Springfield 1903

[Tascosa Joe]

What is a decent price for an '03?  Most of the ones I have run accross are Remington manufacture.  The price range that are currently available at local gun shops is $699 to 1099.  The 699 version has been drilled and tapped for a scope but the wood has not been molested, but shows lots of use.  The 1099 version has good blue, and clear stock cartouche.

[St. George]

Your best bet will be to monitor Gunbroker and Gunsamerica awhile, to see what actually sells.

It'll give you a feel for the market.

Don't buy anything that needs repair - you'll never get your money back from it, and neither will your heirs - stay away from stuff you'll have to explain.

Scouts Out!

[Trailrider]

Those Remington-made Springfields are actual M1903A3's (or an occasional variant). If you want a good shooter, those are the best, as they are the strongest.  If you go with a "straight" Model 1903, and want to shoot it, DO NOT shoot Springfield-made rifles with serial numbers LOWER THAN 800,000 nor Rock Island-made M1903's under 286,000!  And to be even more safe, you'd probably be best to stick with rifles serial numbered at 1,250,000 and above, which were made from imporved steel.  The "Low-numbered Springfields" were case hardened and improperly so, leaving the receivers brittle and subject to destructive failure. For reference, see pp198, of "Hatcher's Notebook".  If you can find a copy, there is a LOT of stuff in addition to the subject of the strength of military weapons.

[St. George]

Remington made the M1903A1, long before they built the M1903A3.

The 'A1 variant has a 'C' stock - featuring a pistol grip, and no finger groove on the sides, like the straight-stocked  '03 had.

They're referred to as the 1942 Remingtons, though they were producing that variant well before '42, and until the M1 Garand saw widespread issue, the M1903A1 was the standard battle rifle.

Brophy's book - 'The Springfield 1903 Rifles' - covers the weapon in depth.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[PJ Hardtack]

My pristine Remington-made '03 is dated '1942' and is of the pre-stamped metal era. It looks like a WW I vintage Springfield, but lacks the finger grooves.
It is far and away my favourite military bolt action rifle, which makes me a maverick amongst my loyalist Lee-Enfield SMLE and Longbranch No. 1 MkIV associates. The only thing I ever liked about the Lee-Enfield family is the smartness of the rifle drill, what Americans refer to as the 'manual of arms'.
I will never appreciate the drill done by the Brigade of Guards wearing  bearskins, carrying the current issue Bull Pup poodle shooter.

I also have a 1950s era FN-made Belgian Mauser in .30-'06 and for some reason, I've never warmed up to it like I have the Springfield.
To shoot either in a match, I have to wear a 'sissy pad' which also helps with the short stock of the '03.

[DeaconKC]

03 and 03A3 prices have jumped in the last few years. Expect to pay $600+ for one in good shooting condition and of course they will keep going up. The 03s have good sights for young eyes, while the 03A3s have a better peep sight for those of us who now need bifocals!

[Tascosa Joe]

As I know very little about 03's the main thing I was looking for is the ladder sight on the barrel insteal of the rear mounted peep site of the 03A3.  Are these 03A1's?  Cabela's in Fort Worth has the 2 expensive rifles.  A local gunshop out here in the Texas Panhandle as the drilled receiver cheaper rifle.

[St. George]

The barrel-mounted rear sight is a feature of the M1903 and the M1903A1.

As mentioned above, the only change was the use of the pistol-gripped, Type C stock.

This did away with the straight-gripped '03 stock that had finger grooves, and made the M1903A1 the 'standard' - any straight '03's coming into ordnance for repair, or any damaged stocks were replaced with the Type C.

The M1903A3's rear sight sits atop the rear of the receiver - much like the one found on the M1 Carbine - and the parts are milled.

M1903A3's and 'A4's (the sniper variant) featured a myriad of stamped parts - notably the trigger housing and barrel bands - and that rear-mounted rear sight.

Don't buy the drilled receiver one - there are plenty of unscrewed-with service rifles out there, so start asking older members of the shooting clubs, and go to more gun shows, since these were widely sold through the NRA and were also surplussed out in the '50's and '60's.

Incidentally, there are one helluva lot of fakes, too - so if you're really interested in owning one - buy a book, or see if your local Library can get you a copy of Brophy's 'The Springfield M1903 Rifles' and Crossman's 'The Book of the Springfield', and review them.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Tascosa Joe]

Thanks for all the info.

[pony express]

You can also find a lot more information on the net at Surplusrifleforum, in the US rifles section. I would pass on the drilled reciever one, but I would consider restoring a "bubba'd" one with only the stock trimmed, Just search online for the needed wood and any stock hardware before actually buying one.