed elephant!
Posts: 649 | Location: NY | Registered: 15 January 2004
Eric98 Are you perhaps referring to the "early 1903s" that were unsafe to fire due to inadequate heat treatment?
I think the "low numbers" begin at 810,000 for Spring. Armory and 285,506 for Rock Island Arsenal. Being a custom gun I cannot say yours is definitely safe but the heat treatment should be OK.
Springfields make fine rifles (they were fine rifles as they came in fact).
Happy trails! Jim
Posts: 3 | Location: Kentucky | Registered: 25 May 2004
Eric: According to "Hatcher's Notebook", your '03 has the latest nickel steel alloy receiver manufactured by RIA. As previously stated by Riposte1, RIA began double heat treating their receivers @ SN 285507 and swithced to the new nickel steel alloy @ #319921.
Is it safe to shoot?? RIC started doubble heat treating on 11 May 1918 at number 285,507. Yes. TR used one in Africa Doyle What a wonderful rifle you have
Posts: 25 | Location: Texas | Registered: 05 February 2002
Quote: Bill: At my age it depresses me to read that someone wants to know what the "03" reference means! I am always forgetting that people keep getting born long after me!
Gerald, I do apologise In my neck of the woods there were a lot of .303's as this was the standard game department issue for scouts and military and we often referred to them as the "odd 3". So I had to double check. I once owned a LE "odd 3" built in 1903! The bolt head looked similar to the "03" in the photo. I often wandered if that rilfle had some stories to tell It came via RSA and probably saw some action in the Boer War or something
Posts: 3035 | Location: Tanzania - The Land of Plenty | Registered: 19 September 2003
Like yourself I have often wondered what stories the old military rifles could tell. I have a pretty decent collectoin of military rifles and every time I look at one of them I wonder what was the cause of a particular scratch or ding.
I have converted a couple into very nice sporters. I know this makes collectors cringe but the particular rifles I used had no real collector value. I think that turning a classic battle rifle into a nice sporter and keeping it shooting for future generations turns a rifle that was destined to be forgotten about into a legacy to be passed down.
I cant imagine that anyone will take the 03 in this thread and relegate it to a forgotten corner in a closet somewhere.
Posts: 3156 | Location: Rigby, ID | Registered: 20 March 2004
Quote: Well since Verewaaier offerred a plains game species free, I choose the sable antelope as my free one. Please send details of the rest of the hunt.
Congratulations on the choice of a Sable Antelope as the free addition to your trophy list. Your trophy list will now read, in alphabetical order: Baboon,Blesbok Common, Blesbok White,Bontebok,Brown Hyaena,Bushpig,Caracal or Lynx,Duiker Common or Grey,Duiker Blue, Duiker Red Forest, Fallow deer,Giraffe,Grysbok Cape,Grysbok Sharpe's, Hippopotamus,Hyena Spotted,Hyena Brown, Jackall Black-Backed, Klipspringer, Lechwe Red, Mountain Reedbuck,Vaal Rhebuck, Nyala, Oribi, Ostrich, Porcupine, Reedbuck Common, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope (for free!), Springbok Common, Black Springbok, White Springbok, Springhare, Suni, Tsessebe, Vervet Monkey, White Rhinoceros, Zebra Burchells, Zebra Mountain, Zebra Hartman's. You should be aware that at Andrew McLaren Safaris there is a strictly enforced "one animal a day" only rule. As the Sable is for free this rule will be waived for the Sable, which you could shoot on the same day as any one of the other animals, this would then be a 38 day hunt. Would you like to be quoted my daily rate for such a 38 days plains game hunt? The cost for the trophies, other than the free Sable can be found from my web page at www.mclarensafaris.com/new
Let's be serious and discuss a really nice plains game hunt in South Africa, with the first African kill with your beautiful Manlichter stocked '03 on the house.
I can put you in contact with an old-school German master gunsmith who currently residing in Botswana who might assist in reworking your telescope. He had arranged the reworking and recticle change from a German post to a Dual-X on a prewar Schmidt&Bender for me. I will visit him in the next few weeks and discuss the issue.
Best regards,
Verewaaier.
Posts: 1799 | Location: Soutpan, Free State, South Africa | Registered: 19 January 2004
No apologies needed. I smiled at your reference to the 303. I often hunted black bear in Canada and my regular guide carried a Mk.1 303 - and swore by it. I would kid him about it but since I knew he was a crack shot, I believed him when he spoke of regularly dropping moose with it.
Posts: 649 | Location: NY | Registered: 15 January 2004
Here is an offer to consider and help you along (and get some free marketing for me? 
In my neck of the woods there were a lot of .303's as this was the standard game department issue for scouts and military and we often referred to them as the "odd 3". So I had to double check. I once owned a LE "odd 3" built in 1903! The bolt head looked similar to the "03" in the photo. I often wandered if that rilfle had some stories to tell 
It came via RSA and probably saw some action in the Boer War or something 
