Someone mentioned a Remington 03-A3 earlier
In another post so rather than high-jack Sam's thread I posted a new topic.
I'm not a big fan of sporterized 03's but I liked the looks of this Remington that I found and bought it. I had just taken it out of the safe earlier today preparing to take it to the shooting range tomorrow when I saw Sam's post about Ricci's 03 on the auction side which by the way, is a beautiful old gun.
I was at a gun show in Montgomery, AL late on a Sunday back about 18 years ago and I wasn't in the market for a rifle of any kind but the seller, which was the gun smith that did the work on this gun, kept lowering the price until I couldn't pass it up. Glad I bought it now. It's the cheapest gun in my safe yet it's as accurate as any rifle I own that cost 4 times as much.
The guy that built the one I have put a Douglas barrel on it, with Redfield scope rings, carved a stock for it and did a little engraving and jeweling on the bolt and trigger. He did a really good bluing job on it. It's got a very old Winfield 3-9 x 32 scope on it that actually works surprisingly well in good light. Probably not worth a darn in low light.
The serial number on the receiver is 3930XXX which was made in September 1943 according to the info I could gather.
Anyway I haven't shot it in a while and thought I'd take it out for a little exercise tomorrow. The range I go to over in West Point, GA has been remodeled and lengthened. So I'll get a chance to see if that old scope works out pass 100 yards tomorrow.
I'm not a big fan of sporterized 03's but I liked the looks of this Remington that I found and bought it. I had just taken it out of the safe earlier today preparing to take it to the shooting range tomorrow when I saw Sam's post about Ricci's 03 on the auction side which by the way, is a beautiful old gun.
I was at a gun show in Montgomery, AL late on a Sunday back about 18 years ago and I wasn't in the market for a rifle of any kind but the seller, which was the gun smith that did the work on this gun, kept lowering the price until I couldn't pass it up. Glad I bought it now. It's the cheapest gun in my safe yet it's as accurate as any rifle I own that cost 4 times as much.
The guy that built the one I have put a Douglas barrel on it, with Redfield scope rings, carved a stock for it and did a little engraving and jeweling on the bolt and trigger. He did a really good bluing job on it. It's got a very old Winfield 3-9 x 32 scope on it that actually works surprisingly well in good light. Probably not worth a darn in low light.
The serial number on the receiver is 3930XXX which was made in September 1943 according to the info I could gather.
Anyway I haven't shot it in a while and thought I'd take it out for a little exercise tomorrow. The range I go to over in West Point, GA has been remodeled and lengthened. So I'll get a chance to see if that old scope works out pass 100 yards tomorrow.
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Very nice and wow on the stock! Always wished I could carve like that. 0 -
Beautiful rifle, Smitty.
While I like them in their original form, there were millions of the '03s made, and people have done some wonderful things with/to them.
Yours is a great example.0 -
Don McManus wrote:
While I like them in there original form, there were millions of the '03s made, and people have done some wonderful things with/to them.
I agree I like the original form also. I wouldn't ever mess up one that could be saved. According to the gunsmith I bought this one from he said it was in pretty sad condition when he got it so this is what he came up with. I think he did a good thing. At least some part of the original rifle will continue on.0 -
I?ve often wondered if the first thing a freshly graduated gunsmith does is sporterize a military bolt action. He might spend hours working the business end metal and more hours on a beautiful exotic stock. In the end he has more hours in it than it?s worth to anyone but him. 0 -
Beautiful rifle!!! 0 -
Love military conversions. That is a nice one. 0 -
Beautiful 0 -
Nice!
Ricci sold a Converted 03A3 that I had. I bought the gun in the 80's at a gun show in Puyallup WA. It had a 24" barrel of unknown make and a nice aftermarket stock. I put a timney trigger and a lift up safety on it and 3.5x10 VXII scope. I glass bedded the gun and with my handloads it shot inside MOA. I remember I took it out and shot it at 500 yrds at a paint can and it would hit everytime if I did my part. I hunted with that gun all over the US and it never failed to bring home the meat.
I was looking in my much diminished safe and I felt kind of sad I had sold it................oh well I hope whomever bought it enjoys it as much as I did and keeps it out hunting.0 -
That was a very talented man that did that work. Good looking old rifle!
I love custom rifles. The talent some people have, is inspiring. Like fine functional art.
Back in the 50's-60's my Dad used to know a guy that got him crates of old 03a3 rifles. At the time he could get them for like $10.00 each if he bought a crate at a time!
He would sell them off one at a time for $15-25 each depending on condition and what he could get.
He would sporterize 2-3 over the course of time and sell them off for a little more. Then get another crate and do it again.
Every night after dinner when I was little, I'd sit on the work bench in the basement and sand a block of wood while the old man worked on his latest project. He made a beautiful rifle for one of his buddie's that the guy hunted everywhere with and his dumb ass daughters gave it away after the guy croaked. I would have liked to have that gun!
I hunt occasionally with his hunting rifle which is a 721 Remington 30-06 with a Maple Mannlicher stock he made for it. It's topped with an old Bushnell scope that hasn't been adjusted in 50+ years! 1' high at 100 yards forever!0 -
Pre war Springfield's are almost hand made bespoke hand finished items produced relatively slowly by master craftsmen at a dedicated arsenal with a long history as arms production...
They are in individually tailored works of art while also being made on a production line with interchangeable parts...
The wartime production rifles are phosphate green finished and have two groove barrels and lesser quality rear sights and simpler stocks and we're produced as rapidly as kissable as cheaply as possible...
They are not the same rifle with the same finish and the same quality control or precision performance.
I am sorry if that upsets anybody - it was cheaper and faster and easier to make and it seems to have resisted conditions in the pacific theatre better without degrading.
It's like buying a base model entry level car - it's not the same vehicle as a loaded model with every option...
Look at the Thompson SMG - they deleted options and cut corners and the wartime late production models are cheaper constructed faster made combat weapons not handcrafted bespoke pieces of art.
War time 1911 pistols are sloppy and rattle and have to much play and nearly worthless sights and most could not hit anything with one past point blank range - they are not blued...
Last ditch a arisaka rifles are not the same as the earlier guns.
The problem with bolt action military rifles is that they were obsolete by the time the war started - and almost every participant was building semiautomatic battle rifles with higher capacities by the end of the war.
To offset the costs of equipping troops with the new guns they sold off the old guns - though the DCM / CMP had other motives for making combat arms available to the general population..
You could buy one cheap and make it perform well and look nice often cheaper or better then what was sold name brand in stores...
While I like pristine original day one as issues as manufactured guns I still consider the post WWII to 1970 period the golden age of sporters and surplus arms...
I love my sporterized Springfield with its upscale but still mainstream not fancy Bishop stock and and custom trigger...
As much as I love perfect originals.
Mike0
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