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1903A3 stock arrived!

ArcticLight

ArcticLight

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 27, 2003
974
69
Silverdale, WA
#1
I went home for lunch and barely had time to eat and unwrap the stock, but I tossed the action in just to see it.

I'm dying to throw a movie in tonight as i put it all together!!!

CMP sent me a dark walnut gorgeous stock!! (C-Stock)...

Tomorrow I'll probably be sending the barreled action over to my smith for parkerization ..


So , anyone know if CMP already uses boiled linseed oil on these or is this bare wood? I kinda felt like it had been used, lightly..

Pics to come later 2nite..
 
#2
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

OK Guys might need some opinions here.

My bayo lug does not look like it does in the official TM....and nor does it fit on yet...that could be a sanding-required thing.

Otherewise pretty good - the spring in the tip of the stock is on the barrel tho, may have to inlet that (??)

1903A3_Pic5.jpg

1903A3_Pic6.jpg

 
#6
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

M1903 stocks were dipped in pure Tung Oil and maintained in the field by use of BLO. Pure Tung Oil isn't exactly easy to find but BLO is available nearly everywhere. I still use pure tung oil on my stocks for maintenance 'cause I have lots of it. I just "cut" the tung oil about 50/50 with a little citric degreaser which normally is used for cleaning wood of grime and oil without removing the finish (can use another solvent like mineral spirits). The solvent acts like a carrier and absorbs into the wood pulling in tung oil and evaporates from the surface allowing you to hand rub the tung oil into the wood.

That's really nice looking wood. Don't sand off too much.... the upper band should be "snug" but able to be removed by hand.

 
#7
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

Parallax - thanks - the forward (upper?) band does not fit on just yet, it's TIGHT, the bayonet lug does NOT fit on...some sanding will be required...

Can ya spare a quarter cup of tung oiL? LOL

I think they have that at lowes don't they?

I have a quart of BLO - love using that stuff on certain stuff...

I need a few more parts tho, the front sight base won't go on until I re-parkerize it..
 
#9
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

You mean the channel or the bolt knob is hitting the stock ? In the first case you may need to do some minor fitting... in the second that would mean the bolt handle has been bent down.

Also... what do you mean the bayonet lug doesn't look like the one in the manual ?


M1903A3 - stamped steel, parked or phosphate
m1903a3-3.jpg


Notice the pic... the band is blued and the bayonet nose piece is phosphate. As originally mfg the top band on a Remington 03A3 should be like this... Smith Corona mfg weapons had different finish on some parts.

On your finish... I'd rub inn some BLO or tung oil.... whatever you have or can get. THEN ... I'd go here: http://www.thegunstockdoctor.com/ and order one tin of Tom's Military Gunstock Wax. One tin might last you years. It's the age old 1/3 BLO, 1/3 Turpentine, 1/3 beeswax formula that was also used in the US military.... often called "Gunny Paste" by Marines when wood stocked rifles were still issued. Great stuff.... and like Hoppes #9 it smells oh so good
smile.gif
 
#10
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

Bolt knob is hitting the stock - while I doubt that my step-dad had any gunsmith work done on it there's that possibility.

But there is no channel for the bolt knob either.

Was going to go with either TUng Oil and johnsons (Original) floor wax (Or bees wax) - read about that...

Also read that gun oil causes the wood to turn red- that's what gives it that classic look...

Can't see your pic till I get home - photobucket is blocked by NMCI..
 
#11
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

I can't see how the bolt knob could contact the stock unless it was modified. I took a couple quick pics of a Smith Corona 03A3 for you to compare with your Remington... the profile is identical. The knob is far from the stock when the bolt is closed. There is no channel for the handle or knob clearance on a 03A3 ... but there is a modification for the altered bolt handle of the 03A3 when it was made into the scoped 03A4 sniper rifle... but the bolt knob itself still remained far from touching the stock. Send me a pic of your receiver and the bolt itself.

03A3bolt3.jpg

03A3bolt2.jpg

03A3bolt1.jpg

03A4.jpg
 
#13
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

OK Again this is weird.

My serial # is 31366xx - per the government website this is an M1903 NOT an M1903A3, I coulda swore it said A3 on it - so it's an 03A3 refurbished in 5/42 at Rock Island....

My step-dad sent it to my gunsmith (Mauser man) for the sporterization so he probably bent the handle and tapped for hte scope -


Funny now because he's going to pin the holes, and with a magnifying glass re-carve the serial number into the pins he put in....

(If anyone has doubts about that he did the metal work on the gunsmith guilds M1903A3 100 year anniversary rifle) ....

So I'm gonna take this to him Monday...
 
#15
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArcticLight</div><div class="ubbcode-body">OK Again this is weird.

My serial # is 31366xx - per the government website this is an M1903 NOT an M1903A3, I coulda swore it said A3 on it - so it's an 03A3 refurbished in 5/42 at Rock Island.... </div></div>

No...No...No... It's a M1903 made by Remington in June 1942. The barrel is likely original because the barrel dates generally lag behind the build date by a month or so.... the May 1942 barrel is exactly what you'd expect on a June 1942 rifle. The approx. start and end serial numbers for M1903's built in June 1942 are 3105879 to 3138819.... your rifle is right in that range. Your rifle is correctly called a <span style="text-decoration: underline">M1903 Modified</span>. Remington already had the WW1 tooling and a vast collection of surplus parts... so when emergency War production started they were all set to re-tool for the M1903.

I should have caught this when you posted the barrel date... because Remington didn't start building M1903A3 rifles until December 1942.... and they only built 1,909 of them. The 03A3 production from both Remington and Smith Corona was scheduled to start January 1943 but Remington got about a 2 week head start. For comparison they produced between 30K and 60K rifles per month starting in January 1942.

That rifle is a nice catch... even if you need to straighten the bolt. NOS replacement bolts are also still available if you decide to go that route. I'd try to fix the original bolt. The There is something odd going on with the sight as well... the M1903 had a tangent sight mounted just forward of the receiver. Check the barrel and see if it's missing. You may be able to replace that as well and buy the propper short handguard.
 
#17
Re: 1903A3 stock arrived!

You are correct, and I am learning!
1942 3000001 3348085 (M1903)
1942 3348086 3607999 (M1903A3)

OK Do I need the ladder site then?
Examples???


What about the handguard then?
Numrich has replacements - easy.....is it shorter???

Thanks guys!!
 
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