Aq

Nice looking gun!

Kinda cool having a symmetrical serial number like that to.

Very nice rifle. I'd have been happy to pick it up myself, given the same opportunity!

Nice rifle. I am presently working on a Remington 1903 that when finished will resemble what you have. I'm stocking it to resemble a G&H Sporter. I'm using a pre 64 M70 checkered steel buttplate, Neidner checkered grip cap, ebony forend, Talley barrel band sling swivel, early Redfield hooded ramp front sight, and a Lyman 57 rear peep.

I also have an 03A3 sporter that I built some years back.

M. Petrov's book and postings here gave me the inspiration to build a "retro" G&H.

Serial # on the one I have is not too far off yours, 3225xxx.

The info below is from NRA's reprint, Model 1903 Springfield Rifles:

"During WWII, Remington Arms made M1903A1 and 'M1903 Modified' rifles, then switched to their redesigned M1903A3. Remington '03 serial #'s began at 3000000. Remington phased in production of the M1903A3 rifles beginning in December 1942, completing the changeover by March 1943. Production of '03 rifles and M1903A3's at Remington was mixed as the changeover was made. Serial # 3348085 is said to be the last Remington '03"

quote:

Kinda cool having a symmetrical serial number like that to.

It's called a Palindrome: "A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units that has the property of reading the same in either direction."

My first daughter was born in 1991 and I wanted to name her Hannah. Mom had the final say . . .

Not a bad looking rifle at all, one of the better looking post-war sporters before the flared everything look took over. Not any Remington Model 12's at the show ;-)?

My last name is Ragar--one of very few palindrome found in proper names--if anybody cares

Nice rifle. Does anyone know if pre-inletted stocks in that general pattern are available anywhere?

Tim

Steve

Very nice Springfield sporter.

I just talked to Grandview and we both agree that the action looks like a combination of a 1903 and a 1903A3. It looks like an A3 tang because it is flat and lacks the blind guard screw hole of the 03. The cutoff housing is definitely 03, but I can't see the rear bridge well enough to tell for positive if it is 03 or A3. It also lacks the gas hole on the right side of the front receiver ring that is found on 03s and has only the one on the left side as found on A3s. It looks to me like maybe the bolt was changed also, as that looks like an early 03 type.

All in all this is a very interesting specimen and as others have said, I would have been happy to have bought it if I had the opportunity to do so also. Having a serial number with a "Poker Hand" like that is a definite plus also.

I like it too. It has that classic look, even though it is post WWII.

And I agree that the palindrome serial number is really cool.

"A man, a plan, a canal: Panama."

That is one of my favorite palindromes, written about Teddy Roosevelt, himself a great fan of the 1903 Springfield.

Nice catch, SDH.

If you are unhappy with this rifle in any way just let me know and I will be glad to take it off your hands.

PS Very nice purchase.

quote:

Originally posted by Idared:
Steve

Very nice Springfield sporter.

I just talked to Grandview and we both agree that the action looks like a combination of a 1903 and a 1903A3. It looks like an A3 tang because it is flat and lacks the blind guard screw hole of the 03. The cutoff housing is definitely 03, but I can't see the rear bridge well enough to tell for positive if it is 03 or A3. It also lacks the gas hole on the right side of the front receiver ring that is found on 03s and has only the one on the left side as found on A3s. It looks to me like maybe the bolt was changed also, as that looks like an early 03 type.

Mine also lacks the blind tang screw and the gas hole is also on the left side. Are these examples of the "modified 1903s" that the NRA article refered to?

Firstly......nice find, Steve! I like it!

I pulled Brophy's book off the shelf for a little investigation.....

The first 1903 made by Remington was completed in November 1941. However, in the early months of 1942 Remington started requesting numerous changes to the model 1903. Some of the first were front and rear guard screws drilled through, eliminations of the small gas-hole on the right side of the receiver, elimination of the lightening cuts on the recoil shoulder, etc...

Additionally, the manufacturing process of the cutoff, cocking-piece, safety lock, and other parts were converted to screw-machine operation.

It would appear that this action was a result of the very first of the above changes. It still retains the scalloped cutoff housing, but the right-side gas hole is gone, and it appears that the tang is flat and the screw hole has been drilled through. The serial number is consistent with the time period these changes were starting to occur. The rounded "inlet" at back of the rear bridge indicates that this is still the 1903 rear bridge.

I've never run across one of these "change in progress" Remingtons. Interesting.

Grandview,

Thanks for the info, the one I have has all the "change in progress" changes.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:

Mine also lacks the blind tang screw and the gas hole is also on the left side. Are these examples of the "modified 1903s" that the NRA article refered to?

It would appear so, craigster. This paragraph from Brophy....

By December 1941 a total of 1,273 rifles had been produced. Serial numbers as high as 3,365,002 have been observed. Those manufactured after April 1942 were identified as M1903 (modified). A total of about 350,000 of the Remington M1903 and M1903 (modified) rifles were manufactured.

Is the tang on your M1903 (modified) identical to that on a 1903A3? In other words....not domed, but flat?

quote:

Originally posted by coopsdad:
Nice rifle. Does anyone know if pre-inletted stocks in that general pattern are available anywhere?

Tim

Check with GAG.

www.gunstocks.com

Grandview,

Just compared tangs, the '03 is domed and the '03A3 is flat.

quote:

craigster the one I have has all the "change in progress" changes

craigster

Does yours have the scalloped cutoff housing also? I was always under the impression that when Remington started these modifications they also went away from the scalloped housing to one that was more straight.

I have never seen one of these Remington 1903 Modified except for pictures so I do value all the information on them.

Many thanks

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
Grandview,

Just compared tangs, the '03 is domed and the '03A3 is flat.

So the only differences on your (modified) is the absence of the right gas hole, and the drilled through tang screw hole, eh?

I can't tell from the picture, but perhaps SDH's rear tang is domed also?

All else is very much like a Remington M1903 that I have. This is Remington M1903 SN 3078925. Blind tang screw and right side gas hole.

Correct. It's hard to tell but SDH's tang looks flat compared to mine. But also look again at the first photo. The cutoff housing does not appear to be scalloped, it looks like the 03A3 style to me. The 03 I have is scalloped.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
It's hard to tell but SDH's tang looks flat compared to mine.

That was my impression......but it's hard to tell from the photo.

quote:

But also look again at the first photo. The cutoff housing does not appear to be scalloped, it looks like the 03A3 style to me.

No, it has that "double-step" leading from the front, and it's also "stepped" at the rear. The A3's merely sweep into the body of the housing, and are squared off at the rear.

03A3...


03...

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
The 03 I have is scalloped.

Thanks craigster. That's good info to file away. Appreciate it.

Nice looking sporter Steve; let us know how she spits those 180's downrange!!!

Jeff

JEEZ YOU GUYS !

As if i don't have enough projects underway now, now I have to canvas the lake for Springfields.

quote:

Originally posted by waterrat:
JEEZ YOU GUYS !

As if i don't have enough projects underway now, now I have to canvas the lake for Springfields.

Every red-blooded American boy with an interest in rifles has to have a Springfield 30-06!

It is the American bolt action hunting rifle!

quote:

Originally posted by GrandView:

quote:

Originally posted by waterrat:
JEEZ YOU GUYS !

As if i don't have enough projects underway now, now I have to canvas the lake for Springfields.

Every red-blooded American boy with an interest in rifles has to have a Springfield 30-06!

It is the American bolt action hunting rifle!

Congratulations Steve. I think you should take it a step further and build a Springfield inspired by the smiths in Petrov's book but unique to your own skills. I'm sure it would be worthy of inculsion in his revised updated edition!

Have you taken the bbl action out of the stock yet, Steve? I was curious about the inletting.....it appears to be quite good.

I remember at the ACGG show when the metal was removed from the stock of that elaborately engraved, carved, and checkered Springfield......the recoil shoulder had been intentionally relieved! The metal was starting to hammer into the wood at the tang!

I was looking at your pictures again. That's a really graceful stock. Top of the grip line runs parallel with the toe line; comb nose fluting also on that same line. Bottom line of forearm runs straight and true.

Is the left side of the stock angling down from the gas port to slide under the cut off housing? Or did he use a transition step there? There's a wide variety of treatments by different makers in this area. I would presume there's no difficulty placing the cutoff lever in the bolt release position on yours, but probably not down to the cutoff position.

No wood relief is required for the Redfield receiver sight, correct? Is the tip of the slide right at the stock surface? Is the forearm checkering two-panel or wrap around?

Is the comb line level? It looks slightly humped, but it may be an illusion I'm getting from the cheek piece.

Noticed another interesting thing on your action. It has a straight bolt handle. Typically seen on the very early Springfields. Brophy has a couple pictures of early Remington 03's with the same straight handle. One of them on the single prototype chambered in .303 British. Presumably lots of miscellaneous parts were sent to Remington when they first started machining 03's.

Steve,

I think I felt the earth move! That seems to be a nice 1903 early post war sporter. Load a 180 grain bullet of your choice over 56.0 of IMR 4350, go forth and conquer!

Forrest

quote:

Originally posted by SDH:
........then on Sunday realized it was simply a straight, clean, semi-custom Springfield that hadn't been messed with or shot much in all the intervening years.

It's all of that. And that's enough.

Glad it found a home with someone who appreciates it.

quote:

Originally posted by SDH:
Don't know from shinola about the bolt handles.

Steve, if you give me the steel lot code from the safety lug, I'll try to see where it came from.

MP

Great looking rifle SDH! I like some of the folks that have chimed in here have the Springfield bug as well. I do somewhat agree with Craigster on the premise that if you ever find the time it would sure be nice to see you use that knowledge you have to craft up a very elegant 1903. I like to dabble with these. Whenever I run into a mind block/road block Grandview always seems to bail me out!


GV,

Was this scope base on the rear bridge done by D.E. Olson?

MP, I guess you mean that S stamped on the lug?

quote:

Originally posted by alvinmack:

GV,

Was this scope base on the rear bridge done by D.E. Olson?

I'd have to defer to Idared on that question. It was in his hands when the work was done.

quote:

Originally posted by alvinmack:

Was this scope base on the rear bridge done by D.E. Olson?

Mike, in a word, no. If you want to know who did it, PM me. I don't have this smith do work for me any more because of personal traits other than his gunsmithing ability which was excellent by the way.

Here are a couple more pics of it.

Congraulation on your '03 Sporter. My first '06 was a new 03-A3 I bought way back in the early 60's for $35 silver dollars. I still have it and still enjoy shooting it. I've accumulated quite a few more and still will buy a nice sporter when I run across one. The last one I bought was an '03 with an Lyman Alaskan scope in G&H mounts and a Lyman 48 rear sight. Hadn't shot it yet but it was a neat find. The scope and mounts were worth what I paid for the whole gun.

The bolt in your gun is an early bolt and should be replaced for safety reasons. Some of the early Springfield "low number" receiver failures were actually bolt failures - like the receivers they can the brittle and shattered.

The bolt that orginally came in your gun had a swept back bolt handle - i.e slightly bent to the rear, a smooth body like the one in your gun, and stamped with an "R" on the top or bottom of the handle near the bolt body. Most of the bolts your will find are for the 03-A3, they will work fine but they are not quire as nice as the early Rem. 03 bolts. Biggest differences are the stamped extractor collor and the smaller diam. fo the body around the safety lug.

I've got several examples of the Remington 1903 in various stages of change from the orginal 1903 to the final 1903 before they started the A3. The first guns were absolute dead ringers for the 1903 Rock Island guns; Remington actually had the worn out Rock Island tooling to start productions. The early Rem. 03's even had the bolt detent as on the RIA guns. Changes were made along the way to simplifly production; the last guns were close to the 03-A3s except for the sights and the stamped parts.

quote:

Originally posted by SDH:
White Line brand recoil pad (which is the only thing I will replace).

Dude!

Ya' hafta keep the white line spacer! We're talking history here.

Is nothing sacred?

Glenn

I just looked at one of my 1903 Remington barreled actions - it is SN 33604XX with a barrel date of 12-42.

Remington apparently had some overlap in the SNs in the transisiton from the 03 to the A3. My earliest 03-A3 is SN 3461XXX I guess the switchover was made somewhere in between.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:


The info below is from NRA's reprint, Model 1903 Springfield Rifles:

"During WWII, Remington Arms made M1903A1 and 'M1903 Modified' rifles, then switched to their redesigned M1903A3. Remington '03 serial #'s began at 3000000. Remington phased in production of the M1903A3 rifles beginning in December 1942, completing the changeover by March 1943. Production of '03 rifles and M1903A3's at Remington was mixed as the changeover was made. Serial # 3348085 is said to be the last Remington '03"

quote:

Originally posted by SDH:
MP, I guess you mean that S stamped on the lug?

Yes, that's a Springfield Armory bolt made from 1904-1912.

I dug out a Remington action with SN 3026XXX - one of the first run - and SN 3360XXX plus one or two in between. If anyone is interested I can post some side by side comparisons along with a 03-A3.

I checked a rifle with SN in the 3184xxx range - it does have radiused rear tang.